Rushden Medicinal and Culinary Herbs John Webster - 15 September 2005

So how many healing herbs grow in your garden? Wallington and Rushden WI had a chance to find out all about the power of herbs when Herbal Haven came to talk to them about growing herbs and their uses.

Southernwood is nature’s moth balls, hearts ease for eczema and sweet cicely can act as a sugar substitute for diabetics and if you are a New Ager what better than comfrey on your compost heap. Recipes for herbal preparations have been found written on papyri from ancient Egypt. With the discovery of the New World many more medicinal plants were discovered. Many of the original uses of these herbs have been lost but some still remain. Taking an exam; try lemon balm tea or another use is to steep it in white wine as a fertility drink! If you want to know more about herbs and their uses and stock up your garden try visiting www.herbalhaven.com.

On 29th September we will be hosting the Group Meeting when Marie Cardin will talk on Dogs for the Disabled at Baldock Community Centre. The competition is most appealing toy dog.
On October 20th we hold our AGM at Wallington and new committee members are being sought. We will be holding a produce bring and buy and enjoying a game of Whose Wine is it Anyway? We can always try some ajuga afterwards as a cure for hangovers!! (So that’s why a certain person in Rushden grows so much of it outside their house!!!)
The Spender Cup Competition will be judged in November for the best example of Make Do and Recycle!
There will be display of what we do at Sandon’s Contact 2005 on 17th September.
Organisers are needed for the Christmas lunch.
 
Trip to Hinxworth.
Members were overwhelmed by the hospitality of sculptor John Mills when they visited his garden at Hinxworth Place in August and were invited into his studio as well. They were shown a quarter size statue of his sculpture Women in War recently unveiled by the Queen as part of this year’s 60th anniversary of the end of WW11. The evening ended with a visit to the Three Horseshoes which also hosts one of John’s sculptures as does Ashwell Church.