Welcome
Minnesota Herb Society is an organization of herb enthusiasts who come together to encourage the study, the growing, and the use of herbs.
As volunteers, we plant and maintain the designated herb gardens at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.
Meetings are the 4th Tuesdays of January, March, May, August and October. Contact us to learn more.
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1 week 3 hours ago
The MN Herb Society held its annual Garden Tea on Tuesday, July 21. Our hostess was the lovely Carlotta Posz! It was a very warm day but Carlotta’s gardens were beautiful and the company - after Covid restrictions - was wonderful. Thank you, Carlotta, for a fantastic day.
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2 weeks 5 days ago
Flashback Friday … July 9, 2012 a few of us gathered for a vinegar tasting day. We had a delicious time! 🌿
3 weeks 6 days ago
Welcome to July Herbies! The Minnesota Herb Society has a busy month ahead. July 20 is our Annual Garden Tea at the home of Carlotta Posz and the 27th we are boarding a bus to visit Camrose Hill, lunch at the Lowell Inn and then a fun afternoon of touring and shopping in Stillwater. Watch your email and make sure you don’t miss out on these fun activities! ❤️ 🌹
1 month 3 days ago
Thank you Nora!
1 month 2 weeks ago
Did you plant fennel in your herb garden this year only to discover it is now inhabited with green and black striped caterpillars? Those are black swallowtail caterpillars! Soon they will form a chrysalis and turn into a beautiful butterfly. And your fennel will grow back quickly! The beauty of nature 😊 🐛 🌱 ❤️
1 month 2 weeks ago
This was such a fun time …
1 month 2 weeks ago
We had a kettle; we let it leak:
Our not repairing made it worse.
We haven’t had any tea for a week . . .
The bottom is out of the Universe.
—Rudyard Kipling, “Natural Theology,” 1889
According to Chinese legend, the first cup of tea was brewed about five thousand years ago by Shen Nong, aka The Divine Cultivator. One day, he was boiling water outdoors when leaves of a nearby plant (it happened to be Camellia sinensis) blew off a bush and plopped into the water. The Divine Cultivator tasted the brew and found that it hit the spot. A cup of tea was soon on everyone’s table.
The Buddhists explain things differently. The monk Dharuma practiced meditation all day long. One drowsy afternoon, he found his eyelids drooping. So keep this from happening again, he sliced them off and threw them away. A tea plant sprang up where they fell, and after a little trial and error, Dharuma discovered the secret of brewing its leaves into a drink that would keep him awake—although one has to suppose that he learned to sleep with his eyes open.
Tea became known in Europe in the 1600s, as merchant ships made their way to the Orient and back again The sprightly stimulant became immediately popular and a brisk trade developed. Tea helped to precipitate at least one war (the American Revolution began with the Boston Tea Party), served several governments as currency, and helped to build the British Empire. Americans have done their fair share, too. They invented iced tea (first served at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904) and the tea bag (first used in 1908 in New York City by Thomas Sullivan). The origins of instant tea are a bit more murky. The Old Foodie offers one peek into its history.
Tea isn’t just a delicious stimulant. In the last few decades, scientists have compiled a convincing dossier of its medicinal virtues. Tea is reported help to protect the arteries against cholesterol clogs; inhibit the growth of cancers of the colon, stomach, and breast; reduce inflammation; and neutralize many viruses. You can drink black tea or green tea, hot tea or iced tea, with or without caffeine. But do drink brewed tea; scientists say that bottled tea and instant tea don’t have as many antioxidants. Herbal teas have different health benefits; you’ll want to check them out, as well.
And Kipling was right, of course. No tea for a week would turn our world upside down!
1 month 3 weeks ago
2 months 2 days ago
Tuesday, May 25th, we held our annual Spring plant exchange. It was also our second annual book exchange! Some of us have had more time on our hands the past year so it’s been fun to add something new!
We packed our own lunches and enjoyed catching up with each other.
Our President, Elly Hanson, gave us an update on what’s in store for us this summer and fall. Yay for field trips and end of the year sales!
2 months 4 days ago
Happy Monday Herbies!
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