THE HOURGLASS
Artist Background:
Field Apothecary
January 4, 2014
Michael and Dana Eudy. Photograph by David Rinella.
Cyanotypes of herbs at the farm in Germantown. Courtesy of Whisper.
Michael and Dana on the cover of Edible Hudson Valley.
Photograph by Roy Gumpel.
Photograph by Roy Gumpel.
Photograph by Roy Gumpel.
Photograph by Roy Gumpel.
Photograph by Roy Gumpel.
Photograph by Roy Gumpel.
Photograph by Roy Gumpel.
On a recent snowy morning at the Field Apothecary and Herb Farm in Germantown, New York, the remnants of this fall’s harvest—primrose, chamomile, sage and about 80 other herbs—still stood in neat rows alongside a picturesque pond. Inside an adjacent house, Dana and Michael Eudy, the farm’s owners, were feeding logs into a large wood stove and brewing Holy Basil Tea, a sweet and fresh-tasting infusion said to benefit everything from memory to kidney functioning. A former photography agent and artist, respectively, Dana and Michael relocated to the Hudson Valley from Brooklyn in the summer of 2011 to launch what is fast becoming the Hudson Valley’s favorite traveling apothecary.
“We are definitely seeing a growing interest in herbs and a return to plant-based medicine,” Dana says. “Western medicine has its place, but it shouldn’t be your first line of defense.” The Eudys developed their own interest in herbal medicine in 2005, after their first child was born. They spent their first growing season, in 2012, working with the soil to make it as hospitable as possible for their many herbs. “Farming is learning,” Dana says. Field Apothecary now produces a broad variety of tinctures, extracts, tonics, salves, teas and more. The Eudys have also started a 30-member herbal CSA and become sought-after fixtures at the Kingston Farmers’ Market.
For Whisper Editions, Field Apothecary has created an exclusive Winter Wellness Bundle—just in time for the post-holidays detox season. The bundle includes an assortment of the apothecary’s most popular remedies, including their Chocolate Mint Tea, Anti-Anxiety Tea, Clear Thinking Tincture and Tulsi Basil Tincture. It also includes their Lemon Basil Salt, a must-have in the kitchen, and their A to Z Salve and Lemongrass Lip Balm, to help your skin survive the winter cold. Finally, the Eudys have added their Winter Tonic and Healing Mouthwash. All the products are homemade at Field Apothecary, with organic herbs grown with love on the farm.
Shop Field Apothecary's edition for Whisper here.