ORGANIC LIFE
organicgardener.com.au^49
F
or a chef and a carpenter it was a big shift; not just
the career change, but moving to a bush property
with not much on it except for dead wattles and a
burnt out shed. But that’s what Kay and Gregg Saarinen
did about 18 years ago, when they fell in love with what
was to become their home in Wyndham, NSW. The
object of their affection was a 6 acre (that’s about
3 hectares) piece of land bordering a national park,
with a freshwater creek, but not a lot else.
Initially, all they had on their side was bucketloads of
energy and a dream to create a permaculture-based,
self-sufficient lifestyle. They lived in a caravan while
building a straw bale house, which is now 100 per cent
off-grid with solar power, hot water and a solar bore pump.
The next step was to figure out how to become fully
self-sufficient, not just with food but an income as well.
The couple’s first experiment was with growing and
selling organic produce at the local markets.
“We got the property organically certified and worked
hard at planting fruit and nut trees and berries. We also
milked goats and raised sheep for meat,” she says.
They quickly realised that it was tough to make
enough money to sustain themselves.
A new business arises
The idea to make their own skincare products first arose
when their daughter Gemma, who is now 11, was a baby.
“Gemma had eczema all down her neck,” explains
Kay. “I took her to the doctor and was given a cortisone
prescription. While I was walking to the chemist, I
thought, ‘What am I doing?’
“Instead of going straight for medication, I decided
to try a home-made calendula ointment on her first. It
worked, and I found that I enjoyed making it. We had
loads of other herbs on our farms that I could use, so
I decided to do a naturopathy course and learn all
I could about other herbal treatments for skin conditions.
“That moment was the true beginning of Saarinen
Organics,” Kay says.
Kay and Gregg now have a purpose-built lab and a
range of products that are made using herbs they grow
on their farm, including borage, calendula, peppermint
and comfrey.
This year’s comfrey crop was a bumper.
“It’s been the best crop we’ve had in ages. Comfrey
is one of the plants that doesn’t mind the dry weather
because it’s susceptible to root rot,” Kay explains.
Once the comfrey roots are harvested they are dried
on racks outside Kay’s lab and then turned into an
apple cider vinegar tincture to be used in a number
of the skincare products, including soothing gardener’s
hand cream.
While the region around the farm has been badly
affected by the drought, Kay says that a combination of
careful crop selection and biodynamic soil preparation is
what has saved them.
The farm still has enough water due to a solar-
powered bore and two stainless-steel rainwater tanks, asKay andGreggSaarinenhavebuiltathrivingskincarebusinessontheprinciples
of permaculture and their aim to live a self-sufficient life, writes Emma Castle.artisans
Accidental