Nature’s Garden – growing, harvesting and using medicinal and
culinary herbs
Course
Fee: TBA
(Registration
and payment due before class)
Next
Class to be scheduled -
Scheduled
as four 3-hour sessions; including 2 in my garden
More and more gardeners are wanting to plant culinary and
medicinal herbs, yet don’t really know which ones are best for our Montana
environment or how to use them. This class will cover the growing requirements
of a selection of herbs that grow well here, and the best times to harvest. You
will learn the many ways we can use the herbs; not just familiar ones like Basil
or Parsley, but also Hyssop and Lavender and many more. We will be exploring
herbal teas, vinegars and cosmetics, along with various methods of cooking,
preserving, infusing and tincturing. However, the most fun part will be the
actual HARVEST! Two final Saturdays we will meet in my gardens to harvest some
of the herbs that were discussed during class; Lavender, Chamomile, Hyssop,
Calendula, Spearmint and any other plant that is ready during that time. You
will be shown how to bundle, dry and strip the herbs and you will take home some
of each of the plant material that we harvest. Seeing the herbs while they are
actually growing, inhaling their sweet fragrance and touching their leaves and
flowers will give you new insight into their incredible beauty and versatility,
expand your knowledge of their use and open the door to creative ways to
incorporate them into your life.
This class is offered through the Community Education
program. Bring pencil and paper to
take notes. Saturday harvest days you will need sun protection (hat, sunscreen,
long-sleeve shirt), scissors or pruning tool, and baskets in which to place your
herbs.