Explore Herbs at the P. J. Ahern Home
Your story is our community’s story. Join the Texarkana Museums System (TMS) at 1 p.m. on May 23 at the P. J. Ahern Home for the fourth annual Heritage Fair. This year explores historic Folk Remedies used by our pioneer ancestors. Each participant will make a balm and take home safe recipes for using common herbs (and weeds!) easily grown in their own backyards. Cost is $5 per person. TMS Members are free. Reservations required and the number of participants is limited. For more information, call 903-793-4831 or visit the Ahern Home Facebook page. Tickets may be purchased online now at www.TexarkanaMuseums.org/events.
Use of plants and herbs as food and medicine is an ancient tradition found in most cultures. Depending on one’s heritage and their geographic location, the use for some of these plants may vary. Herbs such as rosemary, mint, and thyme are still harvested for use in cooking while chamomile is as popular today as a soothing tea as it was in the 19th century. Less common today is the use of certain weeds, such as dandelions, as a source of food and medicine.
The event is a workshop is a brief introduction to “old-timey” recipes using edible plants from our region. “Our pioneer ancestors didn’t have ready access to doctors or formal medicine, so they used their own remedies,” said TMS Curator, Jamie Simmons. “Some of their remedies were worse than the disease!” All recipes used in the workshop will be safe for use. “We will be making rosemary balm. If nature and the weather are with us, we will harvest dandelions too.”
The workshop kit includes everything participants will need to make rosemary balm, seeds to start an herb garden at home, and a handout with simple recipes for herbal teas, salads, lotions, oils, and balms. Tickets are $5 each or free to TMS Members. Participation is limited by ongoing restrictions due to the pandemic, so reservations are required. Kits may be purchased separately after the workshop by anyone unable to attend the workshop. Please contact Jamie Simmons at Ahern@TexarkanaMuseums.org for more information or to inquire about kits.
This program was made possible in part by a grant from the Division of Arkansas Heritage, funded by your 1/8 cent conservation tax, Amendment 75.
The P. J. Ahern Home is a 1905 Classical Revival mansion located at 403 Laurel Street in the heart of the Quality Hill Historic District in Downtown Texarkana, Arkansas. The Ahern Home is a National Register landmark that hosts programs, exhibits, and community events every fourth weekend of the month. Upcoming events include: “Then and Now: A Tour of Vintage Gadgets” (June 27) and “Murder and Mayhem: a Walking Tour of the Original City.” For more information about these programs, please call 903-793-4831, visit our website at www.texarkanamuseums.org, find us on Facebook, or email Ahern@TexarkanaMuseums.org.