Our family farm, nestled in the northwoods of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, is a haven for medicinal plants. We have been stewards of this land for two and a half decades, and it is a joy to continue learning the ecosystems, seasons, and rhythms of life here. The farm is diverse, and we use organic, regenerative, and authentic agricultural techniques to tend fields and hoop houses of produce, herbs, perennials, shiitake mushrooms, pasture-raised pork and poultry, and grass-fed beef. Over the years, we have observed improvements in our soil and increasing biodiversity, both of which have invited wild, health-supporting weeds to flourish.
Photograph by Leanne Hatfield.
Our land is a United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary, and several species of at-risk native plants reside here. I craft herbal preparations in the farm’s licensed kitchen, and the majority include herbs that are intentionally grown and tended in my gardens. Some prolific health-supporting plants on the land, however, are simply present because we strive to farm the land in harmony with nature.
Red Clover, for example, grows abundantly in our pastures. Through carefully managed rotational grazing of our grass-fed cattle, the pastures have become lusher and more resilient to drought. Red clover is now a thriving perennial providing nutritious food for the cows, and it is a favorite of the pollinators. Its ability to fix nitrogen in the soil further improves the health of the pastures. Before the cattle have access to a particular paddock, I can walk through and hand harvest blossoms at their peak vitality.
We plant cover crops in our produce fields to add fertility, decrease weed pressure, retain moisture, and give the soil a rest from cultivation. Luckily for me, the cover crop that we use most extensively is oats. Each year, I look forward to checking the green oats to see if they are in the milky stage and ready to harvest which allows me to gather the milky oats at their prime. Of course, the oat straw is available for harvesting as well.
Another herb that I will never have to cultivate is nettles. They provide a cosmic connection, are useful in biodynamic preparations, and their growth is visual proof of our rich soil. These mineral-laden plants thrive in various patches around the farm, such as next to the forest borders, near the edges of the hoop houses, in the compost pile, under the grape trellis, in our seed starting house, and within the perennial beds. Most new farm interns first meet nettles while weeding. Due to the various microclimates where they grow, there are extended opportunities for harvesting vibrant plants.
Chickweed loves the disturbed and highly nutrified soils in our hoop houses. It is usually the first new growth each spring and forms dense mats of juicy greens. When snacked upon fresh from the soil, chickweed’s mineral density is intense. I can harvest plenty before the crew weeds it out of the beds. We try to keep it under control because its vigorous growth competes with our annual plantings for nutrition, sunlight, space, and moisture. I always encourage the farmers to graze as they weed. We recycle the chickweed’s nutrients by incorporating the plants back into the soil as green manure.
We grow black, golden, blush, and red raspberries, but I prefer to harvest the leaves from wild raspberry plants. The wild brambles are well established in natural borders on the farm. These undisturbed spaces provide native habitats that increase and support biodiversity. They provide beauty, wind breaks, soil stability, undisturbed mycelial networks, and water retention. Hawthorn, St. John’s wort, goldenrod, yellow dock, burdock, mullein, and blue vervain are examples of other herbs found thriving in similar areas.
We have never used herbicides on our farm, so there is no shortage of useful weeds growing among the beds of produce. Dandelion, shepherd’s purse, and plantain are easy to find. Most of the other common weeds are considered nutritious potherbs. Dandelions may be ubiquitous on the farm, but it is much easier to harvest quality fall roots from the tended soil in our produce fields and hoop houses rather than from perennial beds or compacted sod.
I genuinely love cultivating botanicals, but the plants that are naturally present as a part of our farm’s integrated systems are a bonus. They contribute to the farm’s vitality in numerous ways. If they were not already growing, I would want to plant them. These herbs can be prolific, even without tending. They grow in differing locations, so the windows for optimal harvesting are more lenient. The abundance of these botanicals is intimately related to our agricultural practices and stewardship of the land, and I am grateful for their beautiful and bountiful offerings.
Topics: Sustainability, Herbalism
Leanne is a family practice physician dedicated to natural healing modalities, nutritional medicine, and herbalism. The botanical medicines that she crafts are made with herbs that she either grows or wild harvests on Seeds and Spores Family Farm in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The diverse farm, which is a United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary, is run by Leanne and her husband Jeff. They incorporate “beyond organic,” regenerative, and authentic farming techniques to offer nutrient dense foods and quality herbal medicines to their community.
