By Taylor Collins, Development & Communications Coordinator

Morningsun Herb Farm’s Rose Loveall leads Youth Wellness Program students from Fairfield High on a tour of the farm

Student interns attending a field trip to Morningsun Herb Farm in March had an opportunity to touch, taste and smell a variety of plants and herbs as part of our Youth Wellness Program. The grounding, multisensory experience of visiting Morningsun provided a unique opportunity to engage with herbs, and invited full-bodied mindfulness, encouraging our students to slow down and be present with their thoughts and each other.

Morningsun Herb Farm is a family-owned farm in Vacaville. The farm grows over 600 species of herbs, succulents and heirloom vegetables. The land is full of trees and wildly growing shrubs. Whimsical metal art and cute sculptures dot the landscape and there are several canopies, greenhouses, and hoop houses surrounding the farm.

During our field trip, Fairfield High School students in the Youth Wellness Program visited a large hoop house with thousands of small herbs. These herbs were all grown from seeds or propagated from larger plants growing on the property. There was a striking variety of lavender, basil and sage. Rose Loveall, the owner of the farm, picked up a basil plant and spoke to us about the essential oils in the plant that produce its aromas and flavors.

As she passed the basil to a student, she said, “Herbs want to be touched. As you pass them around, feel their texture and take in the scent that is produced from their leaves.”

The group questioned this notion. “How do we know that the herbs want to be touched? Do they grow better when they are handled?”

For those of us who don’t live or work on farms, the origins of the food we eat can feel distant and abstract. We may intellectually understand that the basil we consume was grown from the ground, but this knowledge alone fails to capture the impact of physically experiencing the basil plant – feeling its delicate leaves in our hands, inhaling its aromatic fragrance, and being transported to memories of meals where its flavor enriched our dishes. While we may not know for sure what the basil wants, our sense serves as our bridge to communicate with the more-than-human world.

Plants use fragrance to attract pollinators to aid in their reproductive cycle. As we stood in a room with thousands of growing plants, it would appear that the basil got what it wanted. Breathtaking sights often draw humans to nature, but our less-dominant senses hold deeper lessons for us. Deep listening, taste, smell and touch open us up for a more profound connection to the life that sustains us. Considering the needs of a plant like basil can help break down the hierarchies that separate us from our wider ecosystem and these experiences can help us understand that we are not just observers of nature but in partnership with it.

The Youth Wellness Program helps connect all of these dots. As the students engage with plants in the garden, on the farm and in the kitchen, their relationship with them is recontextualized. The program brings together a cohort of 20 high school students for hands-on instruction in practical skills related to gardening and cooking. Each week, in groups of 10, the students build relationships with each other as they learn side by side. Building on a pilot “Healthy Local Food” program offered in partnership with Innovative Health Solutions and Armijo High School during last school year, Sustainable Solano was able to expand the program this year to add more focus on mental health and bring it to more schools. This year, the Youth Wellness Program was offered at Armijo, Fairfield and Vacaville high schools.

We left the hoophouse and followed Rose through a doorway made of wildly growing vines and squeezed into a small circular courtyard punctuated by a stone fountain in the center. Under the dappled shade of trees, we passed around and tasted several kinds of flowers and stems of lavender, geranium and bergamot. All of these plants are a part of the mint family, Lamiaceae, and have varying notes of menthol and bright, citrus-like flavors.

“Doesn’t taste like a grape, but doesn’t taste bad,” said Johan, a Fairfield High senior, about grape-scented lavender. Jinny, another senior, remarked, “It tastes like sage, or like medicine.”

The berries on a tree caught the eye of one of the students. It was a myrtle berry and a few of us tasted it. The flavor was pungent, peppery, and slightly sweet.

As we touched and tasted the various flowers, berries, and herbs, most of the students listened to Rose with rapt attention as she described each plant. There were a few side conversations but they were all about the flavors and sensations of the farm.

I can admit that my attention span has shortened considerably over the last few years. The pandemic had us all focused on our various screens and led to decreased social connectedness for everyone, especially students.

Morningsun is not far from the high school, but the rhythms of this experience made us feel much more off the grid. The earth felt softer beneath my shoes and the vibrations of the insects and birds moving through the trees was palpable.

This gentle, sensory immersion was a stark difference from the busy, digital-centric routines of our lives. Research suggests that time spent outdoors is linked to renewed attention, lower stress, and a balanced nervous system. Planting a garden is an act of optimism, which is especially important for young people on the precipice of adulthood. The culinary instruction is an opportunity to put new skills into practice, exercise teamwork and trust.

As the trip concluded, the students had the opportunity to interact with the animals and explore the array of plants. Each student selected an herb to plant in their school garden and use in the kitchen. This excursion reinforced the significance of grounding experiences for youth. Reflecting on my own experiences in nature, those moments of clarity and connection with the world remain vivid in my memory. I am eager for our students to embark on more enriching journeys with the land that promote growth, foster connections, and enhance their overall well-being.

The Youth Wellness Program is generously funded by Solano Public Health