Q&A with Heather Porrill, owner of The Comfrey Patch
By Beverly Lomosad
If Heather Porrill looks familiar, it’s because she was, for years, the face behind a highly successful confectionery business called Buttery Bites Caramels, which came to a screeching halt during the pandemic years. In the face of the pain and the grief over the loss of the business that she had painstakingly built, she found a new purpose: she now makes healing Comfrey products, which she describes as “nature doing what it does.”
“That chapter in my life, the confectionery business, is closed,” she said, adding: “I have opened a new book, and the book is right in my backyard, in my garden.”
How did your Comfrey products start to take root?
About 10 years ago, I brought Comfrey seeds in from the U.S. for gardening purposes. It wasn’t until 2021 I discovered Comfrey is also a healing herb. I ran into an online conference, which talked about the healing benefits of Comfrey while, at the same time, addressing some of the misunderstanding over its medicinal use. While some people are convinced of Comfrey’s healing benefits, others have a different opinion on it, saying it should never be consumed because of pyrrolizidine alkaloids; ultimately, they say, alkaloids will not make your liver happy. While people use Comfrey as a herbal tea, it’s meant to be taken only when you need it – that is, when you’re experiencing symptoms that can be addressed by a medicinal tea – not as a regular everyday tea. You do not take, say, Tylenol for no reason and daily, do you? You take it when you need it.
If there are diverging views about Comfrey, how did you arrive at a decision for the path to take to move forward?
I have taken – and still taking it – an online course on herbalism. I could complete the course at my own pace, which is perfect since my Internet service does not allow me to go online each day. Also, I have continued access to the course materials and the instructor. I think I am more than halfway done.
For many years, people know you as the face behind the very successful confectionery business called Buttery Bites Caramels. What set you in the “Comfrey direction,” so to speak?
The confectionery business is something I don’t want to do anymore. That chapter in my life is closed. I have opened a new book, and the book is right in my backyard, in my garden. I love it. Interestingly enough, the grief I experienced over the loss of my confectionery business has led me to the Comfrey direction. I wanted something I have control over. Here I was, sitting with all of my caramel products. I wanted to go and sell them but could not. And the future wasn’t looking grand for when trade shows would restart; it came to a point I found it more difficult to go in my building, where I kept my caramel products, and I would sit there and cry. It was painful. How do I figure out my way through to my future? I needed to do a career change. I needed to feel like I was the one in control.
Yes, I could have had pivoted online as many businesses had done to make it through the pandemic years. But I determined that online is a world of its own, a world I do not want to inhabit in and be a part of. I love the face-to-face contact and the social interaction that come with being at farmers markets and at trade shows in addition to my retail outlets. That was how I had structured my caramel business.
What was the last trade show you attended before the pandemic lockdown?
The last trade show I attended was the Winefest in Edmonton. After that, I was scheduled to go to another big event, a trade show in Sherwood Park, which would have been my first time attending, but it got cancelled. At the height of my confectionery business, I would go to trade shows every weekend – sometimes two every weekend – between October and March. I didn’t work outside of that six-month window because you needed too many controls in place to make good caramels when temperatures are high. I spend the other six months of the year in my garden and with my animals. I reckon I only had two years in the caramel business before I was to go into full retirement. I lost two years’ worth of income, which would have been icing on the cake.
What are some of your Comfrey products?
I have a Comfrey Salve, Comfrey Tea, Comfrey Plant Food (liquid fertilizer), and Comfrey Salve Kit, which people can use to make their own salve.
The other thing worth mentioning about Comfrey is the fact that its roots and leaves contain allantoin, a substance understood to help new skin cells grow and keep skin healthy.
Talk a little bit about your Comfrey garden.
I have a 20ft-by-10ft patch where I grow Comfrey plants in. They are very easy to grow, and they grow and regrow fast after a cut. You basically just put the seeds in the ground then get out of the way. I get four cuts during the April-August growing season, and I can produce a lot of salve from my Comfrey garden.
Talk a little bit about how the salve-making process.
I chop the seeds out as my first step then air-dry the Comfrey leaves. I only use nice leaves and throw the rest into a compost bucket to be fermented and used as plant food. Then I infuse the dried material in olive oil and just leave it on the counter, turning it over each day. In six weeks, it’s ready. For a faster process, place the herb-infused olive oil on a stovetop and add a little bit of heat. In a matter of hours, it’s ready. For texture, add melted beeswax.
How much time are you spending in your new-found endeavour?
It’s woven into my time now.
How are you raising awareness about your Comfrey products?
Right now, I classify myself as retired, enjoying my garden. I’m not really making a big push for my Comfrey products. I do try to be at the farmers market in Bay Tree every week. I’m open to sharing my knowledge with people interested to grow their own Comfrey plants and make salve. And I accept some form of trades – anything from potatoes to chickens – in exchange for my Comfrey products.
Contact
- Location: Bay Tree
- Phone: (780) 353-3055