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Herbs

HISTORIC HERBS – THE KITCHEN GARDEN

In the early days in Holliston if a family member had a headache or an upset stomach, the housewife would go outside to her kitchen garden and pick the herbs that would help take away the pain. Most often they were made into a tea to be drunk or a wet, warm compress to be applied to the painful area of the body. Most itches, cuts, bruises, and even broken bones, were treated at home.
The kitchen garden also consisted of herbs necessary for making cloth, dying it, and cleaning the homespun clothing. Herbs helped keep insects out of screen-less windows, prevented non-refrigerated foods from spoiling quickly, and provided sweet smells to freshen the air in stuffy rooms.
Culinary herbs and some vegetables grew side by side in the kitchen garden for easy accessibility. The daily preparation of the teas, meats, stews, broths, and breads so commonly eaten depended upon these herbs and vegetables to make them tasty.
The kitchen garden was located at the side or rear of the house, within easy reach of the kitchen door. It was often surrounded by a fence to protect it from the wandering animals.

A SELECTION OF HERBS

Tansy

Very aromatic—can smell from a few feet away.
Keeps ants and flies away from food.
Tiny yellow (button-like) flower (mid-late summer) used as a dye for wool.
Not used often internally because it can be poisonous.
Embalming—leaves used to put around body before burial.
Folklore – Because tansy’s flowers don’t fade easily, the name originally came from the Greek word for immortality.

Lambs Ear

Called Band-Aid plant- leaf very soft and pliable. Short hairs would help close wounds.
Native Americans showed how to line moccasins (mullein).

Catnip

Member of mint family.
Used as a tea for stomachaches- works by relaxing cramps.
Mixed with honey for colds.
Cats are attracted to oil in leaves.

Mint

(Tummy ache tonic) Peppermint, spearmint, Lemon Balm, Bee Balm.
Flavorful tea to soothe headaches, stomachaches and cramps – works by increasing blood flow.
Cool and refreshing properties. Grows 2-4 feet high.
Today—used to flavor toothpaste, soap, candy, syrup, gum, and tea.
Ancient Days—branches strewn on floor to refresh the air.

Sage

Toothpaste plant—used as toothpaste and as deodorant.
Used as a remedy for colds, sore throats.
Helped cover gray in aging hair.
Antiseptic/astringent qualities—used to wash cuts and sores.
Culinary uses.
Makes a green dye for wool. (They will see some sage-dyed wool in stenciling.)

Dandelion

Called Lion’s Tooth (Dent-de-Lion) because of jagged shape of leaves.
Spring tonic—high vitamin content helps to fight anemia.
Leaves and roots made into a tea or tonic (bitters).
Roots—coffee substitute.
Young leaves eaten in spring as greens (one of the earliest to arrive in spring). They may have learned about this in Hearth Cooking.
White sap for wart removal.
Folklore – To carry your thoughts to your sweet heart, blow the seeds of the puffball. To dream of a dandelion is supposed to be bad luck.

Bee Balm

War tea.
During Revolutionary War—substitute for English Tea.

HERB GARDEN CLASS OUTLINE

Arrange two big aluminum trays of potpourri, muslin bags, spoons, and stamps and stamp pads on the tables.
Outside presentation — Stay on pathways. Children may sit on the grass or, if raining, you may take the group inside the shoe shop.
Pass around a leaf (to touch and smell – it may need to be rubbed to release aromatic oils)
Show herbs growing in garden.
Talk about qualities and how the herbs were used in 18th Century.
Story: Eliza’s Garden (in red folder). You may read this to the class, time permitting.
Inside presentation — Read chart.
Touch, smell, see samples of herbs on the table.
Use 2 spoons (or enough to fill muslin bag ¼ to ½ full – about 2 spoonfuls) —this potpourri needs to last all week. Tie muslin bags with string and take home.
If you need to fill some time before the groups switch up, try this game: have the children line up. Ask each child to close their eyes, and hold up either the pot of lavender or the pot of rosemary, and see if they can guess from the scent which one they are smelling.
Pack all items up at end of day. Clean table (but leave newspaper on table).
Have a great time. Enjoy the herbs. Maybe you can plant an herb garden too!