Living with Herbs classes offered at organic farm
WARWICK, N.Y. — Want to learn how to grow herbs and use them in cooking and medicine? Organic farmer and herbalist, Barbara Taylor-Laino will be the instructor for a series of classes, a do-it-yourself twist on herbal study. This season-long course is designed and focused on the students' backyards, both on creating and growing a highly effective herb garden as well as on making full use of the herbs in cooking, in medicine, and in developing an artisanal, herb-inspired household.
The course will be held at Midsummer Farm, 156 East Ridge Road, Warwick, N.Y., beginning in February. Midsummer Farm is an organic herb and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm.
Taylor-Laino will be the primary instructor, and the course will be organized according to the season, covering gardening and planting tasks as well as harvesting and using guidelines. As with most of the workshops at Midsummer Farm, this course will be intensive, covering a wide range of herbs and usages. It is designed for someone who wants to make the most of a current herb garden, for someone who wants to take his/her herb garden to the next level, or for someone who is starting from scratch and wants to build the ultimate herb garden.
The course covers: How to grow hundreds of herbs, including seed starting and propagation; designing a backyard herbal culture; companion planting; combining herb and vegetable gardening; growing with essential oil content and medicinal quality in mind; biodynamic principles; colonial dooryard garden and other traditional and creative herb garden structures; native herbs; forest and shade plantings; container gardening; and techniques for weeding, planting, spacing, watering, soil development and maintenance, composting and animal partnerships. The course will also cover using herbs in cooking as well as medicinally, including drying, powdering, simple syrups, pestos and green sauces, storing, tincturing, salve and balm making, ointments, teas, using herbs with animals, harvesting times, and detail study of hundreds of herbs from agrimony to yarrow.
There are 12 class sessions in all and the course is split into two parts. Classes are held on Fridays and Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Registration is open.
The course is open for registration. Part 1 consists of six sessions, as does Part 2. The registration for either part is $450; to register for both parts, the cost is $845. The fee includes two books, supplies, snack and lunches.
To register or if you have questions, email the farm at info@midsummerfarm.com or call 845-986-9699.
Part 1
Session 1: Saturday, Feb. 16
Session 2: Saturday, March 9
Session 3: Friday, April 5
Session 4: Saturday, April 6
Session 5: Friday, May 24
Session 6: Saturday, June 15
Part 2
Session 7: Saturday, June 29
Session 8: Friday, July 12
Session 9: Saturday, July 13
Session 10: Saturday, Aug. 3
Session 11: Friday, Sept. 20
Session 12: Saturday, Oct. 19