New Wave Botanicals

The land leading down to Karen and Roger Townshend’s rural property is lined on either side with a stand of tall, majestic trees that bend in the cool breeze. The 40 acres, that sits on the sheltered shore of Tracadie Bay, on Prince Edward Island’s northern coast, was purchased in the late 1970s. In 2000, Karen, who works as an agriculture export market developer for a private company, became very interested in the new emerging movement in PEI for developing and growing natural nutraceutical plants for medicinal purposes. New Wave Botanicals certified organic farm was established in 2000. As part of her commitment to this renewed surge in certified organic growing on PEI, Karen became involved with the establishment of the PEI Certified Organic Producers Cooperative, and was a member of the first board of directors.

New Wave Botanicals was born out of her work, named after the connection between earth and water that is a reflection of the couples’ union of interests. Karen’s farming focus is primarily in crops that are slightly exotic, have high medicinal value, and are well suited to the North Atlantic climate. Her farming philosophy, which is fundamental to what she is willing to grow on the Island, is that rather than forcing the land to maximize yields through heavy inputs, the natural balance of the land needs to be respected. As she says, “I believe in a gentler approach in relating and working with the land.”

After experimenting with a number of different crops, Karen settled on growing organic garlic, rhubarb, rosehips, hawthorn berries and most recently, blackcurrants. Shortly after moving to the farm Karen realized that the marsh and forestland between her home and the shore was covered with wild rosehip and hawthorn bushes that were heavily laden with fruit. Although the naturally occurring hedgerows were very productive without any inputs, the close proximity of the ocean has provided easy access to mussel and oyster by products, and seaweed for mulching, with the added benefit that the marine plants contain trace minerals that feed the soil. Karen also applies locally made fish and mushroom fertilizers to her plants. Last year alone the plants yielded 1,100kg of large, full rosehips. She makes a point of not harvesting everything, leaving some on the plants for the birds and animals to enjoy over the winter months.

Karen is also developing a growing rhubarb crop, with the aim of reaching a full acre in the next few years. Blackcurrants are her new crop, and she is looking forward to learning how to best nurture the bushes so that they produce the healthiest and most tasty fruit.

In the next few years, Karen plans to slowly expand her acreage of chosen crops, but points out that she does not intend to be a large-scale operation. She says: “We are creating a world that is ‘fundamentally’ good from our little piece of Island here, and my wish is to keep it simple and manageable.” She is equally interested in exploring the possibility of developing an agro-tourism operation, and is looking into exporting blackcurrants, rhubarb, and rosehips as ingredients for Island preserves. For Karen, farming is about enjoying the whole cycle of producing a crop: about carefully selecting the healthiest plants; ensuring that they are established in the best location and the season most conducive to their growing into robust plants; being outside and interacting with the natural world; sharing the learning process that takes place every day; harvesting the fresh, bright crimson rosehips, the long graceful stalks of rhubarb, and the plump, juicy blackcurrants; and preparing quality products for their customers. Her goal is to be as self-sufficient as possible, and ultimately, to be a part of a growing community of small Island family farms that are becoming entrepreneurs by exploring new markets that will support a gentler model of farming—one that is built upon diversity of production, environmentally friendly practices, and strong community ethics.