The Rural Voice, 2003-09, Page 48Dr. Tony Manolis and Marlene Wynnyk examine some oregano on the
Wingham area experimental farm.
Spicing up
(well actually herbing up)
farm cropping options
Experiments on a Wingham research farm could
lead to new farm crops
Story and photos by Sarah Mann
Operators of The Healing Arc
Research Farm want to find a
sound alternative crop that
makes good economic sense for area
farmers and they think they have
found that with oregano.
Usually thought of as an
ingrediant in Italian
cooking, oregano has been
found to grow very well at
the farm located outside of
Wingham.
Marlene Wynnyk, the
president of The Healing
Arc who has a masters in
social work, and business
partner Dr. Tony Manolis,
a Ph.D. Organic chemist
and former academic dean
at the Ontario College of
Naturopathic Medicine,
have been working Turning oregano into oregano oil.
together at the farm for over a year,
experimenting with alternative crops
such as marigolds, sea buckthorn,
and oregano. They chose Huron
County because, they say, it has the
Oregano Project
>3 Harvests
Per Season
Dried
Oregano
Illustration courtesy
Agriculture and Agri -Food
Canada
best heat units for comparison across
Ontario.
Last year, the pair planted rows
and rows of the largest African
marigolds at the farm because they
were interested in the marigolds for
the lutein, used to help improve
impaired eye sight.
But, after years of planning,
research, and finally, a harvest, the
marigolds were found to be an
unprofitable crop to grow in this area.
Wynnyk said the marigolds are
more suitable for areas where crops
are rotated and transplanted, like in
the tobacco belt near Tillsonburg but,
"we're not interested in toxic land,"
Wynnyk says. "The seeds are
expensive, they require irrigation and
would do better in cooler
temperatures. It's a good product,"
she s4ys, "but it's just not cost
effective." Wynnyk says they have
marigold lutein in stock that they sell
to doctors and chiropractors and will
likely grow the marigolds again in
two years.
"It's okay for us but I wouldn't
recommend it to other area farmers.
It's just not viable to sell," she says.
This year, Wynnyk and Manolis
wanted to try their luck with Sea
Buckthorn, a hardy, deciduous shrub
that belongs to the Elaeagnaceae
family.
They received their first sea
buckthorn plant from Dr. Hilary
Rodrigues, who lives and works in
Newfoundland. Rodrigues has been
working on his sea buckthorn plants
for about three years now and The
Healing Arc's year-old plants are
already half the size of his.
"I'm very thankful to him that he
gave me tips on what he did wrong
when planting," Wynnyk says.
Sea Buckthorn rapidly
develops an extensive root
system and is an ideal plant for
preventing soil erosion. The
leaves, berries, and seeds of
Sea Buckthorn have high
nutritional and medicinal
values containing vitamins C,
B1, B2, E, F, K, P, provitamin
A, sugars, and organic acids.
"It's not a tempermental
plant either," says Wynnyk. "It
grows in Siberia."
B.C. native Shawna
Sangster, who has her Bachelor
of Natural Resources and
•�
Products
1
Ground
Oregano
44 THE RURAL VOICE
Steam
Distillation
Oregano
Essential Oil