“I’ve always been somebody who was a minority among minorities, being marginalized and also being attracted to marginalized subcultures. Rock ‘n’ roll is where I found my family, and in cannabis, I found another family.” Inspired by the “female expression of the most powerful plant on Earth,” her words, Tina Gordon of Moon Made Farms carved out a cannabis brand, and a name for herself, in Humboldt County, California. But it hasn’t always been this way.

“I was living in San Francisco for most of my adult life, and during that time, I was living a very underground lifestyle with art, music and playing in bands, releasing records, van touring, that kind of thing, for about 20 years,” Gordon said. “I was in a bunch of different punk and metal bands; I did a mobile soundstage, that kind of thing. Art shows, photography and video were all things I enjoyed. I really dedicated myself to having a full, creative life, to live lean, and to live life to the fullest.”

After living this lifestyle for over 20 years, she realized that things were changing. Following a split from her band, and then a career change, she began to look for the next step. Gordon began to find herself in Humboldt County more than the Bay Area. Gordon filmed a documentary first, and later she started dating someone there. Then, Gordon realized that it was the place where she would spend her entire time. In her later years, she fell in love growing cannabis plants.

“Moon Made Farms acknowledges the feminine in this plant, the moon being a symbol of femininity. Moon has subtle variations every night, but it follows a consistent schedule. So, sun-grown isn’t just about the sun; it’s about the moon and the night cycle as well.”

“I didn’t even have houseplants in San Francisco,” she admitted. “I was really urban. When I visited Humboldt for my first season, I became completely urban. I witnessed this plant growing from seed to expression. This experience changed my perspective on the natural world, and made me realize how beautiful it really is. The sensory experience of growing this plant changed my life.”

When she first started listening to her plants and the earth around them, she realized how important the partnership between grower and cannabis was to her. Gordon realized she was pursuing a new passion after seeing how cannabis flourishes in full sun, rain, and fresh water. Now, instead of making music and art, she’s all about growing the juiciest, most gorgeous buds. However, she has not forgotten the social justice aspect.

Gordon learned permaculture and regenerative methods from her father. She then used them in her own growing, to make cannabis more sustainably. She is an outdoor grower advocate and continues to seek out new information. She is also a social justice advocate and tries to get queer people, women, and other marginalized to her farm.

“I’ve always been somebody who was a minority among minorities, being marginalized and also being attracted to marginalized subcultures,” Gordon said. “Rock ‘n’ roll is where I found my family, and in cannabis, I found another family. It is important to give back when you experience a life-changing event like the cannabis epidemic.

She is passionate about education and wants the public to be educated on natural, sun-grown cannabis.

“Misconceptions about outdoor-grown flower are based on the industry standard,” she said.

“That started because of prohibition, when all the outdoor farmers were forced inside, so indoor farming became the industry standard. Now that we’re emerging out of prohibition, it just feels like the plant should go back outside. Some amazing developments have taken place over that period. Although there have been many advancements in gene and technique around this plant, I’d love for it to go outside and to receive extensive research on its properties and potential.

Now, Moon Made Farms is known on the market for producing quality, sungrown, sustainable cannabis that stands out from the rest, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and ethos that Gordon puts into her work. She’s also thrilled that she gets to revisit her musician days and sell merch for her farm, and she loves studying the growth cycle of the plant. As for the moon, to her, it’s a celebration of the feminine within the cannabis plant, the dark within the light.

“Moon Made Farms acknowledges the feminine in this plant, the moon being a symbol of femininity. Moon has subtle variations every night, but it follows a consistent schedule. So, sun-grown isn’t just about the sun; it’s about the moon and the night cycle as well. It is photosensitive. It’s sensitive to light. The plant will be affected by the quality of light. Therefore, it is important that the plant is exposed to the night skies when grown outdoors. And so, Moon Made Farms is acknowledging lunar farming techniques, an ancient way of cultivating all plants, as well as the symbol of the feminine that the moon represents.”

This story was originally published in Chronic News July 2021 Issue in our archive.