Guild Will Host Presentation on Harvesting and Drying Herbs

Less than a year after attending her first Conestoga Herb Guild event, Sophia Harmes will be the featured speaker at a group meeting.

The Mountville resident will give a presentation on Harvesting and Drying Herbs at the guild's get-together on Wednesday, Aug. 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the Millersville VFW, 219 Walnut Hill Road.

Harmes noted that the topic of her talk will serve as an introductory class for less-experienced herb enthusiasts.

"If you like using herbs in cooking, this would be a good way to be introduced to how you can plant your own herbs and harvest them and prepare them for storage," she said.

Harmes wasn't that familiar with the organization before last summer. "I attended one of (the Conestoga Herb Guild's) herb fests (last) September, and I was really impressed with the whole operation," she said. "I joined, and I came back the next month."

When an opening arose, Harmes jumped at the opportunity to speak about drying and harvesting herbs at the group's August meeting. "I had heard at the last Herb Guild festival that a lot of the members didn't know how to do things like that or needed a refresher course," she said. "So I thought that would be a good topic."

Harmes will address some of the nuances of cultivating herbs. "There are different ways that you can harvest herbs," she said. "There are different times a day that are more important for beneficial reasons. There are different methods in drying the herbs. Some are better than others, so I'll be talking about the different methods that you can use to dry herbs and what you should be looking for to make sure that your herbs are dried when they're dry," she said with a laugh.

Harmes said she has gained knowledge about herbs from her many years of growing them at home. "I grow a lot of culinary herbs, and I've started getting into more medicinal herbs and more medicinal plants," she said. "I have a little business at Green Dragon where I sell alternative health and wellness products. I focus on essential oils there, but I'd like to incorporate more of the herbs and medicinal herb products up there, too."

People should preregister for all public guild activities by contacting Susan Atkins at 717-725-7451 or atkinsateb@aol.com. For more information about the club, go to http://www.conestogaherbguild.org.

The following public events will also take place during the guild's meeting on the second Wednesday of each month and will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Millersville VFW.

On Sept. 10, Brenda Walker will speak about the topic "Keys to Successful Composting."

The Conestoga Herb Guild will hold its annual Herb Festival on Saturday, Sept. 13, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Millersville VFW.