Herbalists Supporting Each Other

CHA would like to thank former member Traci Fairchild for her large donation of herbal bottles and jars which we in turn donated to Farmacy Community Health Center, an urban herbal clinic and education center in Providence RI.   We wanted to show our support and help provide some resource to a community herb clinic that is dedicated to serving their community.   In addition to the  4 and 6 month herbal training courses, they offer free and sliding scale classes at elementary schools, nursing homes, colleges, hospitals, non-profits and garden clubs.  All of the herbal products they provide are cultivated, wildcrafted and formulated locally by apprentices and volunteers.   Check out their site at:  http://farmacyherbs.com/index.html

Take Pleasure in an HerbFest Afternoon

If you like to rest in on Saturdays, and afternoons are more your weekend speed, then head on over to Holcomb Farm on Saturday, June 2, to enjoy the second half of our HerbFest Country Fair!

Be sure to arrive by noon though, so you can enjoy the lunchtime entertainment with the The Farmer Rick Band. You'll have some time to browse the grounds and peruse the vendors before the afternoon workshops begin, and after they end!

What workshops, you ask? 

At 1:00 pm you can join Alicia North for Fermenting Wellness. You'll sample traditional condiments, beverages and other live cultures that enhance our digestion and overall well-being. Alicia will discuss fermented foods, their history, their place in modern society and how you can prepare your own in the comfort of your own home. If you'd prefer to explore the nutritive aspect of herbs, join Rosemari Roast for Nutritional Herbs. Here you'll learn about and revisit some common botanicals, wild and cultivated, that can support you in nourishing and toning your body and being. Rosemari will share with you several "green powerhouses" that you can easily enjoy as simple, inexpensive, and highly absorbable nutrition in your everyday food and drink.

At 2:00 pm you can learn about Making Simple Herbal Extracts at Home with  Debra Hultgren. Debra will demonstrate how to make herbal tinctures/extracts and cover everything you'll need to get started making your own simple and safe extracts to use at home. If you're hungering for a more clinical workshop, then join Marlene McKenzie for Diabetes: What's eating you? Marlene will guide you through the nutrition and botanical uses for this statistically sky-rocketing disease. And if you're ready for some relaxing self-care, then you'll want to join P.J. Harder for a Qi Gong Demonstration.

There will be guided weed walks throughout the day as well, so you'll always have something fun and informative to choose from.

Admission is $5 with a non-perishable food item, and/or pet food, pet toys, blankets, towels, paper towels. And once you're in, every workshop, lecture, weed walk is free! 

So we sure hope to see you, your family and friends at the HerbFest Country Fair on June 2, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, at Holcomb Farm in West Granby, CT! 

Enjoy a Morning of HerbFest

If you're thinking of arriving early at the HerbFest Country Fair, you can rest assured that there will be plenty to enjoy!


The morning opens up with James Owen leading a Gong Ceremony. What a beautiful way to kick off this event. 


At 10:00 am, the options begin. If growing herbs is your interest, then you'll want to join Terri Cousson for "How To Grow Herbs, or Here, Eat This." Terri will touch on some of the herbs that thrive in any garden, how to plant for the best harvest and how to grow the herbs you're most likely to use. Terri will share information on growing perennials, annuals, and which goes where as well as decisions about buying a plant or sowing seeds and which herbs to bring in during the winter and how do it. If cooking is more up your alley, then join Michelle Mclure for "Berries, Early Crops and Herbs." Michele will  pair herbs with berries and early veggie crops as she shares her Delectable Blueberry Borscht Soup, a new version of Strawberry Shortcake, yummy light herbal salad dressings for those early lettuce varieties, herbs with roasted fingerling potatoes and much more.


At 11:00 am you can explore more food options with Lynn Murdock and Bun Lai as they lead you on a fun & informative weed walk where they'll identify and harvest local seasonal weeds and turn them into a delicious and nutritious lunch for you to sample in "Wild Foods - from Forest to Table." Or you might choose to explore where toxins come from and how to avoid them, while having a positive impact on the earth in Our Toxic Burden: What We Can Do with Dr. Stacey Munro.


And if you're a morning attendee, be sure to leave time to enjoy the lunchtime entertainment provided by Rick Ouellette of the The Farmer Rick Band. "Farmer Rick" is real life farmer who owns and operates "Shaker Farm Market" in Enfield, CT. He and his band have been entertaining families with their own upbeat pop-rock versions of traditional children's songs as well as original songs since 1999.

Come back tomorrow to see what's happening in the afternoon! Or, you can see the entire schedule here right now! 


See you at the HerbFest Country Fair on June 2, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, at Holcomb Farm in West Granby, CT! 

HerbFest Country Fair - Mark Your Calendars!

Gather your family and join the Connecticut Herb Association (CHA) on Saturday, June 2, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at Holcomb Farm in West Granby for the 2012 HerbFest Country Fair.

This year’s HerbFest is taking place, for the first time, on the pastoral grounds of the historic Holcomb Farm in West Granby. There will be vendors offering plants, crafts, arts, healing and more, as well as free workshops, demonstrations, and weed-walks throughout the day.

HerbFest Country Fair

Saturday, June 2, 2012

9:00 am to 4:00 pm

at Holcomb Farm in West Granby

Rain or Shine

2012 Earth Day Celebration

It was a great time at the 2012 Earth Day Celebration. There were herbs for swap and for sale …beautiful handmade bees wax candles … crystals and reiki … jewelry and books ... herbal and earth-friendly cleaning products … herbal handcrafts, and more. 

I made some solitary time to wander the grounds and took a quiet stroll along the river before the drizzle started and I witnessed how the green of the earth intensified the moment the rain began to spit form the sky. The rain was a welcome friend.

It was a day of pleasure, camaraderie and green wisdom … and already I'm looking forward to our HerbFest Country Fair! 

~ rose

Earth Day Celebration!

Come join us to honor and celebrate this lovely planet Earth.  Meet other herbalists, share ideas and experiences, and bring plants, cuttings, seedlings or seeds to share in our plant swap. There will be vendors with live plants, earth based crafts and herbal goods available for purchase.  Hope to see you there!