Fragrant Fresh Herbs from Circle h Farm
Bees and butterflies hover and dip onto purple sage flowers as farmer Sarah Hucka walks down rows of vibrant herbs on a sunny spring afternoon. Tarragon, thyme, oregano, rosemary, dill, chives and spearmint join the sage in a chorus of texture and aroma.
Circle h Farm is run by Sarah and her brother Joel in the picturesque southern Willamette Valley, just outside Dexter, OR. Named for the cattle brand their great-grandparents used, their family has a long history of working and living off the land in this region. Together, this brother and sister pair have tended to this farm for the last 12 years.
From the family’s previous generations, Sarah and Joel learned the importance of creating opportunities for people to live and work in rural environments. “Joel and I learned a lot of crafts and trades from our family, and they developed in us an interest in independent living,” Sarah shares. “Our family shared the skills to fix tools and implements when they break, and build things when we need them. Providing a space where others can learn those skills is important to us.”
Beyond organic certification, Sarah and Joel are committed to employing a wide range of holistic and mindful growing practices including no-till, crop rotations for soil vitality, planting native plants like spirea and rose to support pollinators, as well as encouraging natural pest controls like birds and predatory insects.
Sarah and Joel’s philosophies also benefit future generations of farmers, and they inspire practices at Circle h Farm that address soil compaction and mitigate carbon inputs. The pair recently took a big step in achieving their goals by installing a series of solar panels which now provide them with the electricity they need to run their operation.
The ability to work with OGC to pack and ship herbs in bulk, rather than in clamshells, is an aspect of the relationship that Sarah notes as incredibly important to Circle h Farm. Any opportunity to reduce plastic is one that this team prioritizes.
The two are constantly learning and expanding their repertoire. In the pursuit of environmentally-friendly growing practices, Circle h Farm has grown into a dreamy combination of intention and lovely commotion.
“The tarragon and sage are both looking beautiful right now!” Sarah exclaims. “I’ve been eating a lot of brown butter sage and there’s a tarragon and brandy french liqueur that’s very cool. Anyone making sausage at home will love this tarragon, too!”
Encouraging shoppers to experiment with and incorporate fresh herbs into their kitchen routines is a perfect way to extend the at-home cooking trend that so many eaters have now made a habit. From herb infused cocktails, salads and even desserts, there’s endless ways to build big flavors including twists on familiar favorites!