News from the farm…the sun is shining, and the storms of winter have abated!
With the new moon today, and Imbolc passed last month, (a traditional marker of the halfway point between the winter solstice and spring equinox), there is a lot of activity in the fields with new planting of lavender to regenerate old stocks.
This family-owned farm is committed to tending this land for the long-term, and is currently looking at regenerative ways to enhance the existing herb fields, and regenerate fields that have seen better days, adding to the biodiversity with new herbs and wildflowers. New essential oils will be able to be produced, increasing the diversity of our production lines.
Storm Ciàran ravaged the island in November 2023, and other storms over the last year have brought down more trees. As is evident all over the island, the necessary work to clear detritus where possible, and plant new trees is ongoing. The National Trust for Jersey have only just been able to open the public footpath on land they manage in Fern valley.
Just by the Distillery, there is a patch of land where an Oak tree was damaged, the fallen branches and other potentially hazardous branches have been cleared, leaving the trunk of the tree standing. The site around has been cleared of debris, and we now plan to seed wildflowers here. The addition of a small wildflower meadow here will attract pollinators, butterflies, etc., and support our bees!
Amanda Bond, a nature and mindfulness-based wellbeing practitioner, will be guiding tours on the farm throughout the upcoming season – adding to the former theme of the tours with her expertise and knowledge of natural medicine, including essential oil practice.
Amanda has been undertaking further studies over the last two years, undertaking a Diploma in Herbology with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. She completes this in May. A major part of her studies has included the design and implementation of the principles of creating a Physic Garden. Physic gardens were established in the 17th century, usually adjacent to hospitals, supplying herbs for natural medicines. The gardens typically contained examples of culinary and medicinal herbs, as well as natural dye plants. A well-known example is the renowned Chelsea Physic Garden in London, incidentally where Amanda first embarked on Natural Medicine studies with Neal’s Yard in 2004.
Amanda will be establishing a small Physic Garden this spring in a currently under-utilised space on the farm, adjacent to the Distillery. It’s an exciting opportunity to grow new herbs, offering visitors a new attraction, along with herbal talks and workshops.
Here are a few photos from around the farm as it looked just a few days ago.
