Our Farmers
Zachary
Zach has been here since the beginning, having started the farm with then-partner Hailey; and has been over-joyed to over-see the farm grow into a beautiful community-homestead-ashram. In addition to farming, he is an active minister at the Ananda Church of Self-Realization in Bothell. Zach is inspired by sowing seeds, grafting trees, and getting the little (and big) things done each day.
Glenda
Glenda, fondly known as Glendibird, flies around the farm helping wherever she is needed. She specializes in growing and harvesting tomatoes, preserving the summer bounty, pouring candles, researching, laughing, and giving wonderful farm tours. Glenda is a true friend to everyone who visits the farm, and is a wonderful and loving mother to all.
Lajjana
Lajjana is the grandmother to all at the farm, and also our spiritual rock. She is from South Dakota, a long-time Ananda Minister and Nayaswami, and lived in the Ananda community for many years before moving up to Camano. On a given day, you can find her joyfully wrapping farm soap, drying herbs and apples, helping at the morning goat-milking, and feeding the hungry farm nation with her farm famous chocolate pb rice crispy treats, and her ever-newly-delicious vegetable soups!
Paean
Paean joined the farm family in July 2016, fresh off the jet plane from Fairfield, Iowa, where she graduated in June from Maharishi University. Her degree is in Sustainable Living, and as part of her senior project she wrote an incredible Yogic Cookbook. She brings a calm and blissful presence to the farm kitchen, gardens, and herb shop. She also plays a beautiful violin, leads the farm choir, and is best friend to the kitties, chickies, dogs, and the people.
Jacob
Before officially moving to the farm in the summer of 2018, Brother Jacob was one of the farm’s most frequent and supportive visitors. When he made the jump to full-time farmer, he brought with him a passion for farming with dharma, a plethora of building-skills, an amazing kitty Chandra, and the dream of a future Ananda Farm boat, sailing the Salish Sea.
William
William the “Willbarrow” or Mr. Will exemplifies the can-do spirit and say yes attitude. He is a wood-chip wheeling enthusiast who loves to mulch. After volunteering at the farm for over a year while working at the Living Wisdom School in Lynnwood, he moved here in February 2019 to join his wife Paean and become an Ananda farmer. He enjoys doing the most humble tasks that keep the farm landscape thriving and humming and is the ginger brew-master. He also has a passion for sharing the joy of natural farming with children on “Farm Fridays”.
Brian
Brian first visited the farm for the natural farming retreat with Larry Korn, in the fall of 2019. Upon it’s conclusion and returning to New York, the Nature had gotten too much into his life blood, and he was almost ready for the transition to full-time yogi-farmer. Today, he is the primary pig care-taker, a stalwart in the gardens, the island’s premier bagel baker, and a steadfast yogi at morning sadhana.
Tulsi Dog
T-Boogie came not long after Z and H’s arrival – when the farm was under attack from all sides. Deer in the fields and orchards; coyotes on the land; eagles in the air. Then came T. He lives on the farm house porch. Hears everything that moves; Hasn’t had a night ‘off’ in near 9 years. He is the farm protector, and has helped us to plant 5 acres of gardens and orchards without deer fence. He is everything we could hope for in a farm dog and friend.
Narada
Narada began visiting the farm as a mere high school lad, and now at 22, is one of the most tenured and proficient jack-of-all trades craftsmen on Camano Island. He can milk the goat, seed the greenhouse, keep it watered, plant the garden, build the woodshed, and the bungalow, paint a mural on the outhouse, fix a feast, do the dishes, and make us laugh, all in a good day of ‘farm time’. He also enjoys hanging out with Nettles the spooky, sweet black kitty, hosting pizza parties and farmhouse movie nights.
Kyle and Alexa
A strategic farm visit by mother Martha for her family at the beginning of the COVID outbreak brought Alexa and Kyle to the farm for the first time; next, they brought a tent to stay the week, a really big one, and then, they built a Bungalow, 2.0.
Now, Alexa is a farm boss with broadway bounce, regularly ‘Marie-Kondoing’ the farm house. She sings soprano, helps manage the herb shop, and prepares the doggie-dinners most everyday;
Kyle is an enthustiasic farm builder, cookie baker extraordinaire, and overall farm superhero; when not on the farm, he is usually in Vegas, performing in the Blue man group.
Rudi San
Good king Rudi is the other original farm friend. He joined Tulsi Dog when a mere kitten, giving kitty kinship to all farmers and visitors alike. With supreme confidence, tiny stature, and a baby’s meow, Rudi prowls the farm, loves a good love fest in the evening and morning, and cleans up his brother Nettle’s long hair everyday.
Karen
Karen joined the farmily from Bellingham via Texas, and brought with her incredible southern hospitality and the most delicious warm salsa. She’s often found on Friday’s, feeding the busy farmers at prana station with soup, fruit stew, hummus, and more. And she helps keep the farm organized in the herb shop, sharing events, and with our guest calendar, in addition to working part time with Windermere on the island.
Jaidhara, Vahini and Gabri
Gabri was our first farm child, arriving two summers ago with parents J and V; Now at age 6, he is proficient with snips, an excellent bean picker and plays on the local soccer team. Jaidhara tends the garden, mows the farm (Thank God!), makes pottery, and often helps to run Prana Cafe in the summer. Vahini is the farm’s premier flower bouquet builder, a yoga teacher extraordinaire at the meditation temple in Bothell, and an incredible, delectable dessert provider.
Bhima, Bhakti, and Ezra
Long time beloved friends of the farm and farmers, the second Breckenridge fam officially made their move to the farm last summer, of 2021. Now they have landed at “Ashley Haven”, on the same street as the farm. Bhima, a wonderful musician, was the former manager of East West Bookshop in Seattle, and is currently building the creative juices for a relaunch and expansion on Camano; Bhakti is our resident angel, often blessing the gardens with her presence and the kitchen with sweet treats for Tuesday Choir and Prana Cafe. Ezra is the 4 year old who makes us laugh, loves to climb the burlap pile and being outside all day.
Leo the Lion
The first farm baby – Leonesus is rapidly approaching the age of 2, and his entertainment capabilities seem to increase with every passing week. He loves to climb up, over, and sometimes off of, anything he can get his hands and feet on; he loves to push things, and will likely be ready for a wheelbarrow by the age 3. He also loves to stomp like a sumo wrestler, and chant “I am awake and ready.” His favorite food is “toto” or tofu. Just don’t mention it if there isn’t any, lest he go into a rage.