Check Out Herbfest!

Photo image courtesy Gracey 

It’s supposed to be a beautiful weekend in the Berkshires. If you are staying at the 1896 House Inn and looking for something to do, check out the Mt. Lebanon Herbfest in nearby New Lebanon, NY. (less then 30 minutes away from the inn).

The Herbfest is a two day festival held on the beautiful Darrow School campus on the grounds of Mount Lebanon Shaker Village. On Saturday June 9, there are local activities and retail offerings throughout town. On Sunday multiple workshops are held.

They recommend pre-registration for workshops as they do fill up. http://www.mountlebanonherbfest.com/june-10/registration-and-locavore-lunch/

More than 30 walks, talks, demonstrations and workshops on herbs in food, pharmacy, gardening and local history

Admission: $10 per person, $20 per family.

The HerbFest is held rain or shine.

Saturday June 9 events and activities

Morning Walk at Hand Hollow Conservation Area

Herbal Walk and Workshop

9:00-11:30 am

Hand Hollow Conservation Area

4079 Route 9, New Lebanon

All Ages – Free

Talk at the New Lebanon Library

1:00 pm at the New Lebanon Library on The Literary Herb

Cattail Walk

at Wyomanock Center for Sustainable Living, 68 Wyomanock Rd, Stephentown, NY

2:30pm

.

Please visit http://www.mountlebanonherbfest.com/june-9/activities/ for more information

Sunday June 10 events and activities

(Sunday has multiple events running at the same time)

10:00 am

Shaker Cooking with Herbs, (1 hour)

Making Herbal Creams and Salves, (1 hour)

Mohican History and the Gift of the Healing Waters of the Lebanon Springs, (1/2 hour)

10:30 am

Herb Gardens: Have one at your fingertips. Delightful to the eye, delicious to the taste. (1/2 hour)

11:00 am

Family Forage: Fun with edible herbs. (1 hour)

Herbal Tinctures for Health. (1/2 hour)

Recent Research into the Ecology of the Shaker Swamp. (1/2 hour)

11:30 a.m.

Green Clean: Cleaning Your Home with Herbs and Essential Oils. (1/2 hour)

Tracking Down Herbs of All Kinds in the Shaker Swamp. (1 and 1/2 hours).

12 noon

Herbs in Modern Cooking 1 hour.

Lebanon Springs: The Source of New Lebanon’s Healing Gift. (1/2 hour).

12:30 p.m.

Making Herbal Soap. (1 hour)

1:00 p.m.

Searching Attics, Papers and Memories: Understanding the Rise and Decline of the Tilden Pharmaceutical Company of New Lebanon. (1/2 hour)

1:30 p.m.

Creating a Living Herbal Wreath. (1 hour)

How to Use Chinese Herbs. (1/2 hour)

2 p.m

Every man his own Physician: Samuel Thomson, the Shakers and the Thomsonian System. (1/2 hour)

2:30 p.m.

Nettles: One of Nature’s Wonder Plants. (1/2 hour)

Native American Storytelling in the Tipi. (1/2 hour)

3:00 p.m.

Making Drinks with Bitters. (1 hour)

Wonderful Garlic. (1/2 hour)

Tea Served in the Beautiful Herb Garden at the Abode. (1 hour)

3:30 p.m.

Cello Concert by Paul de Jong. (1/2 hour)

The Living Machine: An Ecological Wastewater Treatment Solution (1/2 hour)

For more information about each workshop, visit http://www.mountlebanonherbfest.com/june-10/program-schedule/