This is the big one, as far as herb sales go.
The Webster Groves Herb Society's sale is jam-packed with middle-aged to elderly women rubbing leaves and sniffing their fingers, all of them muttering to themselves about something. Probably aphids, but who knows? It can get tense in that first twenty minutes, too. Last year, we saw two septuagenarians threatening each other with their Hori Hori knives over the same marjoram shrub. And you thought herb sales were all sunshine and basil.
But really, we kid the herb sale. The annual sale is held at the First Congregational Church of Webster Groves (10 West Lockwood; 314-962-0475) from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 20.
This gathering of gardeners is the largest in the St. Louis metro area, and all the herbs come from local growers. The list of plants that will be available for sale is online at the Herb Society's website.
This year, the Herb Society will go all out for visitors, providing personal herb shoppers to help others find what they need to cultivate the perfect type of theme herb garden. Student chefs from L'Ecole Culinaire will also be on hand to demonstrate various uses for herbs in cooking.
A raffle will be held during the sale, and at the end, some lucky winner will make off with a basket filled with elderberry goodies. Why elderberry? It's the 2013 Herb of the Year, of course!
If you're still on the fence about whether or not you should check out the herb sale, get this: There are 21 types of mint on the list of available plants for this year, including berries and cream mint and pineapple mint. There will also be pineapple sage and pineapple beefsteak tomatoes, but, strangely, no pineapple.
