MASTER GARDENER PROGRAM — MGs in the News
Published in: Senior Messenger • February 7, 2017
By Leslee Jaquette – Senior Messenger
“Values are the definition of our actions in life.” ~ Armin Houman
Armin Houman’s observation aptly describes two local business owners. Each has built a successful encore career that capitalizes on a lifelong passion, dovetails with her personal value system and benefits the community.
Local farmer Eloyce O’Connor, 72, combined her gardening and teaching skills to develop a business that creates healthy, herb-based products and educates people about their advantages. Former Army nurse turned photographer Kate Singh, 63, captures the best in her subjects and often donates her art in support of community organizations.
Teaching healthy living
After retiring from a career as a special education teacher and administrator in 2000, Eloyce O’Connor explored several activities before starting Garden Delights Herb Farm three years later. Located on 5 acres in the Brush Prairie/Hockinson area that O’Connor and her husband have called home for decades, the vegetable and herb gardens comprise less than one-fifth of the farm.
O’Connor’s partner is her 37-year-old daughter, Erin Harwood, who works as the STEM coordinator in the environmental education arena for Clark Community College. The two share a passion for growing food and herbs using organic methods. They are also both educators who gain great satisfaction from the science of developing healthy products as well as teaching people why and how to use these them.
As a master gardener, O’Connor explains that her personal interests lead her to teach how to grow the plants and use herbs in cooking. After an internship with a local medicinal herbalist, Harwood is more interested in developing and sharing information about the healing qualities of herbs.
These days Garden Delights propagates and sells live herb plants, and during the growing months the women often offer classes and events. For example, in May, Garden Delights will again provide many plants for the Camas Mother’s Day Plant Sale.
This past year the partners have focused on developing and marketing herb-based products for pets and humans. Garden Delights’ most popular products are organic catnip and herbal flea collars. “The collars need to be copyrighted because they are so original,” said O’Connor. “They work well and help deter fleas without using chemicals.”
In terms of culinary and home products, several new items consumers will enjoy are O’Connor’s reformulated cooking blend, and a carpet sprinkle to freshen rugs. The herbalists are also looking at developing herbal pet shampoos and herb-based beauty products.
As the largest herb growers in the county, the mother-daughter herb farmers are proud of their work and products.
“We feel good about bringing organic products to the community,” explained O’Connor. “When we sell plants or products, we are always educating people how to use them. That’s the most satisfying thing to me.”