The newest addition to our store is sprout seeds.  We had been looking for a Canadian supplier of sprout seeds for quite some time and when we found a company in Saskatchewan we decided to dive in and offer them for sale in the store.
    Why sprout seeds?  “Sprout seeds are a very healthy addition to your diet. The nutritional component of sprouted seeds is well documented. Sprouted seeds have significantly more vitamin A, B and C, and more essential minerals such as iron, zinc, calcium and potassium, than unsprouted seeds, and may be more nutritional than the actual plants.
    For instance, a study at the University of Saskatchewan found that broccoli sprouts can reduce the risk of high blood pressure and strokes. But even more interesting, the study concluded that we would have to eat 20 to 50 times as much fresh broccoli to get the same effect as a handful of broccoli sprouts.”  (taken from an article written by Amy Jo Ehman of the Star Phoenix in Saskatchewan).
    We were careful with our choices of sprout seeds, only wanting to offer a few of the easier sprouts, but did add some others that are considered more difficult to start.  The varieties we purchased include:  Alfalfa, Red Clover, Spring Salad Mix, Broccoli, Spicy Lentil Crunch, Sunflowers and Crunchy Bean Mix.  We also have an excellent book on sprouting called the Wonders of Sprouting, which includes many varieties and how to grow them.
    Here are some easy sprouting directions to get you started:
Soak. Put 1 to 4 Tbsp seed in a wide mouth jar. Cover with mesh and secure with rubber band. Add water, swirl, and drain. Add 1 cup cool water and soak for 4 - 8 hours.
Rinse twice a day. Refill jar with cool water, swirl, and drain. Invert jar and prop at angle in sink or bowl.
Enjoy. In three to six days, when sprouts are 3 to 5 cm (1 to 2") long, enjoy. Cover the jar with plastic and a rubber band, or transfer to a covered container, and refrigerate to store.
    We are pleased to be able to offer a certified organic Canadian Sprout seed and look forward to trying them ourselves.

The last two blogs told about what we are doing in the greenhouse right now.  That got me thinking (and remembering) some of the adventures we had the first year we began growing herbs.
Following is an excert, written by Melissa Benner, the first year we began growing herbs.
    “’Twas two days before Christmas, and we were up to our elbows in dirt. The rhythmic movements of planting had worked their way into our bodies:  take the pot, fill it to the brim with soil, level it off, create a small hole with the index finger, insert a sprig of rosemary, pack it down. Repeat.
    There we were, my sister, mom and I, out in the old tobacco barn, working to fill a large rosemary order for the coming month. We were learning everything the hard way
and doing everything the long way. Yet there was a certain peace between the three of us in that warm room. The smell of fresh rosemary mingled with the lingering scent of cured tobacco, the winter winds were chill outside, and the clock ticked gently. Our hands were painted dark with labour, our brows streaked with dirt, and we had to laugh to find ourselves in such a situation.
    For how could the transition from a third generation tobacco farm to an organic herb business be anything short of momentous? My parents had already made the decision to leave the tobacco industry when they discovered the online ad for a wholesale herb business. Recognizing their opportunity, they purchased the business and fell into an entirely new way of life.”
    This was but one adventure in our steep learning curve.  One of my favourite memories (now, although I question how much I enjoyed it then), was Ruth and myself tediously planting the tiny seeds into trays of soil.  The planting wasn’t the hard part.  The hard part was when we gathered up the trays from where we had been working in the old tobacco barn and tried to load them in the station wagon pulled up as close as possible to the barn.  Then, the drive, through the snow banks, to the greenhouse where the plants were going to start growing.  Why, oh why, did the wind decide to come up just then?  How many seeds did we really think would be left in the trays?  Hmmm, let’s see....do we plant extra just in case?  It was a very good thing we planted extra because as the tiny herbs started peeping up through the soil, it was very easy to see that they were very sparse.
    Sometime over that winter the heater in the barn gave out and we turned to heating the room we were working in with a space heater.  It must not have been working as well as it should have been, because by the end of the day Ruth and I were covered in black soot.  We would drive our trays to the greenhouse, dusty and dirty, move everything inside, then take off our layers of clothes, right down to shorts and t-shirts because of the extreme heat in the greenhouse on a sunny day.  And we laughed.  That was the amazing part...we really thought it was funny, then.  
    Tom watched us do this for a full season and then went to work making plans for our Potting Shed.  What a difference in our lives that made.
    Here are pictures of the potting shed being built and then a winter picture a few years later.

