Teaching people what they can do with the plants and herbs available at her shop is one of Karen’s passions. “We’re planning on a lot of things for this year. One is classes. We’re also planning open houses, where we do short, outside classes that people can join in on. Our big thing is going to be teaching people that they can grow their own food on a very small piece of land. All you need is a sunny spot.”
The Nelsons’ raised beds and greenhouses are put to use growing plants both well-known and unfamiliar to most of their customers. “Last year, we had 11 types of tomatoes, 14 types of hot peppers, seven types of sweet peppers, five types of eggplant,” Jason says. “People aren’t used to seeing the oddities yet. We have a Green Zebra tomato, which is a green tomato with stripes. People have asked for it, which is why we put it in. We always go for suggestions.”
“Our vegetable varieties are all antique and heirloom,” Karen says. “We only do business with the seed companies that have signed the Safe Seed Pledge,” which is a contract that states that seeds sold by companies that sign it are strictly non-GMO.
Inside the shop, dried hot peppers hang from the ceiling and books and cards line the front wall. Karen sells a selection of local goods, including 350 varieties of dried herbs and tea, honey, soap, lotion and maple syrup, as well as jams, salsas and pickles from the Dutch Kettle in Bremen, IN.
In the next few years, Karen dreams of putting in fruit trees and fruiting bushes on the property. She wants to start offering donations to a local soup kitchen when she has an overflow of produce. She and Jason are also working to get their farm certified as a warm season prairie through the Conservation Reserve Program, which would protect their land as a habitat for native species. A cat named Mama roams the property now, but Jason wants to put in walking trails so
people could come and wander through their land.
Karen credits the whole thing to her mentor, Olive Williams, who taught her everything she knew about herbs. “She was looking for somebody to pass her knowledge to,” Karen smiles.
“It’s wonderful.”
Nelson’s Herbs has an active Facebook page where they post news, class schedules and events. Check them out online at
Facebook.com/NelsonsHerbs.
Nelson’s Herbs
65391 Dailey Rd.
Edwardsburg, MI 49112
574.215.8212
