Meet our family at Simpler Thyme!
Ann Lanigan
Ann has always been interested in food and people. She is the heart of Simpler Thyme farm, taking care of the big picture, while also participating in all of the small details required to successfully run a farm. She immerses herself into the farm’s daily activities with joy and love for all who are involved. Ann’s journey has helped her realize the interconnectedness of sustainability, health and social justice, all of which are very important to her. She will always have time to welcome any visitor with open arms- and by the time you leave and she tells you to stop by anytime, you will know she means it and you know you will.
Mike Lanigan
After finishing a degree in Kinesiology, Mike met and married Ann. He then pursued a career as a nurse with the Victorian Order of Nurses. Mike began to realize that his journey with food was a difficult one. He discovered that certain foods, rather than nourishing him, caused him to feel unwell in various ways. This personal struggle with allergies and sensitivities had Mike’s natural interest in self education lead him to pursue accreditation as a herbalist. Drop by the farm and you may or may not see this handyman. Depending on his nursing schedule he may be out seeing patients, fixing a fence, hauling hay or focusing on irrigation. Mike’s kind and calm demeanor puts others around him at ease.
Bill Orosz
Bill is a farmer through and through. Plants and trees have been passions of his all his life. Even as a child, he eagerly worked in the family garden. Educated at Niagara College in Horticulture, he worked for a number of years in nurseries, greenhouses and friend’s farms until he bought his own land in Flamborough and began to farm for himself. He sold his produce wholesale at the food terminal and at various farmers markets and later from his own fruit stand on Highway 6. When Ann and Mike moved in across the road, it was natural for a close friendship to begin. Bill will usually be found barefoot in the garden, with dirt under his fingernails, undertaking any number of tasks that need doing during day to day life on the farm. His personality shines through his hard working exterior and his interest in farming. His joy in sharing all that he knows is a delight to experience and be a part of.
Charles Aubin
Charles grew up on a family farm in Field, Ontario. He met the Lanigan clan when they volunteered with a local theatre group where he had been plying his craft for many years. From then on he became a man of many interests and a jack of all trades on the farm. A treasured family friend, Charles is an invaluable go-to man for any task. He is a tech, management and cooking assistant. He is a partner in crime around repairs, labour, farming and animal tasks, and a regular presence in the market.
Dan Reynolds
Dan’s expertise is ensuring no one gets too serious or caught up in the whole farming thing. His sharp wit and intelligence was not masked when he sustained an acquired brain injury in 1983. He has lived with his sister, Ann, since then. Dan is a jokester and troublemaker who livens up the farm with his jovial demeanor. He will always have a smile or a skill-testing or mind-bending question to puzzle you with. “Do you know what I know that you don’t know?” “What is reality?” “What is D-O-G backwards?” In the winter, Dan enjoys his apartment living downstairs, but in the summer Dan will be out and about in the yard. Do not be afraid to approach him and have a chat!