Tyler McGrath of Methow Medicinal Herb Farm
Interviewed by Peregrine Whitehurst, LAc.
Photo courtesy of Tyler McGrath 07/2023
Tyler McGrath and his wife make their home, and farm medicinal herbs, on the Eastern slope of the North Cascades in the Methow Valley surrounded by wilderness and parkland. McGrath is a first generation farmer and started farming this land by chance. A family friend was selling an herb farm, and between his wife’s business as an acupuncturist and his blossoming passion for farming, they took the plunge, bought the farm, and have never looked back.
McGrath is inspired by some of the greats of natural farming such as Masanobu Fukuoka, Percival Alfred Yeomans, and Bill Mollison. He considers a farm to be an organism and takes measures to restore the soil health while he produces high-quality, potent herbs.
Tyler was drawn to work with The Lilium Initiative as he is a farmer and his wife is an acupuncturist and herbalist in Twisp, WA. Combining their interests by growing Asian medicinal herbs is a wonderful niche for them. Read on for more of McGrath’s inspirations and learnings.
Tyler and his family, photo courtesy of Tyler McGrath, 07/2023
What are some of the main differences from your perspective in growing herbs versus vegetables or fruits?
“Medicinal herbs, because they are not primarily used as food, don't need to have the same characteristics as vegetables or fruit. I think we generally like our vegetables and fruit to be supple, large, and lush, and fertilizers can help a lot with this. I've never fertilized my herbs, but instead have taken an approach of just trying to cultivate good healthy soil.”
What got you interested in growing Asian medicinal herbs? Have you found this to be different?
“My wife has her own acupuncture and nutritional therapy business here in Twisp. She uses and prescribes Asian medicinal herbs. When I heard about Lilium Initiative, we were excited, as it seemed to be a bridge between our two businesses--me as an herb farmer and her as an acupuncturist. I was very interested to hear how LI was confident that Asian herbs could be grown well right here in North America, because the industry as a whole currently seems intent on sourcing herbs from Asia. As a farmer, and already being familiar with some of the herbs LI was interested in sourcing, I had a hunch that we could produce very high quality products right here.
I think this project is going to take off, I just don't know how long it will take. Even in these initial stages, I think LI and its member farmers have proven that we can produce these traditional Asian herbs to very high standards. The preparations of the herbs are different and interesting to me. I haven't tried producing anything yet that involves the more intensive processing techniques, but I've been producing Qing Hao and Yi Mu Cao for LI, and loved how a larger piece size was necessary. I like how the finished product still shows the herb so well. I think it really lets the customer see the quality.”
Photo courtesy of Tyler McGrath, 07/2023
What are some of the most incredible things about where you farm?
“The entire valley is surrounded by many thousands of acres of National forests, National parks, and wilderness. Our farm is located on land adjacent to a small tributary of the Methow river, and the farm is surrounded by rugged beauty. The way the evening summer sun shines on the hill across the creek never fails to amaze, and in the nine years we've spent rehabilitating the land into a thriving organic farm, the diversity of life in soil, land and sky has exploded.
Every year, there seems to be a greater number and greater diversity of birds who feed and shelter on the farm. We encounter deer and coyotes regularly, and occasionally see moose, bear, bobcat and other interesting fauna. This quantity and quality of species diversity on the farm has been a real joy to experience and witness. Our summers are hot and dry, and we have cold snowy winters, so the contrast is stark, and there is beauty in the extremes.”
What are some of your biggest challenges?
“Oh my goodness. I won't even try to give specific examples. I think one of the biggest challenges has been to learn to not only deal with the routine stress of owning and operating a small farm, but to fully accept that there will always be small and large stressors with the farm and the business. To recognize and accept the stressors and not get stressed has been key.
Developing equanimity with the many ups and downs has been essential to maintaining a good quality of life, and this is a constant evolution and learning process. There is no end-goal here--it's just about getting better at embracing it all so I can continue to love what I do. If the stressors stress you out too often--it's over. You burn out and have to find a new career. Oh, and then there is the challenge of remaining comfortable and happy even though a to-do list can never be completed. It's just a constant re-shuffling of priorities.
Except for two weeks in the early spring, I've given up on the to-do list. Now I just walk around, look and think, and see what needs the most immediate attention.”
Courtesy of Tyler McGrath 07/2023
Do you consider yourself to be a regenerative farmer or what are some of the growing philosophies that you use?
“I have not adopted any particular external philosophies or labels at this point. I consider organic certification to be a starting point, but really take a much keener interest in soil development than that certification requires. I love the idea of treating the whole farm as an organism, as well as creating a healthy farm through diversity. In many ways, plants are simple, and if you help provide them with their basic requirements, you can expect them to thrive.”
What are some of the most helpful practices that you do on your farm that support the plants and the land itself?
“I've found planting cover crops to be a very effective practice for soil health and fertility. Fortunately, we have enough land that I am able to have about two thirds of the farm in cover crop at all times. These fields host a rich diversity of plants and insects, and I think this greatly helps with the health of the whole farm. In addition, these fields allow the soil to rest--sometimes for a year or more continuously.
I'm also a big fan of multi-species plantings. In certain cases I'm able to seed multiple plants simultaneously, from which I can first get a crop, and then in succession, a cover crop without further disturbance of the soil. I've also never sprayed any sort of killing agent. Even in organic farming practices, there is the possibility of using herbicides, insecticides, fungicides etc., but I've never felt it necessary to go that route, and I think the farm and the life that inhabits it has benefited from this practice.
I think there are so many things we don't understand about the complex interrelationships among species in the web of life on the farm and in nature. Of all the concrete practices that can be done to better the farm, one of my favorite things to do is just try to be a keen observer in an effort to continue to learn and gain wisdom.”
Photo courtesy of Tyler McGrath 07/2023
Do you have interns or woofers on your farm?
“We have a 20-foot yurt on the property that we rent out in exchange for help on the farm. We offer this opportunity to a variety of folks, but of course it's an ideal situation if we can find someone who wants this opportunity because they have an interest in helping out on a working medicinal herb farm.”
What is your system for drying herbs to maintain quality?
“I dry all my herbs in a simple two-step process. Immediately after harvesting, I lay the herbs out in thin layers on my large trays made with stainless steel mesh. First I blow warm ambient air over the trays of herbs in a large, enclosed drying rack, and then I use adjustable, low-temperature dehydration cabinets to complete the drying process. This simple technique has given me good results with all herbs. Every herb has little intricacies in drying.”
What is one thing that you think people should know about herbs and growing them?
“Every herb has its own unique character, but as a whole, I've found the medicinal herbs to be strong and robust plants. It can be fun to attempt to grow many different plants that grow in many different places, but do a little research to find out which plants will likely grow well in your area.
We have some different types of soil on different parts of the farm, so I did a little research to see if any of the Asian herbs I wanted to try growing prefer specific types of soil. For example when I was researching growing Ephedra, it sounded like it thrived in sandy, rocky poor soil. I had a sandy gravelly unused field, and I put the Ephedra there.
When growing herbs that are well suited to your location, I believe with a bit of effort you can expect good and satisfying results.”
Yi Mu Cao family portrait, Photo Courtesy of Tyler McGrath
We are so grateful to Tyler McGrath and Methow Medicinal Herb Farm for producing such incredible medicine, while also taking such good care of the extraordinary land where they live and work. Please purchase some of his wonderful herbs from Spring Wind Herbs or reach out to him directly at: tyler@methowmedicinalherbfarm.com.