Herbs are any plant used for taste, smell, or healing, making up one-fourth of all known flowering plants. Although most of us are familiar with the taste and aroma of common herbs, we’re less in tune with the hundreds of plants (many of which are growing in our lawns and ornamental beds) that can mitigate a headache, speed the repair of a broken bone, settle an irritable bowel, soothe an itchy rash, calm a cough, fever or colicky baby! For sure, I was one of those people.
The Awakening
In my bio, I talk about 2020 and how the world changed… the COVID hysteria, the lock-downs, the run on toilet paper, and the subsequent paradigm shifts in thought, speech, and actions…I reconsidered many things, many attitudes and beliefs. Somehow I’d swallowed the ‘red pill’ and began looking at everything differently, more critically. Since I had more time on my hands (thanks to the world shutting down), I became interested in “old fashioned” methods — like cooking over a fire, baking in a dutch oven, growing and fermenting food, canning and preserving vegetables, meat and fruits — and basic survival skills like navigating, hunting, gathering and foraging. Just as I had as a child discovered the nectar of the honeysuckle and the sourness of a crab apple, I wanted to know what was hiding in plain sight around me in these North Georgia mountains, in my own yard and in the surrounding woods.
And Then What Happened?
I discovered how Black Walnuts make a dye; that Rose of Sharon is full of Vitamin C; that Dandelions can be brewed into tea…and how weeds can heal a skin rash…it was exhilarating! The more I learned the more excited I became. Then, I planted a garden, and expanded it… twice. Of course, I bought a grow light and started seeds indoors in January. At the end of summer, I began seed saving and potting up little seedlings. In the fall, I dug up plantain and made a salve. I bought comfrey roots and planted them everywhere. When it got cold, I researched local plants and their benefits, how to grow, harvest and process them. I bought books, and joined groups on Facebook – gardeners, preserving, foragers, herbalists. And the SEEDS!! So many seeds!! I even found a seed trading group in Ellijay and attended my first meeting… literally I was hooked!
A New Obsession
Then IT happened! John gave me a greenhouse for my birthday and opened a whole new can of nightcrawlers (aka worms)! I joined more groups, bought and read more books, watched more videos. Then, we went on a buying frenzy to make the greenhouse functional, secure, and yes…cozy. We needed a foundation, interior support, waterproofing, electrical supplies, gravel and stepping stones for the perfect floor, functional and modular shelving with the cutest bins of course, thermostatic cooling and automatic vent openers, heating, lighting, sealing (so many tubes of silicone), plus running water and a new hose (this huge sink I found on FB Marketplace became the inspiration for my fab potting station John built for me)… so many toys, so much money! It truly and quickly became an obsession. Literally, every time I went out of the house, I came home with a handful of receipts and a new project… Can anyone relate??
The Birth of Herb & Vine
Guilt finally set in, and I began to wonder if I could monetize the greenhouse and recoup some of the expense of it all. How about making finished products…from seed to salve? No… too many rules. What about my other new hobbies, canning, dehydrating, gardening? Ugh… so time consuming, and I already own and operate a marketing business full time. Surely I didn’t have the time to grow, process, and package finished goods…
Suddenly, it came together like a whoosh of enlightenment – the weeds! Those useful and medicinal plants I’d been discovering. Surely there’s a market because people have been waking up to the need for self sufficiency since 2020. Sales channels? Yes, we have lots of local farmer’s markets (where I’ve never seen a booth selling anything other than vegetable starts, ornamentals and a few culinary herbs)… so there’s no direct competition.
YES! I’d start and grow herbs chosen specifically for their medicinal qualities and sell the potted plants at the local farmer’s markets. I’d share information on how to grow these plants and how they’ve been used medicinally for centuries. And I’d offer how-to’s on techniques and recipes for harvesting and processing the herbs for healing purposes. Direction discovered, I kicked into gear with branding (my specialty at Inspired 2 Design), learning (I’ve completed a basic Herbalist course and am in the process of earning a Master Herbalist certificate), selecting (the plants, seed sources and growing methods), buying (once again… seeds, pots, soil, fertilizer, more lights, more trays, labels, booth materials), and marketing (establishing social media accounts on FB and IG, designing and populating this website, business cards…). This was turning into way more than a passing hobby…
A Lamp to My Feet
Herb & Vine Healing Plants is, I think, the destination I’ve been heading towards my entire life. God lights our path, but we don’t always see the steps to take. We wander, but we’re not lost as long as His Word and Spirit guide us. I truly believe that from my very earliest childhood memories of spending time in the woods, God was leading me to this place. Herb & Vine is where I can discover things He created specifically for our good. Plus, He’s provided a road for me to travel and invite others along…sharing not just the plants and their power, but His power. His light. Now, I humbly enter this new chapter, excited for what it will bring to my life, and to the lives of others. I don’t know if I’ll recoup all the money we’ve spent, but I’m hopeful this business will bring amazing joy and many blessings to those who discover us, and Him.
Join me at the next market, or reach out for a private sale.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” – Psalm 119:105