Our family farm, nestled in the northwoods of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, is a haven for medicinal plants. We have been stewards of this land for two and a half decades, and it is a joy to continue learning the ecosystems, seasons, and rhythms of life here. The farm is diverse, and we use organic, regenerative, and authentic agricultural techniques to tend fields and hoop houses of produce, herbs, perennials, shiitake mushrooms, pasture-raised pork and poultry, and grass-fed beef. Over the years, we have observed improvements in our soil and increasing biodiversity, both of which have invited wild, health-supporting weeds to flourish.
Photograph by Leanne Hatfield.
Our land is a United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary, and several species of at-risk native plants reside here. I craft herbal preparations in the farm’s licensed kitchen, and the majority include herbs that are intentionally grown and tended in my gardens. Some prolific health-supporting plants on the land, however, are simply present because we strive to farm the land in harmony with nature.
Red Clover, for example, grows abundantly in our pastures. Through carefully managed rotational grazing of our grass-fed cattle, the pastures have become lusher and more resilient to drought. Red clover is now a thriving perennial providing nutritious food for the cows, and it is a favorite of the pollinators. Its ability to fix nitrogen in the soil further improves the health of the pastures. Before the cattle have access to a particular paddock, I can walk through and hand harvest blossoms at their peak vitality.
We plant cover crops in our produce fields to add fertility, decrease weed pressure, retain moisture, and give the soil a rest from cultivation. Luckily for me, the cover crop that we use most extensively is oats. Each year, I look forward to checking the green oats to see if they are in the milky stage and ready to harvest which allows me to gather the milky oats at their prime. Of course, the oat straw is available for harvesting as well.
Another herb that I will never have to cultivate is nettles. They provide a cosmic connection, are useful in biodynamic preparations, and their growth is visual proof of our rich soil. These mineral-laden plants thrive in various patches around the farm, such as next to the forest borders, near the edges of the hoop houses, in the compost pile, under the grape trellis, in our seed starting house, and within the perennial beds. Most new farm interns first meet nettles while weeding. Due to the various microclimates where they grow, there are extended opportunities for harvesting vibrant plants.
Chickweed loves the disturbed and highly nutrified soils in our hoop houses. It is usually the first new growth each spring and forms dense mats of juicy greens. When snacked upon fresh from the soil, chickweed’s mineral density is intense. I can harvest plenty before the crew weeds it out of the beds. We try to keep it under control because its vigorous growth competes with our annual plantings for nutrition, sunlight, space, and moisture. I always encourage the farmers to graze as they weed. We recycle the chickweed’s nutrients by incorporating the plants back into the soil as green manure.
We grow black, golden, blush, and red raspberries, but I prefer to harvest the leaves from wild raspberry plants. The wild brambles are well established in natural borders on the farm. These undisturbed spaces provide native habitats that increase and support biodiversity. They provide beauty, wind breaks, soil stability, undisturbed mycelial networks, and water retention. Hawthorn, St. John’s wort, goldenrod, yellow dock, burdock, mullein, and blue vervain are examples of other herbs found thriving in similar areas.
We have never used herbicides on our farm, so there is no shortage of useful weeds growing among the beds of produce. Dandelion, shepherd’s purse, and plantain are easy to find. Most of the other common weeds are considered nutritious potherbs. Dandelions may be ubiquitous on the farm, but it is much easier to harvest quality fall roots from the tended soil in our produce fields and hoop houses rather than from perennial beds or compacted sod.
I genuinely love cultivating botanicals, but the plants that are naturally present as a part of our farm’s integrated systems are a bonus. They contribute to the farm’s vitality in numerous ways. If they were not already growing, I would want to plant them. These herbs can be prolific, even without tending. They grow in differing locations, so the windows for optimal harvesting are more lenient. The abundance of these botanicals is intimately related to our agricultural practices and stewardship of the land, and I am grateful for their beautiful and bountiful offerings.
Topics: Sustainability, Herbalism
Leanne is a family practice physician dedicated to natural healing modalities, nutritional medicine, and herbalism. The botanical medicines that she crafts are made with herbs that she either grows or wild harvests on Seeds and Spores Family Farm in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The diverse farm, which is a United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary, is run by Leanne and her husband Jeff. They incorporate “beyond organic,” regenerative, and authentic farming techniques to offer nutrient dense foods and quality herbal medicines to their community.
