REDUX: Hello From The Herb Lover! By Catherine Love

Hey there folks! A quick note preceding this post~
As we mentioned before, in the process of moving and revamping our site, we somehow lost some of our original posts. Well, that wasn't good enough for us, so through techno-wizardry, we managed to find them, and we're posting them AGAIN, daily;  we thought this was a great way for more recent readers to catch up on older posts. Plus, we wouldn't dare remove some our writers' informative works, since it seems lots of our long-time readers enjoy them, too! You'll see our "reposts" titled REDUX. We hope you enjoy them!

By Catherine Love of Still Room Herbs

Hello Farm Friends!
Before I begin sharing my love of herbs with you, I thought I should share a bit about myself and what brought me to the Renegade Farmer.

First of all, my grandfather was a farmer, and some of my fondest memories are of wandering about the farm gathering eggs, playing with the barn kitties, watching my cousin fall into the pigpen … Yes, it really was funny, especially since she should have listened to me and not sat on the fence!  I think I somehow got the blame for that one (I got the blame for lots of things with her), but that time  it wasn’t my fault … really it wasn’t.

My grandparents grew a huge garden at their home in town, and I spent lots of time “helping” Grandma in the garden.  I also spent plenty of time shelling peas, snapping beans, and shucking corn; which I didn’t really enjoy at the time, but find to be a very enjoyable activity these days. So, I suppose you could say farming is in my blood!


As for my love of herbs, shortly after I graduated from high school, I moved away from my hometown to a nearby city to escape small town life.  While living in a tiny apartment I discovered little pots of herbs for sale at the grocery store.  I fell in love immediately with those little green things that looked beautiful, smelled divine, and even tasted good!  Soon, my tiny balcony was filled with containers of herbs, flowers, and even a few veggies.   In those early years of learning about herbs and gardening, I am certain I bought more plants at the grocery store than I did food!

It wasn’t long before I began reading everything I could find on herbs and gardening, buying every new plant I could find at the local nurseries, and then seeking out herb farms and little herb shops within driving distance from my home.  My days off at the veterinary clinic were spent “herb hunting”!  I also began learning all I could about herbal medicine, aromatherapy, and natural healing.

When my husband and I got married, we spent part of our honeymoon planting our first garden!  In those days (before children), we came home from work and went immediately into the garden, or off on a journey hunting for new things to grow.

Since those early days of herbal discovery, I’ve grown and used herbs everywhere I’ve lived.  My husband and I have moved several times over the past 14 years, and have planted gardens everywhere possible.

When we spent a year in an apartment complex, I put everything I could into containers and grew a tiny garden on the porch outside our front door.  We grew a large community garden with friends last year, and have just recently moved back into the city where we are starting two new gardening projects- one in the city community garden, and one at our church.  I will also be growing all I can in our small urban yard; but I have a lot of work to do before anything will be happy growing there, so at least for this spring, I’ll have mostly container gardens at home.

I still have a dream of having a “real” farm someday, but made the decision years ago to bloom where I’m planted until that day comes.

I was so excited when I heard about The Renegade Farmer from my friend Dalyn, and was very blessed that Zan allowed me to join the writers here, as writing is another of my passions.   I could go on and on about my love of  herbs and gardens, but I think that’s enough for now!  If you have a question, please leave a comment, I’ll be glad to answer it, if I can.

Now that I’ve rattled on about growing herbs and such, I will share one of my favorite herbal remedies with you, Elderberry Syrup.  It tastes good enough for the children not to whine when they take it (a big bonus in my household), is simple to make, and very, very, good for you.

In the coming days I’ll be writing about using herbs in the home, healing with herbs, aromatherapy, and so forth.  I’d also love to know what types of herbal things you are interested in reading about, so don’t be shy … leave a comment!

Also, I am not a doctor.  Any information on using herbs medicinally is for your educational benefit only, etc., etc. and so forth and so on. OK? OK!  Just so we have that clear.  Use your own common sense and research any herb thoroughly before using it, that’s my best advice there.

Herbs are wonderful helpers on the farm, in the house, in the kitchen, just about everywhere, so add a few herbs to your world today!
Until next time,
Catherine