Strong Arm Farm
Heidi Herrmann of Strong Arm Farm harvests Sonoma Coast seaweed, grows cut flowers and a few unique vegetables on CCOF certified Organic farmland in Santa Rosa.
The rocky Sonoma Coast is home to about 600 native algae species! While they are all edible, there are a few that have a long culinary tradition and sought by chefs. Heidi hand harvests, rinses, then sun dries the sea vegetables that are sustainably cut from rarely accessible rocks on negative low tides. The 5 different crisp dry algae species get bagged in whole pounds for chefs and in 1 oz retail packets for grocers. Heidi only harvest seaweed on a handful of mornings in summer, it’s a precious local nutrient dense product.
Heidi farms perennial crops, since these provide the least soil disturbance, encourage a strong fungal and macro/microbial population to establish and are low maintenance. The main crop is Tuberose Lily, a very fragrant cut flower that’s white with a pale-pink blush. These stems are in peak production in August. Gophers also love this bulb so Hugo (the terrier), metal traps and raptor perches help in this never-ending battle. Rhubarb stalks are sold in spring and edible hibiscus pods (roselle) in the fall. The cropped field is lined by a robust multi species hedgerow of native plants.
Heidi has a Horticulture degree from Cal Poly and masters from Sonoma State. She’s worked at many farms in CA, WWOOFed in 7 countries and has been running Strong Arm Farm since 2009. Heidi teaches a breadth of Sustainable Agriculture courses at SRJC, and ‘Native Plants in Restoration’ at SSU.