St. Hildegard’s Garden: Recipes and Remedies for Healing Body and Soul

Neena Gaynor shares her appreciation for defending ancient paths — where Latin prayers, simmering beans, and Marian devotion endure. 

St. Hildegard’s Garden: Recipes and Remedies for Healing Body and Soul

By Paul Ferris

Published by Sophia Institute Press

My attention is always caught by the mere mention of C.S. Lewis. Such was the case in the forward to St. Hildegard’s Garden: Recipes and Remedies for Healing Body and Soul by Paul Ferris. Here, it’s noted how C.S. Lewis once pointed out that modern life is full of what he called “chronological snobbery.” In a nutshell, he was commenting on that habit we have of assuming today’s ideas are automatically better, and anything from the past must be outdated or wrong just because it’s old. The assumption goes: newer is truer, fresher is finer, and anything antique is quaint at best, dangerous at worst.  

Not that I’d dare argue with Lewis (he’d outwit me before the coffee finished brewing), but I wonder if something has shifted since he coined the phrase in 1955 … and if Saint Hildegard may have something to do with it. 

Not everywhere, not loudly, but in certain pockets I see a kind of reverent curiosity blooming. A hunger for what’s old, not out of nostalgia, but out of need. 

Marian Devotion in a Mason Jar World

Think of the flood of folks learning to homestead, and the rising popularity of backyard chickens. I know many who are spending their evenings amongst pressure canners and countertops of garden goodies, not just for thrift, but for the satisfaction of sealing summer in a jar. Or how heritage seeds are passed hand to hand, like heirlooms of hope. There’s a tenderness in that, a trust that the old ways still hold life. Even antiquing, with its chipped enamel and worn edges, it feels less like collecting and more like remembering. We touch what others touched. We keep what others kept. 

And religion. Oh, how it too is being re-approached! Not with the brash certainty of youth, but with the trembling hands of those who’ve tried the latest fads and found them wanting. I see families lighting votive candles at church, starting their day in the Word of God, children learning Latin prayers not for prestige but for rhythm, for rootedness. I see young mothers tracing Marian devotions with the same care they give to sourdough starters and baptismal gowns. It’s not performance, it’s pilgrimage. 

I think of this passage in the Book of Jeremiah:

Thus says the Lord: Stand by the earliest roads, ask the pathways of old, “Which is the way to good?” and walk it; thus you will find rest for yourselves. (Jeremiah 6:16) 

There’s no shame in seeking the old ways. There’s courage in it. Because to walk the ancient path is to walk against the tide and know that truth isn’t always trending. It’s to believe that the past still speaks, still sings, still sanctifies … and Saint Hildegard offers hope in this area.  
 

Saint Hildegard: A Jane of All Trades 

Saint Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) was a Benedictine abbess, visionary, composer, and healer whose life radiated a deep harmony between body, soul, and creation. When I received the newest book about her to review, St. Hildegard’s Garden, I knew it could be a perfect first step in the balancing act between old and new. The book is rich with information and inspiration: a short biography on the often-misunderstood saint, beautiful botanical illustrations with accompanying history, uses, and warnings, as well as remedies and delicious recipes. It’s more than a nod to the past; it’s a slowed gaze over a garden and gratitude for the gift of God’s creation. 

I think Lewis would be encouraged today. Maybe not in every corner, but some places. Here. 

As one who has known the value of old things since her first good dog, I’m happy for company who keeps shelves lined with jars and hearts lined with liturgy. Let’s keep listening to the saints and the soil. And when the world insists that newer is better, know I’ll just smile gently and stir my beans (love the recipe on page 205), knowing that sometimes it’s the oldest things that last. 

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Copyright 2025 Neena Gaynor
Images: (top) courtesy of Sophia Institute Press