Spring Ahead

Reader Contribution by Vicki Mattern

Welcome to My Herbal Space; glad you stopped by. I’m the editor of The Herb Companion magazine. Along with my fellow Herb Companion bloggers (KC, Marci, Amy and Allison), I work with knowledgeable and talented contributors to create a magazine we hope you will use and enjoy. Here on HerbCompanion.com, I hope to be less “editor” and more friend, sister and neighbor … and I’m looking forward to sharing ideas, plans, successes and even disappointments about the herbal happenings in our gardens and kitchens.

If you’ve managed to wind up here accidentally–maybe by tripping through a link on some other website–I hope you’ll stay a while and sample what we (and the herbs) have to offer. Like to cook? You’ll find our site and magazine chock-full of delicious recipes–many from some of America’s top chefs, who use herbs for maximum flavor. If gardening is your favorite way to relax, you’ll find dozens of unique design ideas, solutions for common gardening problems, and expert advice on how to grow most any herb. Most of us know that herbs make us feel good: one whiff of lavender or basil can make everyday stresses seem to vanish. But did you know that many of these simple plants also have the power to heal? Our community of herbal contributors regularly provides the latest research on using herbs for your best health, and you can read it all here.

My own exploration of herbs began 20-some years ago, when I planted my first garden–a parsley patch in a window box outside my center city apartment. Like most people, I came to herbs through cooking … then discovered they offer so much more. Over time, I found that I loved not only their flavors, but also the multitude of fragrances, colors, textures and forms they brought to my garden and my cooking. I discovered the healing aspects of herbs “through the back door,” you could say (truly, the back door of the 1780 house I once lived in!).  I wanted to plant a period garden, one similar to what the house’s original owners might have planted. Reading dozens of old gardening books and visiting historic sites near me, I learned that many of those plants would have been medicinal herbs: horehound, elecampane, calendula and rhubarb, to name just a few. So I planted them, got to know them, then made my own healing teas and salves … and found myself more enchanted than ever by these fascinating plants.

Wherever you happen to be in your own personal journey with herbs–even if your interest is simply to find a recipe for tonight’s dinner–we invite you to visit often, join our community, and see how herbs can make your world a better place. (Next time you visit, I’ll have something to report about my spring planting; the soil is a little too wet and cold just yet, but in a few short weeks, I’ll be starting a big, new project … stay tuned.)

Til then,

Vicki

  • Published on Feb 20, 2008
Tagged with: Reader Contributions
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