Every Sunday, I usually spend the roughly 16 hours that I’m awake knocking out a long to-do list and I don’t bother “to-do” very much relaxing. But not today – today I attended an herb workshop for only $5 in the Visitor’s Center at the scenic Farnsley-Moremen Landing that was informative and casual. Located along the river, the atmosphere was peaceful and magical in a way that made me feel truly connected with nature. Hours later, I’m still in a great mood AND I managed to get my to-do list completed quickly with the motivation from treating myself to a little bit of me-time!
The workshop was taught by Nola Lillie. She is charismatic, possesses an extremely impressive knowledge of herbs and spices, and has a true gift for teaching. Also, she very quickly created a communal atmosphere by making it clear that she loves when workshop guests share ideas. Everyone felt free to get involved in the discussion, offering tips and asking questions. Best of all, we were having fun and learning, which is a great combination!
Each of us received fantastic handouts full of recipes, tips, and information about herbs. Then, after a quick introduction, Nola took us to the historical garden, which still produces the same flowers, herbs, and vegetables that were commonly grown during the 1800s! It is stunningly beautiful and all-natural – absolutely no preservatives or pesticides are used.
We all picked out several herbs to clip and use. I chose gorgeous sprigs left and right, but my favorite was the Lamb’s Ear that I picked – it’s so soft that I’ve been rubbing it against my cheek all day and getting warm fuzzies. When we were in the garden, I learned that they were used in ancient wars as comfy emergency bandages for wounded warriors.
When we got back inside, we tied bouquet garnis for simmering in soups, learned to bundle and freeze chives, and made our own mini bottles of herbal vinegar to take home. Nola even thoughtfully prepared some lavender honey and a delectable herb-packed cream cheese spread for us to sample with our little cups of lemonade.
Some pearls of information from the workshop:
This barely scratches the surface of everything we were taught, so be sure to make it to the next workshop if you’d like to learn more! Also, be sure to try and make the Herbal Cosmetics Workshop on Sept. 9th, where Nola will be teaching us how to make things like natural lip balm and much more!
This inexpensive and welcoming workshop was impressively effective for retaining what’s important when cooking with herbs and starting an herb garden. The sun shone brightly, there was a gentle breeze, I learned useful information, and I went home relaxed. Best $5 I’ve ever spent.
Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing
7410 Moorman Rd.
Louisville, KY 40272
(502) 935-6809
About Madeleine Dee
I am a writer/reviewer who has the unique perspective of also being a working professional chef. I don't look up big words in my thesaurus to sound impressive because I'd rather concentrate on having a writing style that makes you feel like a friend. I'll be bringing you news about Food & Dining in our lovely city. :)
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