Thursday, May 19, 2016

Well-Sweep Herb Farm

We visited the farm on Tuesday and took a tour with Mr. Hyde, who shared his vast knowledge of herbs and plants with us.  What were some of the most interesting facts you learned?  Were there any particular plants you liked?  What did you think of the farm?

9 comments:

  1. The Well-Sweep Herb Farm was a great experience because it exposed me to things we do not often get to see in our area. An interesting fact that I learned while touring the farm was the period of time it takes for a fig tree to start producing figs. When I asked Mr. Hyde, he said it takes from about now until late summer for the tree to start producing figs. I found this interesting because in my mind, I thought that if Mr. Hyde really wanted some figs, it would be much quicker and easier to buy it at a supermarket than to grow it. The plant I found most fascinating was the Venus flytrap. It is a carnivorous plant that attracts insects with a sweet smelling fluid and then eats them. There were also multiple plants that had soothing aromas and were a delight to smell. Overall, the farm increased my appreciation for nature and agriculture. It helped me to realize that it takes hard work from people like Mr. Hyde before we are able to walk into any supermarket and buy our favorite herbs or plants.

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  2. Some of the most interesting facts I learned were about the various uses plants serve outside of the culinary arts. An example is how German women used a type of yellow flower to dye their hair blonde. The most fascinating plants were probably the carnivorous plants. When I think of plants I don't necessarily perceive them as meat eaters. I placed my finger on some of the plants and I watched as their leaves tried to fall onto my finger. Also inside the greenhouse were a few lemon tree with enormous lemons which caught my eye. I adored the farm. I love being out in nature and simply breathing in the fresh air. Additionally I had never held a rooster before and seen so many herbs in my life. The field trip was incredible and I would love to go back some day and show my family.

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  3. What I found most interesting was the usefulness of such a common weed. Mr. Hyde described to the group how he would light a match under the Rabbit ear weed and then squeeze it's liquid onto bee stings, mosquito bites, etc. I found the herbs interesting. There are so many varieties of common herbs and they are all used for so many different things. I loved the farm. It was large and spacious and the plants added a lot of color and personality to the place. I loved the animals too-it felt like the residents of the farm truly embraced nature in their work and lives.

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  4. Going to the farm and seeing Mr. Hyde was a wonderful experience.Despite his age, Mr. Hyde does not let anything get in the way of his plants. I thought my allergies would prevent me from interacting with the plants, but they actually stayed away and I was able to enjoy some plants. I really liked the lamb ears because they were really soft and fluffy. I also enjoyed the smell of the pineapple sage. When we arrived at the farm I also liked watching Mr.Hyde use a piece of equisetum to shave his stick. I was impressed on how smooth the stick became as well as how light it felt. what was really amazing was learning how healthy herbs can be for your body. For example, there was one herb that got rid of headaches. There was also a plant that allows the itch of a mosquito bite to go away which is cool. It may me think to myself why are people not using more herbs since they are healthy? I also liked playing with the white and orange cat as well as the black and white dog that ran around as we went through the tour. I also thought that talking a picture with the chicken one of the longest tails was pretty cool. I also enjoyed watching the chickens communicate with each other as well. When we first at the farm I didn't think I was going to have fun but I can honestly say I had fun playing with the cat,dog, and chickens and learning about plants and herbs that are extremely healthy for our bodies.

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  5. The herb farm was amazing in every way and Mr. And Mrs. Hyde do a great job maintaining all the animals and herbs. Just by looking at everything they have stored there, you can tell this family takes pride in their farm. One of the most interesting fact I learned from Mr. Hyde would be that when the carrots are done being growing in the ground, he put them in a cellar in the complete dark with water. He told me that the carrot he had there was a year old, and still hasn't gone bad! One plant I took a liking to would be the the plant that curled up when you touched it. And went back to normal after five minutes. All in all, I enjoyed the farm and what it showed to us.

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  7. Honestly, what interested me the most was how many different plants Mrs. Hyde uses in her daily cooking. Mr. Hyde just kept on naming different plants that his wife uses in different dishes and I was just amazed. The plants that interested me the most were the sensitive plant and the plant that the actors in Braveheart used to make the blue paint. I thought it was cool how fast a plant could move just because someone brushed their hands against it. My overall experience of the farm was a positive and memorable one. The Hyde family was very polite and full of knowledge. I hope future students that visit the farm will enjoy the experience as much as I did.

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  8. In general Mr. Hyde had an intersting fact for about every plant we passed. It was interesting because many plants have properties that could replace things we use. For example there's a weed in just about everyone's lawn that can heal and soothe a bee sting or mosquito bite. Also he had a grass that was around in the dinosaur era. And it was stong enough to file nails, wood and even some metal.
    One plant I really liked was the lamb's ear. It was so soft, like you were petting a super soft dog or lamb.
    The farm wasn't that big but despite the size he had over 1,000 variety of plants. Mr. Hyde was humble but he also didn't hesitate to let us know that he had many rare plants that made his farm different from any other in the country. He also had animals which were really nice. Anither thing that was intersting about his farm was that it had history behind it. His house was there since the 1800's and he had trees over 1,000 years old.

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  9. I thought that I was not going to like the herb farm because it sounded boring, but it was interesting. I learned that there are many different types of herbs and in those categories there are more different types of herbs. Like oregano I knew that was and herb but when people talked about it I only thought there was one kind, had no clue that there was 20+ different kinds of oregano. First I loved how Mr. Hyde was nice and how he showed and told us about his herb. my favorite part was the juice and snacks because they did not look appealing but turned out to be great. I lived the green houses how they smelled so differently than the rest of the farm, it smelled like plants and flowers and not like manure. I had fun the the Herb farm and I hope next year the student will like it as much as me.

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