Have you ever wanted to indulge in a basil brownie? Do you worry that you don’t know the best way to care for your roses? Or are you just looking for a wonderful place to take mom to celebrate Mother’s Day? Then mark your calendar for May 12, when the first annual Herb Day celebrations arrive in Creston and you can enjoy all of these things.
A celebration of herbs and their many uses, Herb Day is a worldwide event that sees herbal organizations hosting herbs themed events in the week leading up to Mother’s Day. This year, Greenheart Herbal Society and the College of the Rockies have joined together to bring the first ever Herb Day celebration to the Creston Valley. Each year, the International Herb Association selects one plant that is given the title Herb of the Year, and this year, roses will be honoured.
The Herb Day 2012 celebrations here in Creston are scheduled to take place from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May 12 at the College of the Rockies and will feature four workshops on a wide range of rose related topics including “Successful Rose Gardening” with keynote speaker Vanessa Farnsworth. She will be speaking about the best types of roses to plant in herb gardens, as well as hardiness, propagation and maintenance issues affecting roses. Other workshops will include “The Joy of Roses” with Jean Wilson, “Decorating with Roses” with Bev Pommier and Ginger Fulop, and “Culinary and Medicinal Uses of Roses” with Rachel Beck.
In addition to the workshop series, the day offers a wonderful treat for the taste buds in the Herb Day tea room, where herbs will be used to create scrumptious treats, such as cucumber and herb butter sandwiches, rose petal scones, lemon chamomile squares and basil brownies. While guests enjoy their tea, they will be serenaded by talented local musicians Starla Ek and Kalen Huscroft.
The Herb Day 2012 celebrations also feature mini demonstration sessions on making herb related products, a wonderful collection of vendors selling herb and garden related items, and a great herb plant sale (which starts at 9 a.m.). It is a perfect chance to come away with some interesting gifts for Mother’s Day or to simply treat yourself to something wonderful.
People will also have the chance to purchase raffle tickets at the event for a chance to win, among other wonderful prizes, a beautiful handmade rose-themed quilt made by local quilters. Funds raised from Herb Day 2012 will go to maintaining and expanding the gardens as well as to purchase herb related books for the Creston and District Public Library.
Greenheart is keeping the cost for Herb Day 2012 as reasonable as possible as it wants people to embrace this event and help to make it an annual event. The cost is only $25 for a full day pass, which gives access to all the workshops, tea room and vendor area, and these day passes can be purchased in advance at the college. For those who wish to visit just the tea room and explore the vendor area, the cost is $10 and tickets will be sold at the door.
A full schedule of events is available at www.greenheartherbalsociety.org or at the reception desk at the College of the Rockies. To get more information or to register for the full day call the college at 250-428-5332.
— GREENHEART HERBAL SOCIETY