Thyme Well Spent

Spring is a lively time of the year on the farm, with the garden and the orchards “waking up” after winter. Our herb garden is looking particularly lush and vibrant as perennial herbs make their return, inspiring a workshop celebrating the many uses of herbs.

Together with our own gardeners, Gundula and Constance, the buoyant and extremely knowledgeable Bridget Kitley, from Bridget Kitley Herb Nursery, explored some of the countless medicinal and culinary uses of herbs.

The trio demonstrated recipes and shared secrets and anecdotes, proving that these pungent plants are about so much more than bouquet garnis and pesto.

Guests enjoyed a guided walk with Bridget, picking, tasting and harvesting baskets full of herbs to be turned into herbal teas, tussie mussies, herb salt, soap and calming bath salts. Some even left the farm with a skip in their step after a cup of Constance’s bittersweet immune-boosting tea, a recipe passed down from her late grandmother…

Herb Salt
(Recipe Bridget Kitley – adapted from Jamie Oliver’s recipe)

• 500 g coarse salt (the type you would use in a salt grinder)
• A handful of herbs, washed  (we used thyme & rosemary)
• Rind of one lemon or orange, finely grated
• 1 chilli, finely chopped, optional
• Whole peppercorns, optional

1. Dry the washed herbs using a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. Remove the stalks.
2. Place all the ingredients, except the pepper,  in a blender.
3. Pulse for about 15 seconds (let it run a little longer if you want to use it as is, or leave it coarser if you want to use it in a grinder).
4. Pour out on a plastic tray, smooth until pretty even, and leave overnight.
5. Mix through the peppercorns and pour into grinders or store in airtight containers.

We have two more workshops coming up in October, another herb workshop on Thursday 16 October as well as a bee workshop on 22 October. Find more info on all our talks and workshops here.