Herbs and Edible Flowers: Growing, Eating & Using Medicinally

I’m a little disappointed I couldn’t think of something more…poetic for the title for this post. After all, herbs are quite magical, really. Herbs can transform a dish from adequate to sublime, have potential curative powers, and can often survive under the care of even the least talented of home gardeners.

But I guess if they can do all that, they don’t really need my help to make them seem special. So I’ll dispense with writerly fussiness and just get to the details.

Please note, I’m also including some events that focus on using herbs medicinally, not just for culinary purposes. Which, I s’pose, is technically outside the jurisdiction of this blog but I am The Law here.

Speaking of medicinal herbs, did you know that the University of Washington has a Medicinal Herb Garden? And you can take a guided tour. (Also, if you are in need of some herbal remedies yourself, my wonderfully kind and compassionate friend Haydn Engelke is a graduate of Bastyr and has a Chinese Herbal Medicine element to her acupuncture and massage practice, Eastern Elements.)

Wednesday, July 8

• Community Harvest is holding an Edible Plant Starts Sale at South Seattle Community College, with deals on herbs and vegetables. (4-7pm)
• FREE! Seattle Tilth Container Herb Class. (Downtown, 5-7pm)

Saturday, July 11 

• Lavender Hill Farms Festival (Marysville, 10am-5pm)
• The Lavender Wine Tour starts on the Olympic Peninsula. “Enjoy the Sequim lavender fields in bloom and enhance your visit as you discover new hidden gems - seven award winning artisan wineries on the scenic North Olympic Peninsula. Tickets for this self guided tour are available in advance or at the door for just $25.00 and entitle you to a special commemorative wine glass and complimentary wine tastings at each winery during this 10 day event.” (Continues through July 19)

Wednesday, July 15: Seattle Tilth has another Culinary Herb class, this time in Issaquah. $25-35 (6-8pm)

Friday, July 17 

• Sequim’s Lavender Festival starts today, continues Saturday & Sunday.
• FREE! Savory Herb Day at Squak Mt. Nursery. Customers at the nursery can attend free lectures this day on “Herbs at the Back Door”/container gardening (10:30am); “Basil Mania” (2pm); and “Rosemary on the Grill” (4pm).

Saturday, July 18 

• FREE! Lavender Day at Squak Mt. Nursery. “Includes free samples of lavender cookies and lavender lemonade (while they last)” and seminars on growing and cooking with lavender. (See site for schedule, some seminars free for customers.)
• Herbal Medicine Class: Miels (Honey), Acetracts (Vinegar), Oxymiels, and Wine Infusion $25 (Ballard, 12-2pm)
• South 47’s Farm Celebration Days this weekend will focus on lavender, continues on Sunday. (Redmond-Woodinville, 11am-3pm) 

Saturday, July 25

• Head on down to Oregon for the Northwest Herb Fest! Continues on Sunday. Mainly medicinal, but some culinary as well.
• Herbal Salve Class through Seattle Parks. $18 (10am-12pm)
• Herbal Medicine Class: Syrups, Elixers, and Cordials $25 (Ballard, 12-2pm)

Wednesday, July 29: FREE! Seattle Tilth Edible Flower Container Gardening Class. (Downtown, 5-7pm)

Thursday, July 30: Today, The Herbfarm starts their Basil Banquet theme dinner, which runs Thu-Sun for 2 weeks. I was fortunate enough to go to this themed dinner in 2006, taken for my birthday by my awesome friend Sarah. It was an amazing dinner and amazing night, so wonderful to see all the varieties of basil so creatively used throughout the courses.

Saturday, August 1

• Herbal Simple Syrup Class: “Learn how to identify and prepare common weeds into nutritious and delicious home remedies and tonics. Fresh plants will be available for proper ID, and we will talk about safe harvesting from urban environments as well as ethically wild crafting in emergency situations on the trail. We will discuss harvesting times, drying methods, and different ways to extract the healing properties from these herbs. Jayne will bring several flavors of simple syrups to make herbal soda pops to try; and we will prepare a syrup in class. Leave with a sample of the syrup we make in class and recipes to try at home.” $18 (10am-12pm)
• Herbal Medicine Class: Pills, Capsules, and Lozenges $25 (Ballard, 12-2pm)

Saturday, August 8

• South 47’s Farm Celebration Days this weekend will focus on basil, continues on Sunday. (Redmond-Woodinville, 11am-3pm)
• Herbal Medicine Class: Herbal Infused Oils (Fresh and Dry) & Suppositories $25 (Ballard, 12-2pm)

Saturday, August 15: Herbal Medicine Class: Salves, Lip Balms, and Vapo-Rubs $25 (Ballard, 12-2pm)

Wednesday, August 19: FREE! Seattle Tilth Herbal Tea Container Gardening (Occidental Square, 5-7pm)

Saturday, August 22: Herbal Medicine Class: Creams, Lotions, and Essential Oil Emulsions $25 (Ballard, 12-2pm)

Saturday, August 29: Herbal Medicine Class: Glycerites, Tinctures (Fresh & Dry) & Spirits $25 (Ballard, 12-2pm)

Saturday, September 19: FREE! Seattle Tilth Fall and Winter Container Herb Gardening (Belltown Cottage Park, 10am-12pm)

Lavender pic via Flick Creative Commons photographer Nakae.

Update on Aug 7, 2009 by Leslie Seaton

The Herbal Medicine classes listed above are being repeated this fall: "Come join Crystal Stelzer for a 10 week herbal medicine making course where she will be covering how to make infusions and decoctions, hydrosols and flower essences, spa products, infused honeys, vinegars and wines, syrups, elixers and cordials, pills, capsules and lozenges, infused oils, salves, and creams, tinctures, glycerites and spirits.

Classes will be held at Rainbow Remedies on Capital Hill from 12-2pm, beginning Saturday, September 12th and running until Saturday, November 21st.

Sign up for the full 10 week course by August 12th and attend 1 class for free!"