Azzurra Farms

Shannon Campbell

Penny Antkowiak

By Amy Dee Stephens

Azzurra: The Little Blue Farm

Last year, two high school science teachers joined forces to create Azzurra Farms out of a backyard greenhouse. Shannon Campbell and Penny Antkowiak grew 6,000 plants and sold nearly every one of them this spring. They both felt pleased with the successful sale and the side income to their teachers’ salaries–but there was deeper meaning to their enterprise than the simple love of gardening.

“I grew up on a farm with a huge garden outside,” Shannon said. “I drove a tractor and was involved in Future Farmers of America my whole childhood. My dad taught me so much about nature, but then he got sick in early 2020 and passed away. I felt a little defeated. If Dad could have just seen how this turned out, well, that would have been precious.”

For Penny, gardening was the lifeline she needed to face the struggle of her Multiple Sclerosis. “Penny doesn’t need to go home from school and sit,” Shannon said. “This is something to strive for. To live for.”

Besides the healing power of gardening, Shannon and Penny both found that Azzurra satisfied their natural instinct to educate. “We enjoyed interacting with the customers who came to our spring sale, answering questions about why we don’t use pesticides or how easy it is to propagate basil,” Shannon said.

Following their teacher instinct, Shannon and Penny, who have a combined total of 47 years in the classroom, taught plant camps and incorporated gardening skills into their ecology lessons at school. “It’s important for kids to learn about bees and how to grow pollination plants,” Shannon said. “We grow flowers, herbs and vegetables from high quality seeds, and we only grow plants from our zone. Many of our plants you would find at a store, but we have some that are harder to find, such as African marigolds that grow five feet tall and Nasturtium plants with edible flowers,” Shannon said.

Shannon and Penny selected the name Azzurra, which loosely translates to “little blue farm” in Italian, because Shannon loves Italy, and when she purchased an acre and a half property in north Edmond six years ago, she felt like it was her own “little oasis.” Penny joined the venture, and their friendship has blossomed through gardening. “We’re just two teachers, trying to give back to our community. It’s a labor of love. After a long day of teaching, it’s great to come home to something you enjoy.”

They hope to expand into additional greenhouses in the future, but for now, seeds are already growing in preparation for their fall plant sale. “Maybe we can open a storefront someday,” Shannon said. “I wish my dad could have seen our greenhouse this spring, filled with 6,000 little pots. Azzurra Farms really is a tribute to him.”