The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer: The Ultimate Guide to Producing High-Quality Herbs on a Market Scale

A new approach to growing local medicine, including information on geo-authenticity, wildcrafting, and developing a good business plan

"[A] beautiful and informative book . . . A dirt-smudged copy should be within easy reach of every home gardener or farmer who grows--or wants to grow--medicinal plants."--Michael McGuffin, President, American Herbal Products Association

Both a business guide and a farming manual, The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer will teach readers how to successfully grow and market organic medicinal Western herbs.

Whether you're trying to farm medicinal plants, culinary herbs, or at-risk native herbs exclusively or simply add herbal crops to what you're already growing, successful small-scale herb farmers Jeff and Melanie Carpenter will guide you through the entire process―from cultivation to creating value-added products.

Using their Zack Woods Herb Farm in Vermont as a backdrop, the Carpenters cover all the basic practical information farmers need to know to get an organic herb farm up and running, including:

• Size and scale considerations
• Layout and design of the farm and facilities
• Growing and cultivation information, including types of tools
• Field and bed prep
• Plant propagation
• Weed control, and pests and diseases
• Harvesting, as well as wild harvesting and the concept of geo-authentic botanicals
• Post-harvest processing
• Value-added products and marketing

The authors also provide fifty detailed plant profiles, going deeper into the herbs every farmer should consider growing, including:

• Arnica
• Calendula
• Echinacea
• Ginko
• Ginseng
• Peppermint
• Saint John's Wort
• Valerian

In an easy-to-understand, practical, and comprehensive manner, readers will learn how to focus on quality over quantity, and keep costs down by innovating with existing equipment, rather than expensive technology. Market farmers who have never before considered growing medicinal herbs will learn why it's more important to produce these herbs domestically.

The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer makes a convincing case that producing organic medicinal herbs can be a viable, profitable, farming enterprise. The Carpenters also make the case for incorporating medicinal herbs into existing operations, as it can help increase revenue in the form of value-added products, not to mention improve the ecological health of farmland by encouraging biodiversity as a path toward greater soil health.

Jeff and Melanie Carpenter own and operate Zack Woods Herb Farm in Hyde Park, Vermont. They have recently co-authored the book, The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer due out in the spring of 2015 published by Chelsea Green.

Jeff Carpenter has farming in his blood. Descended from generations of Vermont farmers, Jeff deepened his love and understanding of plants through an apprenticeship with Rosemary Gladstar and as the co-owner of Sage Mountain Herb Products. Since those early days, Jeff's work as a farmer, agricultural consultant, educator, and researcher has focused on the cultivation and marketing of medicinal herbs. Jeff also partners with Rosemary Gladstar in hosting the International Herb Symposium. His passion for the green world is evident as he spends his days working in the fields and in the community.

Jeff and Melanie Carpenter own and operate Zack Woods Herb Farm in Hyde Park, Vermont. They have recently co-authored the book, The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer due out in the spring of 2015 published by Chelsea Green.

Melanie Carpenter grew up at Sage Mountain under the loving tutelage of herbalist Rosemary Gladstar. It was there that Melanie started her first business, Sage Mountain Herb Products. Over the last twenty years, she has worked as a farmer, mother, community herbalist, and educator. In addition to her work as a farmer, Melanie serves on the board of directors of United Plant Saver and assists her family in directing the International Herb Symposium and New England Women's Herbal Conference. She believes that some of the most profound teachings and healings come from working on the land with the plants. To that end, Melanie offers classes on the farm to help people explore and deepen their connection to the green nations.