I attended a Herb Walk hosted by Penny at her Dogwood & Brambles farm in May 2015 and I want to tell you how much I enjoyed the experience. Penny has a lovely farm with century
house, horses, herbs and hospitality!
I was enthusiastically welcomed into her large country kitchen and enjoyed iced lemon water while waiting for the other attendees. If you know Penny – she always has a smile on her face.
She showed us her Ginkgo Tree and told us its history connected to her store.We walked across to her fire pit and she invited us to the New Moon Ceremony she was holding in June. Then we moved to the natural and naturalized front pasture which was mowed into pathways for easy walking and viewing. Penny pointed out herbs and broke off pieces for us to smell or taste. We were asked to
identify plants and then she discussed the “what part” and “how it was used”. I appreciated the repetition of identifying plants as we walked since it helped me remember what I’d been
learning. There were so many plants in her field! We learned about Motherwort for pregnant women and longlevity, Lovage similar to celery, Hops for a relaxant and hypnotic, Lily of the
valley for memory, Columbine for fresh greens, Burdock to be eaten like asparagus, Comfrey for respiration problems, Wild Strawberries for fertility and detoxing, Dandelion for tonic and
digestion, Horse Tail for soothing and wounds, Queen Anne’s Lace and many, many more. As we walked we collected sample to take home and leaves to brew tea after the herb walk.
We walked towards Penny’s house and had a tour of the herbs she grew in her flowerbeds. She pointed out that she keeps the labels for newly purchased herbs in the soil as they hold a lot of
information. The herb tastes and smells were wonderful! Back in her country kitchen we brewed goldenrod tea. It was pale yellow and very mild tasting. Penny explained that it had many uses for internal infections and allergies. The hour-long walk extended in length due to her willingness to share her knowledge and answer questions. All in all, Penny made the Herb Walk the best it could be and I would recommend it to anyone whether they are a gardener or not. It was a very learning experience from an expert in the field – and that is intended to be a pun! We each went home with printed information on what we’d seen and discussed. Now I am inspired to look for some of the herbs on my property.
