New York Unit of the Herb Society of America
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Thank you to everyone who attended our 73rd Annual Herb Fair & Market on Saturday, September 14 at Caramoor in Katonah, New York. Stay tuned to this page for pictures of the event and we look forward to seeing everyone next year!
Don't forget our auction is still live until September 19 at 3 pm! Keep scrolling for more details.
2024 Fair Highlights
Online Auction
This year, we are pleased to offer 4 extraordinary auction items online, including a private tour of Martha Stewart's Garden in Bedford for 16 and a private tour, savory picnic box lunch, and prosecco for 10 people in the award-winning Jay Estate Gardens in Rye, New York. Proceeds for the online auction will benefit the New York Unit of the Herb Society of America.
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Bidding for the auction items will take place on the online auction site BetterWorld and will begin on September 5 at 3 pm and close on September 19 at 3 pm.
Julia Whitney Barnes
We were honored to welcome Julia Whitney Barnes to the Herb Fair & Market again this year. In addition to exhibiting her work at the Rosen House during the Fair, she sold her signed prints, signed her book, "Planting Utopia" and offered an exciting workshop. The workshop, Introduction to Cyanotype Printing Technique, covered how to print using fresh and pressed plants, printing with three-dimensional objects, printing with paper cutouts, and how to create and print with photographic negatives.
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​Julia Whitney Barnes is an artist living in the Hudson Valley who works in a variety of media from cyanotypes, watercolor, oil paintings, ceramic sculptures, murals, and site-specific installations. She has exhibited widely in the United States and internationally. She was awarded fellowships from New York State Council Arts, Arts Mid-Hudson, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Abbey Memorial Fund for Mural Painting/National Academy of Fine Arts, and the Gowanus Public Art Initiative, among others.
Jam Making Workshop
FRUIT & HERB JAM MAKING WORKSHOP
Hosted by Anarchy in a Jar Founder Laena McCarthy
In this demonstration-based class attendees learned the simple steps of homemade jam, from cooking and jelling, to processing and sealing.
They also covered the tools and tricks of preservation, such as safety and shelf-life, as well as sugar-free methods and canning history.
Laena Mc Carthy, founder of Anarchy in a Jar and author of Jam On: The Craft of Canning Fruit published by Penguin Random House, hosted attendees through this fun hands-on class!
Skill level: beginner; but those with jam skills are welcome to join and learn some new tricks. You’ll walk away with the ability to:
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source and select ingredients
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cook and preserve fruit, while maximizing flavor
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fill and process jars for shelf-stable jam
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share your homemade jar of jam with friends!
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The Rosen House at Caramoor
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Rosen House at Caramoor is a work of living history. The Mediterranean-style House was built during the period between 1929 and 1939 by Walter Rosen, a Berlin-born, Harvard and New York School of Law-educated international banker specializing in railroads, and Lucie Bigelow Dodge Rosen, an independent, spirited, and highly intelligent member of a prominent New York City family.
Filled with examples of fine and decorative Asian and Renaissance art, the House offers a number of treasures, including complete 18th-century rooms, originally from private villas and chateaux in Italy, France, and England.
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Attendees enjoyed FREE Open House access to the Rosen House during the Herb Fair & Market.
Afternoon Tea at The Rosen House
Afternoon Tea was one of the English traditions Lucie Rosen, founder of Caramoor, enjoyed during her time living in England in the early 1910s. She kept up the practice of inviting friends and guests to tea for many years, using the time for conversation and for planning concerts and other social events.
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As part of our 2024 Herb Fair & Market we were pleased to host Afternoon Tea in the Music Room, a unique opportunity for guests to relax with friends and family in a breathtaking historic setting, featuring a large portrait of Lucie herself. The service included a variety of tea sandwiches, scones with créme fraiche and preserves, delicious desserts, and a selection of fragrant teas by Harney & Sons Fine Teas. Special guest Michael Harney, master tea buyer and blender of Harney & Sons for more than 25 years, joined us for this unique experience.​​​​​​
Our 2024 Non-Profit Partners
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The William & Lynda Steere Herbarium at the New York Botanical Garden documents the world’s plants and fungi through specimens collected over hundreds of years by researchers working around the globe.
