71-73 Liverpool St, Hobart
(03) 6234 4223
Some of the over 50 different herbs we grow include:
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Motherwort
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Nettle
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Licorice
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Sage
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Echinacea
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Valerian
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Rose
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Peppermint
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Marshmallow
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Hyssop
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Lemon Balm
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Dandelion
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Spearmint
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Yarrow
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Chamomile
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Calendula
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Mullein
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Oregano
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Raspberry
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Thyme
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Rosemary
For herbs we are unable to grow due to space or climate considerations we source high quality organic wherever possible and make the tinctures ourselves.
Goulds Organic Herb Farm
Our organic farm is used to grow as many herbs as we can given our climate.
Goulds operates a herb farm where we grow and process a significant proportion of the herbs that are used in the dispensary. Our aim is to grow as many herbs as we can in our temperate climate.
The farm, located in Allens Rivulet, is certified organic and we also follow biodynamic practices and principles.The herb farm has been operating since 1995 and was set up and managed for many years by Greg Whitten who has over 45 years experience in producing high quality herbs for medicinal use. It is now being run on a collaborative basis by our dedicated Farm Team.
Our production gardens cover a hectare of land and we grow and harvest around 80 species of herbs and process these here on the farm.
The production scale is small so most of the work we do is with hand tools. We make use of well-designed, traditional tools like reaping hooks and scythes to harvest the leaf herbs, combs for harvesting chamomile, and we use hoes to weed with. We make our own compost and also prepare and apply biodynamic preparations.
We are proud to produce herbs of high quality. This is partly due Tasmania's unique climate which seems to stimulate many herb species to produce high levels of active constituents, and partly due to the care we take in producing them. Herbs are harvested at the optimal time when their vitality is strongest and dried carefully so they maintain their quality.
Our specially built drying rooms contain innovative design features so that we can dry the herbs using mainly passive solar energy.
Tincture Production
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The majority of the tinctures we make are made using a percolation process.
To do this, herbs are first dried, then milled to a slightly coarse powder.
The next step is to soak the dried herbs in a small amount of ethanol and water and then pack into a tall stainless steel column with a filter and valve at the bottom.
Some more of the ethanol/water mix is then poured in to the top of the column and allowed to gradually seep down through the herbs before passing through the filter and slowly dripping in glass jars at the bottom. The amount collected depends on how much dried herb was originally used. Most of our tinctures are 1:2 strength. This means that for every 1kg of dried herb, we create 2L of tincture.
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You can learn more about the farm, and how it integrates with the apothecary here.