Herbin’ education
TMS Heritage Fair Saturday teaches folk remedies
TEXARKANA, Ark. — This year’s fourth annual Heritage Fair presented by the Texarkana Museums System gives people an herbin’ education.
Starting at 2 p.m Saturday at the P.J. Ahern Home, staff will teach attendees about the many folk remedies once used by pioneers and give them a chance to both make their own balm and acquire recipes that use edible vegetation common to our yards.
“Our pioneer ancestors didn’t have ready access to doctors or formal medicine, so they used their own remedies,” said TMS curator Jamie Simmons in a news release about the event. “Some of their remedies were worse than the disease … We will be making rosemary balm. If nature and the weather are with us, we will harvest dandelions too.”
In an interview, Simmons said they’re exited to be able to do this program as the TMS slowly reopens. This past weekend’s Frog Games was canceled because of weather and will be rescheduled at a future date.
“The program itself is going to be a look at old folk remedies. We’re concentrating on the pioneer era and our area, but it will go beyond that really to look at some traditional medicines that have always kind of been looked to as being reliable medicines, using plants that are commonly found,” Simmons said.
Because this is hands-on and because
“We will be making rosemary balm. If nature and the weather are with us, we will harvest dandelions too.”
—Jamie Simmons
of the ongoing pandemic, the Heritage Fair will be limited to 10 participants, although they might do two sessions if there’s enough interest.
They’ll spotlight three weeds or invasive plants that people can find in their yards or nearby: dandelions, honeysuckle and daisy fleabane (tiny white flowers that look like mini daisies).
“Dandelions will literally sprout up anywhere, including the cracks of the sidewalk,” Simmons said. “Honeysuckle, of course, is prettier and it smells nicer so people don’t often want to get rid of honeysuckle, but it’s something you can harvest and make things, as well.”
Honeysuckle is used as a salve for itching. “You can also make a tea out of it, as well,” Simmons said. They’ll also use rosemary, which they’re growing in front of the Museum of Regional History. Dandelion leaves, meanwhile, can be used in a salad.
“A lot of people, during the 1930s in particular when food was scarce, would harvest those greens and eat those,” Simmons said. If nature cooperates, they’ll harvest some Saturday and serve with a vinaigrette.
Workshop kits will include seeds for an at-home herb garden and supplies to make rosemary balm, plus instructional materials with recipes. People can purchase kits separately, if they wish, even if they don’t attend the
Heritage Fair itself.
A grant from the Division of Arkansas Heritage helped fund the Heritage Fair at the P.J. Ahern Home, a 1905 Classical Revival mansion.
Other events on tap soon for the TMS include Then and Now: A Tour of Vintage Gadgets and Murder and Mayhem: a Walking Tour of the Original City.
(Cost: $5 per person, free for Texarkana Museums System members. Required reservations and ticket purchase at TexarkanaMuseums.org/ events. More info: Call 903793-4831, email ahern@texarkanamuseums.org or visit the P.J. Ahern Home page on Facebook. The P.J. Ahern Home is located at 403 Laurel St.)