B2>Lancastar Farming, Saturday, February 13, 1988
Teaching The Herbal
BY SALLY BAIR
Lancaster Co. Correspondent
MECHANICSBURG
Twenty-seven years ago Bertha
Reppert joined a garden club and
heard a speaker talk about herbs as
the “spice of life.” That speaker
changed Bertha’s life.
She recalls, “I could hardly wait
to get started. It was overwhelm
ing. What she said really struck a
fire.”
It is this “fire” and love of herbs
that Bertha will share with ladies
attending the 1988 Pennsylvania
Holstein Association convention
being held at Willow Valley Fami
ly Resort and Convention Center at
Willow Street. The ladies lunch
eon will be on Wednesday, Febru
ary 24 at the Treadway Inn, and
Bertha will speak on “Herbs with
Confidence,” the title of her sec
ond book.
As Bertha became more and
more interested in herbs, “carrying
the torch” of her mentor, she found
herself inundating her friends with
herbal gifts. “My house got filled. I
font of the “medlcinals” that her store
carries due to demand. Originally she carried just a few, but
£ 6 Hk a,l K as 1)66,1 9 rea *- Bertha says she never prescribes
herbs but many people know just how they warn to use
them.
ct M^'° rks , ln * he small greenhouse found behind the
fn use the greenhouse primarily
to keep some of the herbs over winter. Raised beds in the
f ma " C JV” garden are used to produce a few herbs for use
in me store.
Essence Of Life
was inundating my friends and
relatives and they were screaming
‘help’”.
The result was that she looked
for another outlet and opened ‘The
Rosemary House” 20 years ago in
May. The shop has been a boon to
herb lovers everywhere, offering
almost everything anyone could
ask for, including a great deal of
education on the use of herbs.
The Rosemary House, located at
120 S. Market Street in Mechan
icsburg, has become famous for
being a well-stocked outlet for
herbs, spices, craft materials and
plants. Bertha has turned over the
daily operation of the store to her
daughter, Susanna, so that she can
be with her retired husband. She
continues to give demonstrations
and is still writing.
Susanna grew up in The Rosem
ary House, coming there every day
after school to be with her mother.
There were four daughters grow
ing up among the herbs, and now
Bertha also has two grandchildren.
Bertha makes it clear that she is
delighted with Susanna’s interest
in the shop, adding, “It’s a calling.
You have to want to do it.”
Bertha’s first book, "A Heritage
of Herbs,” published in 1976, pro
vided information on how herbs
have been used in this country. The
book deals with plants available to
colonial settlers, and what the
Indians taught them about native
plants. It also mentions which
herbs the colonists shipped back to
the old country.
After giving a speech at Colo
nial Williamsburg, the bookstore
there stocked this book, which has
become a big seller. It is one of the
few that deals exclusively with
early American herbs and their
uses.
A second book, entitled “Herbs
with Confidence,” is an outgrowth
of questions Bertha has been asked
at The Rosemary House over the
years. It includes 135 recipes, 55
herb crafts and other information
to help people better understand
ways in which to use herbs.
She adds, “It is very basic, with
gardening and recipes and crafts. It
is definitely for the beginner, and
answers questions we’ve been
asked right here in the shop. There
also are many garden plans
included.”
Betha is very practical in her use
of herbs, and she says that people
can keep dried herbs in their cup
boards indefinitely if they keep the
herbs away from bright light,
steam or humidity, and air. She
says she keeps hers in a dark cup
board in tightly stoppered bottles.
“If you want to display your herbs
you must use them up,” she
cautions.
The best way to dry herbs is to
hang them, according to Bertha,
who adds, “Hang them out of the
light because sun destroys color.
When the color is gone the flavor is
gone.” Attic rafters and drying
racks are good to use, and the room
where they are hung should be hot
and dry and relatively dark.
To dry rose petals, Bertha lays
them on a sheet on the attic floor.
Bertha says that many people
are intimidated by herbs. “They
don’t know anything about it and
they’re afraid to use them. They
use them with great timidity, and
they’ve read a lot of warnings to
the point they’re even timid about
herb teas, which are something
that are quite pleasant and
healthy.”
Bertha adds, “I try to install con
fidence and stress the use of herbs
for pleasure - to enhance life.”
She insists that herbs are as easy
to grow as weeds, saying, “They
can survive drought, and many of
them come from desert areas.”
Probably the one most important
requirement is sunlight, according
to Bertha. “They are easy to grow,
and it is very satisfying because
you get such enormous quantities
so quickly.”
Bertha says she also likes the
idea that you can have herbs year
round. She said she has sometimes
gone out in January and harvested
herbs and revived them by throw
ing them in a sink full of hot water.
“They wake up and have a
bouquet.”
She says emphatically, “To use
them is definitely to love them.
The key word is to experiment.”
Of course, she notes, nothing
should be put in the mouth which is
potentially dangerous.
She admires the “incredible use
fulness” of herbs, saying, “Every-
m ***i.
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Susanna, left, and Bertha look over Bertha’s cookbooks,
which are available, autographed, through the store. Bertha
will personalize books as well. She has written two books
and several booklets about the use of herbs. The Rosemary
House In Mechanlcsburg is known far and wide as a great
source of herbs and Information about herbs. Celebrating
its 20th year in 1988, the store Is now being operated by
Bertha’s daughter Susanna, while Bertha spends more time
with her now-retired husband
one is a plant with a purpose.”
Many were used for ancient med
icinal purposes and many are still
useful today. She cites rosemary as
an example of an herb that is useful
to the hair. “It stimulates the circu
lation and will stimulate the
growth of hair.” Although, Bertha
added with a laugh it will not grow
hair where there is none. She
explains the rosemary can be
boiled and that water used with
shampoo. “It will help you have
really healthy hair. People have
done it for centuries ”
During her presentation Bertha
will demonstrate potpourri mak-
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These wreaths are a few of the herb crafts on display at
“The Rosemary House” in Mechanlcsburg.
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