A new herb garden in Uppsala
Artikel på svenska i Örtabladet Nr. 4 2024 - (126)
This year a medicinal plant market garden was established in Uppsala by Dr. Agnès Brosset, Ph.D in plant ecology, herbs producers and founder of Nordiska Örter.
A Personal Journey Towards Self-Sufficiency
My journey into foraging and herbs began six years ago while I was living in Finland, pursuing my PhD in plant ecology. I aimed for a zero-waste lifestyle and wanted to minimize my carbon footprint, primarily by eating vegetarian. However, I struggled to find locally sourced food. The notion of consuming avocados and cashews seemed inadequate when considering the ecological impact of long-distance food transport. But I thought that people have survived here for generations and started to deepen my knowledge into wild food, foraging, and medicinal plants. From there grew a passion for herbalism and after moving to Sweden I decided to change my career of academics to become a herb producer and teaching how to use herbs for well-being as well as for increasing self-sufficiency of homes in Sweden by gathering wild food and making own products using herbs.
The need of locally produced herbs in Sweden
Most of dried herbs and teas sold in Sweden are imported from countries like Poland, Egypt, and China. They might be organic but imported. These long transport distances not only diminish the quality of the herbs which stands months of travels, then on storage or shelves before they are consume but also harm the environment. Just as we question where our vegetables come from and how they are grown, we should apply the same questions to the herbs we use in our spices, teas and herbs we might consumed under several forms from scratch to powder capsules or essential oils.
In France, where I grew up, being herb forager or be a herbs grower for selling “tisanes” or “infusions” is common, especially in Provence with high demand of herbs for parfums or essential oils. To me it then made sense to bring this culture and start growing herbs to create the first producer and store in Sweden selling locally produced and chemical free herbs. 500m2 of herbs were established in Hospitalsträdgården in Uppsala.
A place of rich history
Hospitalsträdgården has a rich history, once belonging to the mental hospital in Ulleråker during the late 1800s. Back then, cultivation and gardening served as therapeutic tools, aiding the recovery of those who were institutionalized. Remarkably, the hospital was self-sufficient due to its gardens and a plantskola that patients maintained. Today, Uppsala kommun is looking for reviving Hospitalsträdgården with cultivation, including Nordiska Örter medicinal plants market garden.
A place for volunteering and education
Nordiska Örter is not only a garden but also a welcoming space for volunteering and education. I encourage anyone interested in herbs and sustainable practices to come and learn about herb cultivation with the free internship program, and participate in workshops.