HERBAL DEXTERITY

YOU WANT FRESH? THIS MORETON BAY AREA WOMAN IS IN THE BUSINESS OF GROWING AND SELLING LIVING EDIBLES

- Claire Bickle

Basilea Living Herbs is a wholesale plant nursery in Burpengary, just north of Brisbane, offering hydroponically grown herbs, salad greens and edible flowers. It’s run by Sarah Heath, a businesswoman of grit and tenacity who’s also raising three children.

I arrive on a scorching 36-degree day with added humidity. After copious draughts of cold water and a dash around the garden, we sit down to chat over a divine cup of tea made from jasmine, tulsi basil and dried reishi mushroom.

Sarah has been at the helm of Basilea Living Herbs for eight years. The business originally belonged to her mother Janine for over a decade and she’s still on hand if Sarah needs advice or just to run ideas by her.

When the business relocated to Sarah’s family home, she was committed to ensuring the farm was a sustainable and environmentally ethical venture and was able to reuse and recycle most of the existing farm equipment.

The business supplies farmers’ markets, restaurants, independent retailers and members of the public with a wonderful array of living organic produce.

Besides Janine, Sarah relies on farmhand Jaelin, who helps with the growing and care as well as filling out customer orders, and she has endless help from retiree volunteer, David.

Many of the regular customers are chefs and Sarah says the biggest change in her business has to do with the restaurant trade. There was a time when chefs would order certain varieties, whether in season or not, or seek obscure edibles to maintain a culinary edge. These days, she says, they’re all about seasonal produce, climatically appropriate and grown locally.