Storrowton opens Helen’s Garden for tours July 7

Date: 7/5/2011

WEST SPRINGFIELD — Storrowton Village Museum will host a tour of its legendary Aunt Helen’s Herb Garden on July 7 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The herb garden, named for Storrowton Village’s founder, Helen Storrow, is located in the back yard of the Gilbert Farmstead on the grounds of Eastern States Exposition.

The free tour is designed to immerse and educate guests in the history and folklore of herbs as well as the garden’s various stages of evolution over the years since its creation in 1935. It is hosted by Storrowton Village’s Master Gardeners, volunteers who have revitalized and maintained the garden for a number of years.

The current planting was set up as an educational garden to illustrate the different uses of herbs in New England’s early history. In this unique showcase of novel herbal and floral collections, Storrowton will offer visitors the opportunity to learn more about the many facets of this gem of a garden.

Guests will learn that the garden was not merely utilized for growing herbs, but also useful to the early Americans for medicinal, textile, culinary and household applications. Among the specific offerings is a demonstration of the use of Saponaria, or its more common name of soapwort. The crushed leaves and even the roots of this plant can be used to create a kind of soap especially useful for washing fine textiles.

Storrowton’s Master Gardeners will guide visitors through the process of making herbal tea, and will also provide instruction on how to create herbal vinegars. Visitors earn which herbs, straight from the garden, will work the best as an ingredient in your next project.

This event is representative of an ongoing effort by Storrowton Village Museum to bring new and interesting educational programs to the public.