HOW ABOUT HERBS 



continued from page 27 



keting wreaths, dried arrange- 

 ments, catnip mice, and other gift 

 and novelty items can be a profit- 

 able enterprise. 



If your skills are culinary, a 

 line of herbal vinegars, jellies, or 

 other condiments, such as dips 

 and salad dressings, is a good 

 idea. Stonewall Kitchens is an ex- 

 cellent example of how such an 

 idea can take off. The proprietors 

 of this highly successful business 

 began by selling some vinegars, 

 mustards, and jellies at the Ports- 

 mouth Farmers' Market about six 

 or eight years ago. Their packag- 

 ing was unique; the products, 

 imaginative and delicious. What 

 began as a love for cooking and a 

 few herbs grown in a backyard 

 garden is now a multi-million 

 dollar business with a large retail 

 center (and another planned) and 

 a mail order business that ships 

 around the world. 



There are a number of well-es- 

 tablished small herb businesses 

 that have been around New Hamp- 

 shire and southern Maine for 

 quite some time. Here are just a 

 few: 



In Concord, at Heritage Herbs 

 (on Hannah Dustin Road, just off 

 193 on the banks of the Contoo- 

 cook River), you'll find Peg 

 Mastey hard at work among her 

 well-kept field-grown herbs, in 

 her greenhouse, or in her tiny 

 shop. A wealth of information. 



she also teaches basket-making 

 and incorporates baskets into her 

 herbal displays. 



In York, Maine, Wild Iris Herb 

 Farm, on a small dirt road off the 

 beaten track, is where Lucy 

 Clarke has been renting land and 

 operating her herbal business for 

 about 18 years. I first met her 

 when I was designing and plant- 

 ing the gardens at the Urban For- 

 estry Center and I purchased 

 many field-grown plants from her 

 for an instant garden. She has, 

 over the years, had a number of 

 display gardens and a very small 

 greenhouse and has built a loyal 

 following of customers. At one 

 time, she grew culinary herbs and 

 supplied local restaurants; in win- 

 ter, she made wreaths that she 

 shipped wholesale and sold at 

 farmers' markets. 



Pickety Place in Mason is per- 

 haps one of the best-known and 

 largest herb businesses in New 

 Hampshire. It has grown so large 

 that owners Judy and Dave Walter 

 eventually moved from the farm- 

 house where the business is based 

 to another home in a nearby town. 

 At Pickety Place, there are exten- 

 sive display gardens, a large green- 

 house, a book store, and a gift 

 shop, as well as a thriving restau- 

 rant that serves an herbal luncheon 

 seven days a week. Where Wild 

 Iris and Heritage Herbs are pretty 

 much worked by their owners 

 singlehandedly, Pickety Place has a 

 fair number of employees. 



In Durham, on Wednesday Hill 

 Road, Wendy Fogg's Misty Mead- 

 ows Herb Farm is one of the 

 newer businesses — and very suc- 

 cessful. Within the past year, 

 they've replaced the tiny shop 

 with a larger shop and a roomy 

 new center for herbal classes. 

 Wendy specializes in "mystical, 

 magical herbs" and teaches about 

 the use of medicinal herbs, 

 aromatherapy, and other herbal 

 interests that are growing in 

 popularity. 



My own herb business has in- 

 cluded designing gardens, grow- 

 ing herbs, crafting a number of 

 herb-related products, lecturing 

 and teaching, and writing about 

 herbs for several newspapers as 

 well as for this publication. And 

 I'd like to write a book! All this 

 is part of the business of herbs. 



This brief list indicates some of 

 the variety possible within that 

 broad area called "Herbs." But all 

 of the people mentioned say that 

 hard work and a great love for 

 herbs and for what you are doing 

 are keys to success. If you're in- 

 clined to agree, think about giv- 

 ing it a try — you might have 

 Topsy on your hands too. The 

 love and use of herbs has done 

 nothing but spiral upwards for 

 twenty years now. I do not see an 

 end to it — only the potential for 

 greater growth. 



Tanya Jackson, well-known area herb- 

 alist, can be reached at 603-431-8011. 



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