With nearly 8 million specimens, the Steere Herbarium is one of the largest natural history collections on earth. Our specimens and the data they contain serve as the basis for species descriptions and studies of plant and fungal ecology, evolution, and the connections between people and these organisms.
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The Jay Estate in Rye is the childhood home of one of our nation’s greatest leaders and Founding Fathers, John Jay (1745-1829). Thanks to the efforts of its subsequent owners who cherished it and community advocates who saved it, the sylvan and historic 23 acre oasis, once part of an expansive 400 acre farm, still boasts a magnificent view to Long Island Sound and is now open to the public.
For visitors, it provides a rare and truly breathtaking window into our past and a glimpse of the horizons that Jay and his descendants saw for our new country.
Bedford 2030 addresses the urgent issue of climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and preservation of natural resources.
Bedford 2030’s Rooted Solutions Coaches will answer your questions about climate-smart yards and host an invasive plant identification challenge. Learn about free coaching sessions and how to make your yard healthier and more sustainable.
Rye Arts Center Children's Program
We were pleased to welcome back The Rye Arts Center to the Herb Fair & Market this year. The Rye Arts Center hosted a kids activity table where participants made magic wands with a beautiful butterfly top and ribbons.
Butterflies are pollinators and are the focus of the Center's fundraiser "Rye's Above" that showcases stunning hand painted butterflies from various local artists while raising funds to support local educational programs in the region. For more information on the Rye's Above program, click here.
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The Rye Arts Center's mission is to inspire life-long enthusiasm and participation in the arts through best-in-class artistic offerings and educational programs.
Presentations
We had an exciting roster of presentations by renowned speakers for our 2024 Herb Fair & Market! The presentations took place under the speakers' tent and were open to anyone to enjoy and learn.
Dawn Petter
Owner, Petalune Herbals​​
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​11:00 am
The Art of Herbal Medicine
Herbalism is the oldest form of medicine and every culture has its version. Discover how to incorporate culinary herbs and other botanicals into remedies and foods using a wide range of creative methods from this traditional approach.
Dana Warlock
Hedgerow Flower Farm + Studio
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1:00 pm
Flower Arrangements From Your Own Garden
Raised in Colorado and Alaska, Dana Worlock is the creative force behind Hedgerow Flower Farm + Studio. She maintains a floral design studio and farm on her property in Pound Ridge, NY. Dana will demonstrate how to utilize the plant material from your garden to make a beautiful flower arrangement.
D. J. Haverkamp
Beekeeper,
Bedford Bee Honeybee Service
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3:00 pm
The Herbal Nature of Honey
D. J. tends over 150 colonies of honey bees in Westchester County. He will share some life lessons he's learned from the bees while exploring including flavinoids (the complex chemical compounds found in herbs and honey) in one's diet.
Michael Harney
Master Tea Buyer and Blender, Harney & Sons
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12:00 pm
Spilling the Tea
Drawing on his decades of travel and tasting, Mike Harney will talk about tea and some herbals, its traditions, its history, and a bit of plant science. He will try to leave you with a smile. Just like a good cup of tea.
Jean-David Derreumaux
Medicinal Plant Grower, Churchtown Dairy
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2:00 pm
Yarrow and its Many Benefits
Jean-David grows medicinal plants on a 3-acre healing garden setting in the beautiful context of Churchtown Dairy. Aside from making its own products, Churchtown Dairy provides high quality biodynamic plant material for several herbal companies and makes plant extracts for the Uriel pharmacy.
Boxed Lunch Pre-order
Attendees had the opportunity to pre-order a delicious boxed lunch featuring local and fresh ingredients for $22. See below for our 2024 menu.
Balsamic Grilled Chicken with Red Pepper & Basil Hummus and Farm Greens on Herbed Panini
Miss Vickie's Chips
Green Grapes
Rosemary Lemon Shortbread
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Hummus & Roasted Vegetables with Red Pepper & Basil Hummus, Tomato, Zucchini, Squash, Arugula and Parsley on Herbed Panini
Miss Vickie's Chips
Green Grapes
Rosemary Lemon Shortbread
