Among the rolling hills of farmland just off Best Road at the
south end of Hollister is Foxhollow Herb Farm, a hidden treasure of
lavender waving gently in the spring breeze. Integrated into the
landscape are 55,000 herbs in different stages of the growing
process.
Among the rolling hills of farmland just off Best Road at the south end of Hollister is Foxhollow Herb Farm, a hidden treasure of lavender waving gently in the spring breeze. Integrated into the landscape are 55,000 herbs in different stages of the growing process.
Jackie Mendizabal started growing herbs in her back yard in Morgan Hill, and that passion grew into a business in 1993.
“My husband, Rey, and I started looking for land to grow herbs on. We needed somewhere flat and sunny, and Hollister had the perfect weather, hot and dry, and the soil doesn’t have too much clay,” she said.
Rey is the farming part of the operation.
“My husband works at a job; he comes home and puts in long hours on the tractor. But he likes that I can stay home with our son and still have a successful business.”
Jackie is interested in the medicinal properties of herbs.
“I get my interest in healing with plants from my grandmother and my uncle,” she said. “I’m of Mexican and Italian heritage; I find it fascinating how different cultures adapt the plants around them. I can’t walk by a plant without wondering what it can do.”
Before Jackie got into herb farming and botanicals full time, she worked as a health education coordinator for the Good Samaritan Hospital.
The herbs Jackie raises are organically grown, and she does sell the plants, but her main herbal products are for body care. They use only the highest quality vegetable oils: almond, grape seed, rapeseed, pecan and extra virgin olive; and the essential oils are derived directly from the plant. The herbs and flowers are also steeped in sun-warmed oils for several weeks to extract their fragrance and active ingredients.
“We test everything on family and friends prior to selling to the public,” Jackie said.
The first product she made was a salve to treat her son’s diaper rash.
“I remember my aunt using olive oil on diaper rash, so I combined that with gold seal, which is a great healing herb.”
The Foxhollow Herb Farm Botanicals include dried bouquets, soaps, massage and bath oils and lotions, facial care and old herbal remedies.
“The herb growing community is like a family, I made a lot of mistakes with the soap when I first started; it’s very difficult to get the temperature just right. Through the Herbal Network, I learned about some good recipes, and then I adjusted them to my own things,” she said.
She sells her products at farmers markets in Los Gatos, downtown San Jose and Mountain View. In June, she plans to open the farm to the public, so guests can cut their own lavender. She is also studying to become a master herbalist and hopes to teach classes at the farm.
As Jackie walks through the fields rubbing the leaves of white sage to release the scent known in American Indian lore to chase away negative energies, goats are bleating in the neighbor’s pasture and her creative thoughts are flowing.
“I’m planning to make goat’s milk soap this year,” she said. “My husband will retire in seven years, and he still wants to be doing this. Foxhollow Herb Farm has sustained our family; it’s been good to us.”
For more information, call 637-8626 or visit www.foxhollowherbs.com.
