I get excited when local forms tour you through their facility instructing what they do. A disconnect is made when we buy our produce and medicine from the grocery stores. They become items we like and gravitate towards to sustain ourselves not food that tastes alive due to being in season and straight from the ground. Apples are covered in wax; the shine is appealing to the North American audience. Or that calcium pill you take as a supplement instead of spinach, almonds, or yoghurt; is actually Calcium Carbonate which is commonly found from rocks around the world. Going to your local farm is a connection to the earth and gives you the ability to meet the people who toll in the sun and dirt.
Up on a hill near Kelowna, British Columbia beside rows upon rows of delicious looking red cherries having fun hanging from branches is a gorgeous house that overlooks a golden summer valley. I found Falcon Ridge Farms through localharvest.org where Marlys Wolf owner of the farm with her Husband and Father, were kind enough to invite me along with eight others to view her farm. Here she produces holistic medicine, jams, and drinks with her organic Echinacea.
The settlers quickly adopted this plant into their arsenal after learning from the plains Native Americans their therapeutic uses for the Echinacea plant such as toothaches, smallpox and even snake bites. Today it is harvest for the roots, flower heads, and seeds specifically for its immune benefits. This is why most teas and holistic medicines to ward of colds and immune boosters have Echinacea listed. No wonder it is one of the top selling herbs in North America!
Not only does the farm grow organic Echinacea but it grows vegetables, several types of mint (which the bees harvest on for the honey), and has a little farmyard where llamas, goats, rabbits and chickens call home. Looking for a unique wedding venue? A building in the back, overlooking the fields of purple flowers, can be set out for the event.
Drive past her brothers fruit and veggie stand to a small little grocer store where you can enjoy browsing through her shelves lined with several blended teas such as lemon mint, licorice mint, and orange mint. Medicinal items such as a throat spray, mouth wash and pure Echinacea extract. One can’t forget the endless canned bounty with preserves, jams, vinegars, and the occasional wine. Stopping by on a hot day? Look into the fridge to see if her delicious and refreshing blueberry Echinacea mint iced tea is there. Or if it’s a cold rainy day take a sample of her Echinacea blended tea, ready for sampling.
I took home the Echinacea throat spray that to be honest tastes as nasty as it smells, but I hope it works for sore throats (anyone willing to be a guinea pig?). I wouldn’t be called a tea granny if I didn’t take some plain Echinacea tea home with me, which I found delicious.
It’s nice to see an organic Echinacea farm in BC. With medicinal herbs it can be difficult to know where they come from and if they are fresh. With Falcon Ridge farms one can see the process from start to finish, from the farm, kitchen, store and owner. The love and care Marlys pours into her creations can be seen and tasted. Can’t visit Falcon Ridge Farms, but interested in trying some of Marlys’s preserves, medicines or tea? Take a peek at their website where they sell their products online.
