The Herb Farm is turning 31 years old this month and I have celebrated every one of those 31 years (that makes me feel a bit old!).
Last year was a milestone for the business with our 30th anniversary and we launched ‘The Herb Farm Journey’ book to mark this momentous occasion. The creation of the book was a time of reflection for both Mum (Lynn Kirkland, Founder) and myself as we revisited the highs, low and learnings that come with a legacy business like ours.
For many businesses the last few years have been difficult for a whole range of reasons, and this year appears to be of a similar vein, so every year in business is worth stopping and celebrating as it shows the resilience and adaptability of it.
I was 11 years old when The Herb Farm opened its doors and at the opening celebration I was giving pony-rides in the gardens (I was a fanatic equestrian!), so my role has changed quite a bit but I have shared 31 years of my life with the business, and in many ways, have “grown up” with it so it is very much integrated with my story and my family’s story.
Looking back on my younger years, I feel appreciative to have been given such a strong grounding in the power of nature and choosing natural, for me, was (and is) just ‘a way of life’. I experienced first-hand the “magic” of herbs through Mum’s treatments and administrations, like her chamomile compress for my migraines, and I loved using them with my array of animals – horses, goats, calves, dogs, guinea pigs and the odd rescued bird! So, I was a believer in how powerful nature is from a young age.
We have always had amazing support from our local community, and our customers, who are now located throughout the world, and it is because of you that we are celebrating 31 years.
In a world that is saturated with options and information/marketing overload, you continue to choose us, a family-owned business that makes its own skincare using our own fresh herbal extracts and is trying to leave a positive legacy on the world and help others. So, thank you for continuing to make this choice – it is the best birthday present for us!
Our business, The Herb Farm, is about people, it’s about our team who create the magic everyday, and our customers who share our passion. Our future will be centred around this – continuing to connect meaningfully with our customers and sharing our passion for herbs to make a positive difference in people’s lives.
Infusions for Compresses
I mentioned above about the miracle migraine treatment earlier on and this is the
process to do this.
1. Take one large handful of dried chamomile flowers or two handfuls of
fresh flowers or you can use about ten chamomile teabags.
2. Place in a bowl, cover with a couple of litres of boiling water and place a
plate on top of the bowl.
3. Leave at least twenty minutes to infuse and then strain out the flowers.
4. Place two handtowels or tea towels in the hot infusion and wring one out
and place along the spine (Sarah was ten at the time so these size cloths covered
the length of her spine).
5. While this is on the person’s back, wring out the other cloth and place on
top of the first one. Turn the cloths over so the hot fresh one is against the skin and you can remove the cooling one and put into the bowl.
6. Repeat until the cloths are no longer very warm.
7. Massage the back and neck with St John’s Wort oil if you have it or a
general massage oil. St.John’s Wort oil is excellent for relieving nerve pain and
tension.