Medicinal herbs are a major player in our state’s agriculture industry. Did you know that you can learn to grow them in your own home or garden? In fact, Brian and Melissa English, owners of Wild Aster Farm in Hurdle Mills, have recently shifted their business model from growing and producing medicinal herbs to focusing on agritourism and education to help customers across the state learn how to produce their own medicinal herbs for themselves and their families. Customers of their farm can learn about a variety of herbs such as yarrow flowers, catnip, comfrey leaves, goldenrod and more.
Growing up surrounded by agriculture, Melissa English always had a deep appreciation for farming. “My dad grew up on a tobacco farm in Eastern NC, so we visited the homeplace a lot when I was growing up,” she said. “My family history instilled a great appreciation for all types of agriculture, but I always had a soft spot for animals.” After high school, Melissa attended N.C. State University, where she started out pursuing a veterinary degree. “I was one of those people that had their entire life planned out,” she laughed. “I was going to be a vet and have my own practice. However, during my first semester of undergrad, I knew it wasn’t the right fit.” Shifting her major to Fisheries and Wildlife Science, Melissa took a variety of environmental and wildlife related classes, including horticulture, herpatology, wildlife science and land management. Further pursuing a master’s degree in Agriculture Education, she fell in love with horticulture, education, and the connection between agriculture, nature and ourselves. Brian, Melissa’s husband, grew up gardening, canning and beekeeping, so he also had a deep appreciation of agriculture instilled in him at a young age. The pair met while Melissa was in grad-school and began their life together as husband and wife shortly after.
While working as an Agriculture Education teacher, Melissa was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease and turned her focus to managing her health. During this time, she and Brian moved to the farm and Melissa began farming full time. “It became so clear to me with my diagnosis, that the food we eat and how it is grown is incredibly important,” Melissa said. “So, I began researching and pursuing information on how to grow and use food and medicinal plants to help support my health.” From then until now, Melissa and Brian have grown their farm to produce a plethora of medicinal herbs each year, as well as establish a homestead with chickens, sheep and vegetable gardens. “Medicinal herbs support the body in many ways and are easy to grow in your garden whether you have a 10-acre farm, like we do, or a small container garden in the city,” Melissa said. “Growing your own medicinal herbs really can change the way you view the food you eat and the connectedness of the natural world around you.” In fact, one of the biggest misconceptions Melissa faces when teaching others to grow medicinal herbs is that it takes a degree or prior agricultural knowledge to do so. “Learning to grow medicinal herbs is very similar to growing flowers and common garden plants,” she said. “It does help to learn from people in the medicinal herb industry, as well as personal research, but you don’t need a formal education to do so. That’s what inspires me to teach people how to grow and use medicinal herbs, the desire to offer encouragement and further the benefits medicinal plants have to offer.” Although they are continuing to produce a variety of herbs at Wild Aster Farm, Melissa and Brian are shifting their attention this year to offering more agritourism events, educational opportunities and other classes to promote involvement and learning across the community.
This spring, Melissa and Brian are offering a variety of classes, farm tours, and events for the public to get involved in and learn how to grow and use medicinal herbs. The first activity this Spring is a Backyard Foraging Class, taking place in March, in partnership with the JESAvanti Foundation Heritage in Roxboro. “We are excited to offer classes with the JESAvanti Foundation Heritage this year because they provide a space for gathering and education, which allows us to reach more of our community,” Melissa said. Other upcoming classes this Spring are a Tincture Making Class, using fresh herbs, a Summer Herb Class, and a Starting Your Own Herb Garden Workshop. In addition to classes with the JESAvanti Foundation Heritage, Melissa and Brian are also offering several classes and events on-site at the farm throughout this year. “When we host activities on the farm, we always give a farm tour,” Melissa said, “so, we offer a very immersive, educational, and hands-on experience where people can truly see what we do, why we do it, and why they should get involved as well.” Throughout the year, Seasonal Herb Classes are offered at Wild Aster Farms where older teens and adults learn the natural history of nine in-season herbs, as well as how to grow, harvest, and use them in drinks, food, tinctures and more. Melissa also offers Homeschool Classes during the week for kids to learn how to forage and make salves. Keep an eye on Wild Aster Farm’s social media pages in the coming months as they announce events, farm-tours and more!
Although they grow a variety of herbs, Melissa’s favorite is Tulsi Basil, also known as Holy Basil. “Tulsi Basil helps your body adapt to stressors and it supports cortisol levels,” Melissa said. “It’s also a continuous cut herb, so you can enjoy multiple harvests from one plant.” Melissa and Brian use a no-till, regenerative style process in growing and producing their herbs. “Every year, we purchase seeds from a medicinal seed company, which allows us to know exactly what variety of herb we are getting each time,” Melissa said. “We start our seeds in trays indoors to provide the proper growing conditions for each herb. After a couple of weeks, we move them out to the greenhouse and eventually the field to finish growing.” At harvest time, some of Wild Aster Farm’s herbs are sold fresh and dried to local herbal product companies and used for education and community herbalism.
We are so proud of all that Wild Aster Farms is doing to further the medicinal herb industry of our state, not just in growing them but in teaching others to do the same. Be sure to check out the classes and events they are offering through their social media and/or website, and sign up for one that interests you this year! #NCAgriculture
