The Citizen, 2005-03-17, Page 35PAGE A10. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005.
The old traditions prevalent at Touch of Herbs
Aromatic
Part of the fascination was the
history, she said. “Thirty years ago it
was difficult to find information , but
once I started digging what I learned
was so interesting. Nine times out of
10 the women were the herbalists.
That hooked me.”
As Hislop uncovered the
background, the variety of uses and
the fragrances she began to wonder
why people stopped using herbs as
extensively as they had centuries
before. ‘Doctors became more
important than naturopaths.”
Yet, Hislop claims the benefits of
herbs are so diverse that people could
lessen trips to the doctor and to the
grocery store if they just learned a
little more about them.“So many
things people pull out of the ground.
The roots of a dandelion for instance
when dried are a coffee substitute.
Burdoch and tansy... all useful
things.”
As Hislop’s interest and knowledge
increased so did her credibility. She
became a chartered herbalist and
operated an herb store in St. Marys
before moving to Aubum.
Back then, said Hislop, it was an
odd career to many. “My daughters
used to get teased that their mother
was a witch.”
The mystique has lessened
somewhat in recent years as people
become more interested in their
health and in natural alternatives.
“Yet I’m still amazed by the number
of people leery about using them.
Certainly when you’re considering an
herb for medicinal purposes you need
to be somewhat careful. But it’s not
as scary as a lot have made it out to
be.”
The bigger danger comes from the
unnatural, she says. “We follow
organic practices, even though we’re
not certified. If 1 can get it locally or
raise it myself that’s the way to go.
It’s better quality and without
chemicals.”
Noting that diversity in farms is
primarily a good thing, Langford sees
it as a way to live the life you want
without going millions of dollars into
debt.
“It’s a lot of the smaller farms that
keep agriculture flowing, but they’re
not the ones you hear about.”
Many of the reasons people are
coming back are health-related. ‘‘Life
is jugt too fast paced,” says Langford.
Hislop explains, “People got
sucked into the marketing and
advertising of buying from stores. We
were brainwashed. Certainly this
quick food took the workload off, but
everything we got was processed.
Now you find that people go to an
Continued on All
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The kitchen of Touch of Herb Farms is alive with the
fragrance of herbs. Nancy inspects a rosemary plant she’s
had in the house. (Bonnie Gropp I photo)
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
Thousands of years ago, the
emergence of agriculture meant a
drastic change in the way people
were living. Rather than taking what
nature and the land from a vast area,
could give them as the hunters and
gatherers had, farmers exploited a
relatively small amount of land very
intensively and over a long period of
time.
Success could perhaps be
measured by hew much you got back
from your own little agricultural
comer of the world.
Nancy Hislop and Roy Langford,
who own a farm just outside of
Auburn, which they called A Touch
of Herbs, believe in a full circle
approach to farming. An avid
gardener and certified herbalist,
Hislop feeds her flock of Navajo-
Churro sheep from the bounty of the
couple’s fields and gardens. Many of
her herbs are used to dye the wool.
“1 believe there is a movement in
agriculture going back to the more
natural methods of farming. Organic
is actually the fastest growing sector
in agricultural today,” said Hislop.
Her membership in that movement
began 30 years ago. “I couldn't find
the herbs I wanted for cooking so I
started growing a few different kinds
for myself. Things just kind of
snowballed from there.”
Today, Hislop’s expertise extends
to over 200 herbs. “It’s almost a way
of life for us now.”
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