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Inquisitive nature leads to big business |
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Written by Publisher
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Monday, 14 December 2009 |
Photo by Natasha Mattis
Katherine (Kay) Bush, who is a Penn State master gardener, operates Edgewood Herbs. Bush started growing herbs out of interest and has watched her business grow as well.
By Natasha Mattis
Special to The Kane Republican
EAST KANE- Katharine (Kay) Bush, owner of Edgewood Herbs at 89 School St., East Kane, began her business with nothing but four shelves of hand-made items and a lot of herbs.
Bush began growing herbs after making pizza one day. She wanted to see where oregano came from, because she said there was so much saw dust-looking material at the bottom of the container. Oregano was the first herb Bush ever grew, and she still has a potted plant of it in her kitchen.
Pretty soon Bush had so many herbs, she started going to farmers’ markets and craft shows to get rid of them all. Then people began calling her for her herbs.
Thus came the beginning of Edgewood Herbs. It started out with a couple shelves of home-made items, wreaths, and swags.
Bush found that she could not keep the shelves stocked for too long, so she had to call in orders from other places. Edgewood Herbs bloomed into a store with tons of stocked shelves. Bush said it just kept growing.
Bush has all kinds of items for sale. She has gifts, bath items and herbal remedies. She says her biggest seller is the tea. There are about 50 different kinds of tea at Edgewood Herbs.
She also dries her own herbs and makes seasoning mixes for pork, chicken, beef, fish and bread. She makes her own oils and vinegars.
Bush is a Penn State master gardener. She belongs to the Herbs Society of America and the Herbs Society of Great Britain. She is also a member of the Ontario Herbal Association and the American Horticulture Association.
Bush has taught herself everything she knows about growing herbs, with the help of information sent by all the previously mentioned groups.
Bush says that many people come to just walk through her gardens. She also said the soil here can support most herbs, as they are perennials, but she does have to bring some herbs inside for the winter.
Although Bush grew up in Wilcox, she sees no reason to leave the area. She says her family is all here. Her daughter, Deborah, moved home and helps Bush in her shop.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 30 December 2009 )
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