Herbs Yr-Rd from Calif., I Mean Minnesota

Fourth-generation Farmgirl Bonnie Dehn and her husband Bob have secured a commerical farming niche, offering fresh herbs throughout the year to local markets and restaurants, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Faced with competition from year-round farmers in warmer climates, the Dehns took on higher heating and infrastructure costs to make their garden business a success. The couple has been toiling in herbs since the ’70s, well before they were in fashion. Indeed, the paper credits the Dehns with helping to shape cooking trends that have made fresh basil, sage, marjoram, etc., must haves at the dinner table. In addition to advising the curious at farmers markets, Bonnie has taught cooking classe, promoted recipes and authored cookbooks. The couple’s two grown daughters are being groomed to take over the family business, which has grown to 30 greenhouses and $1.5 million in sales last year, the paper reports. Photo from DIY story about the Dehns.