Imagine if you were moving somewhere new. You could only pack what you could fit into one minivan and once you got to your destination, there would be no grocery stores or drug stores nearby. You would probably find that your garden would become a useful alternative supplier for your medicinal and culinary needs.

Every spring and fall, third grade students from Lake Zurich and surrounding areas visit the Long Grove Historical Society's Archer School program. While learning about schools and lifestyles of early pioneer families, the participants will also get a chance to learn about the value of the herb garden.

The settlers brought their own seeds and cuttings with them when they created their own herb gardens. They grew traditional crops and vegetables to sell and save, and traded herbs for basic family needs.

Located near the house for easy access, the herb garden served many different purposes. One portion of the garden was set aside for a variety of culinary plants. Herbs like tarragon, sage, oregano and dill were grown and dried, and sometimes hung in the attic during the long Midwestern winters. Onion, chives and garlic were braided and hung nearby for later use.

Keeping the home fresh was a concern of the early settlers, just as it is today. Herbs like lavender were grown to make sachets to scent clothing and deter pesky insects. Dried herbs were shaped into wreaths and arrangements for the home and some were used to make dyes for cloth and yarn.

Some plants had medicinal and ornamental uses. Old farm plots today still have peonies, iris, poppies and ladies mantle, fighting for existence among the weeds- a testimony to the woman who managed the homestead. These plants were beneficial for cosmetics, cooking, and medicine; adding their own natural beauty to the more utilitarian herb garden.

A large portion of the garden was allocated for medicinal purposes such as yarrows, which were grown to make poultices to treat fevers and headaches. The tender yarrow shoots were added to salads and the oils were used for cleansing and soothing skin and hair. Onions, while employed in cooking, were also used to treat colds and coughs. Aloe was grown to treat burns and cuts, insect bites, and muscle cramps.

Many members of the mint family were cultivated for medicinal uses, including adding scent and flavoring to oils, vinegar, soups and tea to aid in calming nausea and stomach upset and improving colic. After the Boston Tea Party on the East coast, wild bergamot, another member of the mint family which grows wild in the prairie, was used as an alternative to English tea. The tea was called Indian or Oswego tea.

Today the knowledge of herbal remedies is being re-examined by modem scientists. Drug store shelves are becoming stocked with herbs and wildflower extracts to cure minor maladies. These cures have existed for centuries and pioneer families passed the traditions down from grandmother to mother to daughter in an endless procession of generations.

Herb gardens provided an alternative to the grocery store, drug store, and craft store. The garden was, and presumably still could be, an invaluable resource to provide for the family.