Aristos’ Harvest

By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer

Beth Tumas owner of Aristos Harvest, will tell you that on her best days she is either elbow deep in bee hives or retrieving an escaped goat. That is also the message on her machine when you call her. Tumas, who runs her happy farm on 15 acres in Lincoln University, is always laughing and smiling, One can only imagine the same is true of her bees and goats. “I just finished taking the goats out to clean up the fence line,” she said. “There is not much going on with the honey bees now that the July honey harvest is over. At this time of year, I am checking to see which hives are ok for the winter. In other words, verifying the bees have enough resources and bees to survive the winter.” She also spoke briefly about the dreaded varroa mite, which is a parasite that can decimate an entire honey bee colony. “We take them seriously and vaporize them,” she said. Tumas has been working with bees for nine years. She sells the honey, honey products, and her goats’ milk and goats’ milk products from her farm located at 125 Manor Road in Lincoln University. “My shop is open every Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Everyone is welcome then or you can call 302-584-8386 and make an appointment,” she explained. She also sells her products at the Pickled Pickles store in Oxford and at Rooted on Route 896 in New London. The website is www.aristosharvest.com and her email is aristosharvest@gmail.com.

Photos by Jennifer Zduniak, Jennifer Zduniak Design and Photography

She explained that her farm is a “working farm that balances the animals, the environment, and ourselves through education, business and surrounding community.” She invites the public to take a piece of the farm home, which is easy to do with the variety of products available. These products include raw honey extracted right on the farm. They also make beeswax candles that are sustainably harvested from the hive. “When we harvest the honey,” she explained, “there is beeswax capping left over. We melt those in our solar wax melter to make the candles. There is also a soothing hand salve made with beeswax which is proven to be very good for skin issues. We also sell a conditioning lip balm made from the beeswax.” One unusual item they sell is a beeswax wrap. Tumas explained, “Basically, you take a piece of 100 percent cotton material, you brush it with melted beeswax and jojoba oil and when it dries you have a long-lasting, protective cloth you can wrap your leftover food in. It works well to wrap us cheeses and fruit.” She does caution that you can’t use it with meat or fish. The wrap can be washed in warm soapy water and lasts for up to a year. “People are usually surprised to find that we also have farm-grown loofas here,” Tumas said. “The loofas are part of the squash family, which looks like a zucchini. Once dried, you peel the skin off the loofah and cut into pieces. I use these pieces for my honey loofah soap, a great soap for hard working hands.” There is also the all-natural goat milk soap. Tumas will even make up gift baskets full of her products. Recently she sold gift baskets at the Winterthur Fair. Along with the 17 goats, she also has cows, chickens, turkeys and a donkey named Cash on the farm. Tumas said that she and her husband, Tony, a boat broker, enjoy serving the community by sharing farm animals and the educational opportunities it provides. They work with the Garage Youth Center and the Oxford Stars. Oh, and just a fun fact about Beth Tumas: Before the bees and the goats, she was a pilot for Republic Airways. Stop by and visit them, and don’t forget to take a piece of the farm with you.

Aristos’ Harvest AristosHarvest.com 302-584-8386

Gabby Lombardi slays cancer

By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer

Gabriella Lombardi is a cancer slayer and she is proud of that. She is no shrinking violet. After all, she was a competitive All-Star Cheerleader for 16 years, trained by KX Athletics. She was a junior coach of that sport for three years and coached two teams in her senior year. And if you think competitive cheerleading isn’t a sport, you haven’t watched it. Lombardi graduated from Oxford Area High School this year, twelfth in her class, and is beginning her first year at the University of Pittsburgh. To see her now, she is the picture of health and unbridled joy. Even when you saw her in the midst of the battle against cancer, after losing her hair due to chemotherapy, it was still obvious that she is a force to be reckoned with. She was a rock star during a couple of years that would have stopped anyone else in their tracks. Lombardi actually rocks everything she tries. She rocked her bald head, looking like the competitive athlete she is. Even though she went through all the harsh side effects of chemo, she emerged looking more like an athlete who is training for the Olympics than a person who was suffering from a treacherous illness. Lombardi was diagnosed with Stage Three Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma on Aug. 1, 2019. “My symptoms,” she said, “included terrible pain in my back between my shoulder blades. I had trouble swallowing. Food would get stuck in my throat and I would choke. I went to a gastrointestinal doctor who thought it was a food allergy or ulcer. They did an endoscopy and, when Continued on Page 28

Photos by Jim Coarse, Moonloop Photography

Gabby Lombardi slays cancer

Continued from Page 26

I was under, found a mass protruding out of my esophagus. I got sent to A.I.duPont Hospital for a CT scan. When that came back, they rushed me to DuPont because of the placement of the tumor between my airway and esophagus.” When asked the obvious question—if she was scared—she said, “Yes, I was very scared. They put me in their pediatric unit. I didn’t think I had cancer, but I did. I was 16 then. I got moved on to the oncology floor after the first day so they could perform biopsies on my tumor.” Lombardi explained, “I understood what cancer was, but didn’t understand what it entailed. I didn’t understand until they came in and biopsied my tumor. When I realized I had it, I cried, but then I changed my outlook. I didn’t want to be miserable.” “I worked with nurses, doctors, and an art therapist. They were my heroes. They saved my life. I wouldn’t have wanted to go anywhere else,” she said. Lombardi was originally supposed to be in the hospital for her chemo treatment for 16 days, but it turned into 50 days. The chemo had made her very sick, and she got lots of different illnesses throughout the process. “I wasn’t thinking long-term,” she said. “I was thinking let me get through this as quickly as possible.” She is quick to point out that she had a lot of great support from her friends and family. “My friends showed up at chemo as often as she could,” she said. “My sister was in school in Minnesota, but she would constantly check in on me. My parents were great and I couldn’t have done it without them.” As if all that wasn’t enough to handle, she lost both of her grandfathers in the following year. She was recovered when they passed, but COVID was very prevalent. “I was in remission and was in school for only fifty days before the school shut down for COVID,” she explained. Continued on Page 30

Through it all she learned, “You are always stronger than you believe you are.” “It does change you,” she said. “I take everything with a grain of salt. Little stuff doesn’t annoy me as much as it did. I think I am now a better version of myself. I am closer to my family and friends.” She is now focused on college. “I’m just trying to get familiar with school and campus and make new friends,” she said. “I haven’t decided on my major. I’d just like to find something that I could visualize doing for the rest of my life. She worked at the Sawmill Grill this summer and really enjoyed that experience and all the people she got to work with. She also worked as an instructional assistant at the Chester County Intermediate Unit in a multiple disabilities classroom “I loved working with those students. It was challenging but a great experience and I hope to do that next summer,” she said. “My job was to make sure kids were happy and assisting the teacher. At the school they had a really good playground, and I got to go swimming with them.” Going forward Lombardi is an Adolescence and Young Adult Ambassador for A.I. Du Pont Hospital. She has also joined three Cancer Clubs at Pitt, one of those helps raise money for the local children’s hospital. “I’ve enjoyed every opportunity I’ve had,” she said. “Recently, an award was created after me at KX Athletics, the Gabby Lombardi Award, for outstanding, leadership, inspiring others, unwavering dedication and model sportsmanship. I was very surprised and grateful.” Gabby Lombardi exudes gratefulness and courage, and most importantly she did slay cancer.

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