Some herbs are easier to start by taking cuttings and some herbs have to be started by cuttings.  Mint, for example, is not a true mint if started by seed.  Rosemary seeds are very slow to germinate and the plants aren’t as nice as when started by cuttings.  

It is very important to keep each of these plants going.....and something that has to be thought about and looked at regularly.  Last winter we, somehow, almost lost our Vietnamese Coriander.  Not really sure what happened, but we somehow ended up with only one cutting.  We had to grow the plant, which is slow going this time of year, take more cuttings as it grew and baby what we had until we were able to build up our stock again.  Tom had to take extreme care with his watering to make sure the little plant was always happy.  This was one pampered plant. Vietnamese Coriander does not over-winter in our zone, so if we hadn’t been able to save one cutting we we would have had to buy plants from someone else and Vietnamese Coriander is very difficult to find.  

Here’s a picture of Tom inspecting the cuttings in our greenhouse.  He has to be very careful to keep everything alive and we have to be very careful to ensure that we have cuttings of all the plants.

Cold outside....much warmer in the greenhouse.  We have been sorting the seeds, making sure they are still viable, ordering new seeds, talking about what we would like to experiment with, enjoying every minute of it.

This is the first step in the process of organizing our season.  Different herb seeds are ready at different times, some grow quickly, some grow slowly.  We keep notes on a regular basis and update them as needed.  For example, Cilantro grows best in slot trays while thyme thrives in 512’s.  Vegetable seeds are started in 50’s and 72’s.  Flower seeds, used in garden bowls, are started this way as well.

 It is very important that we remember how to grow every seed so that we don’t have to learn it all over again each year.  We use a large recipe box with cards, filing each seed description in alphabetical order.   Our notes include whether the seed needs to be covered to germinate, how many seeds need to be planted in each cell, what kind of tray the seeds are started in, any problems we had with germination and so on.

We have started Greek Oregano, English Thyme, Curled Parsley, Lovage, Garden Sage, Basil and Chives, to name a few.  The little seedlings are starting to peek out of the soil, tempting us in every way.  Maybe spring isn’t so far away after all.

Oregano                                                                                                        Thyme

We have been asked on many occasions about the story of our farm.  When did we start this business and how did we start this business.  Here’s our story:

Our farm is a third-generation farm, originally tobacco.  In 2002 Tom and I decided we had had enough of tobacco and that it was time to do something else.  But what to do?  Did we sell the farm and start all over again or did we stay on the farm and work off part-time?  We really weren’t sure, until we finally decided to buy a small, existing herb business from a farm not too far from us.  The idea was that Tom was going to get a full-time job off the farm and I was going to stay here and work away at the potted herb business.

We were surprised at the amount of positive response we received from many different directions.  We grew from selling 30 varieties of wholesale potted herbs to 60 and from about 15 customers to about 40.  The hours are long in the spring, but we have enjoyed most of it.

Since that day in 2002 we have expanded to include a store, a tea room, gardens and certified organic herbs in our fields which we harvest, dry and process to make a variety of certified organic dried herbs and dried herb blends.  The summer months are busiest and we have wonderful support from long-time friends, Marilyn and Ruth, as well as our three children who are seen here regularly helping at special events and on Saturdays.

The Silver Birch Tea Room is open in the summer months and features a full menu with everything made with herbs.  Enjoy a glass of lavender lemonade; a four cheese, four herb lasagna or a slice of lemon thyme cheese cake.  Sit by the waterfalls and listen to the soothing sound of the water while sipping on a cup of one of our 120 varieties of loose tea or

fair trade organic coffee.                                                  

Walk through the gardens, looking at the over 130 varieties of herbs and over 40 varieties of heirloom peppers and tomatoes planted in them.  Visit with our cat Basil, who loves to entertain.  Follow the fairy trail and find Geranium the Garden Gnome.  

A trip to the fields will show over 30 varieties of certified organic herbs.  The leaves sway gently in the breeze and the aroma is absolutely wonderful.  Watch out for the stinging nettle, though.

The transition has been very eventful and couldn’t have been done without people like Ruth and Marilyn, Shelley McVittie, who always offers a helping hand with her beautiful artwork and ideas and the numerous partners in Elgin County who have helped us find our way and answered our questions.

This picture was taken in August, when the herbs have been growing for a while.  PIctured here is Lemon Balm, Oregano, Stinging Nettle, Lavender and Savory.  Joseph and Jonathan are hoeing, which is a full time job in a field that is certified organic.