Gypsy Road Trip

Food should be your medicine and medicine should be your food.

Turning your passion into a business creates the perfect way to live. That’s what Julia Brown has done with her passion for herbs, which began with her grandmother. That country grandmother would go out to the garden, gather herbs and whip them up into something that would help their ailments. Julia’s passion and business became “A Simpler Thyme.”

This section of her herb garden contained doves.

   While she picked up her love of using natural herbs from her grandmother, Julia never knew what her grandmother was combining. That took time and study by Julia over the past thirty years as she learned how to use herbs both in food and medicine.

Take an herb walk with Julia after a yoga session.

   Julia is a certified master herbalist and iridology practitioner. For many years she has given classes, presentations on the benefits of herbs, and private consultations.

   In her later years, Julia’s mother lived with them. Mom had lost her sight but her mind still created visions of what she wanted for Julia. They talked about building a cabin behind her house up on the hill. Every night when Julia came home from work, they would discuss the cabin. She told her how to decorate it and even what dishes to use. Mom was a huge part of the cabin.

   Mom told Julia, “You have to promise me you will build your cabin.”

Her cabin serves as the perfect place for a quiet retreat or an interesting workshop.

   Julia remembers, “She made my dream come true. The cabin was her vision for me.” Amish built this perfect place for an herbal experience in nature’s own setting. She takes pride in her cabin and conducts workshops there to tell others about the benefits of using herbs for culinary as well as medicinal purposes. Take a beautiful drive through Amish country to rural Fresno to find her business called A Simpler Thyme.

Her house and cabin are surrounded by herb gardens.

   “God put herbs on this earth for our benefit,” so Julia wants to make people passionate about using herbs and doing things naturally. Everything our body needs is right in front of us, such as herbs, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, trees, water, fresh air, and sunshine.

Julia always has a jar of sprouting lentils around for a healthy snack.

   We just need to learn how to use them better for ourselves and our families. Using healthy herbs in the food we prepare is an easy way of sneaking medicine to our family.

   She became even more passionate after her back injury in 2012. She fell down the steps and fractured her L5. Doctors wanted to do surgery, but Julia changed her diet and exercised, using food and herbs as her medicine. No surgery was required and her back is fine today.

   Her recent interest is iridology, the study of the human eye. While she cannot diagnose ailments, she can see strengths and weaknesses by looking at the iris of a person’s eye. Your iris serves as a map to your body. The left eye shows the medical history of the mother while the right eye tells that of the father.

Julia received the answer as to whether she should study iridology from the quilt in her mom’s bedroom.

   At first, Julia wasn’t certain if she wanted to pursue studying all the needed information. She was looking for a sign to tell her what she should do. She sat down in a rocking chair in her mother’s bedroom and looked at the pattern on the back of the quilt. It looked like there were eyes all over it. At that moment, she felt sure she needed to pursue iridology. The eye is a lamp unto the body and a window to the soul.

An old-fashioned outhouse fits the scene perfectly.

   The entire family has helped with the project. Husband Brian and children Autumn and Austin have been instrumental in giving her ideas for giveaways and herbal samples. Workshops will be held a couple of times a month and the schedule can be found on her website www.asimplerthyme.com

Julia demonstrates making a jar of Fire Cider at a recent workshop.

   Attended an interesting workshop in Newcomerstown with the Friends at the Table, a cookbook club, which meets once a month. The workshop revolved around making Fire Cider, a sure-fire natural remedy for colds. A shot of Fire Cider every twelve hours often gives quick relief.

   Julia’s main goal is educating the public on the many uses of herbs. She stresses, “If you don’t know what the herb or root is, don’t put it in your mouth.”

Inside her cabin is a comfortable and quiet place for a workshop.

   Plan to attend one of Julia’s workshops or meet with her for a personal consultation at her comfy cabin. “God provides everything for us and it is up to us to know what to do with it.”

   Herbal Blessings are sent by Julia Brown from A Simpler Thyme.