Spotlighting Year-Round Herbs at Oak Grove Plantation

In Search of a Greener New York is an ongoing Garden Collage series of explorations about sustainability efforts in New York City and beyond– including the people, places, and ideas that are making Manhattan a healthier, happier place to live. In this column, we spotlight individuals who are making New York a “greener” place in an attempt to discover how, exactly, they are doing it. This week, GC spotlights Oak Grove Plantation, whose herbs are a personal favorite at the GC office.

Whenever our New York staff makes a trip to the Union Square Farmers Market, we make it a point to stop at the stall for Oak Grove Plantation, because they have the best selection of herbs.

From red-veined sorrel to pineapple mint and every coriander, purple sage, and nasturtium in between, we’re in love with all 122 varieties that the farm has to offer. Oak Grove is a 160-acre farm in Hunterdon County, New Jersey that has received River-Friendly Certification from the North Jersey Resource Conservation and Development Council for their pioneering use of solar panels, which supply all of the plantation’s electrical needs. They are also the first “farm family” in New Jersey to preserve their farmland for public legacy. On a recent trip to the market, we caught up with farm worker Tenzin, below shown, who tells us that although vegetables are available from late June through November, the potted herbs we love are available year-round.

Oak Grove plantation grows everything from husk cherries and heirloom tomatoes to sweet corn, cantaloupe, brussels sprouts, okra, and 41 varieties of American, Italian, and Oriental eggplant. The farm also raises pasture-grazed beef and hormone-free hogs, in addition to offering a produce- and flower-filled CSA that runs from early July to late October. (For more information on the the farm share, visit Oak Grove’s Facebook page or email them at oakgroveplcsa@gmail.com.)