Co-op People

Dawn and Carson Combs pose for a figure alongside jars of products.

When Dawn Combs whips up an herbal matcha for visitors at Mockingbird Meadows Farm, she starts by selecting one of the jars arrayed on simple wooden shelves in the space of her home that serves as a combination shop, herb apothecary, and classroom.

The jars, called TEAshots, are powdered herb blends she developed from whole plants — including bark and roots — she and husband, Carson, raise at Mockingbird Meadows.

Ron Miller and Mark Radtke stand next to a Model A Ford-powered sprint car in the Salty Dog Museum.

The Salty Dog Museum, a top-notch assemblage of Model T and A Fords in Shandon, Ohio, came into being out of necessity for Ron Miller, his son B.J., and their friend Mark Radtke.

Before they opened the museum, the vehicles were spilling out of their backyards and garages.

“Everybody collects something, and we happen to collect antique vehicles and their stories,” Radtke says.

Judy and Steve Bartels smile next to the sign for their farm.

Happy kids, an appealing, eco-friendly product — what’s not to like about a cut-your-own Christmas tree operation? It’s a win-win situation, says Brian Bartels, who with his wife, Kara, and parents, Steve and Judy Bartels, operates Bartels Farm in Hamilton. The operation features fresh-cut Christmas trees, a live Nativity scene, tractor rides, and a Christmas shop.