Autumn Chill

We had our first nippy morning a couple of days ago and I ruefully closed the windows to keep the heat inside while I contemplated yet another quarter turn in the great wheel of the year. The thermometer read 40� and I tried to imagine what subtracting another 40� will feel like. We so easily forget.

I smelled the first heady scent of woodsmoke as I went out into the day. The autumn chill has a way of waking us up from the sleepy summer dream and gives us a sharp reminder of the inevitable coming of winter.

September finds me scurrying about with my good friends the squirrels. We visit the same trees in search of black walnuts, hickory nuts and acorns, my autumn triad of staple foodstores. There will be a few more expeditions with my trusty shovel for parsnip, chicory, dandelion and Jerusalem artichoke roots. I�ll be reaping an abundant harvest of beauty besides�..

Sometimes I feel like I have to hurry and get it all done before some imminent deadline, like there�s some cut-off point when winter officially begins and we�re locked inside its prison and all activity ceases. But then I gently remind myself that winter has its own beauty and I can open my door and go out anytime I want and it�s never really done and the next is as intriguing as the last�..

May the early autumn chill sharpen your senses and prepare your soul to receive nature�s glorious baptism by fire��

There is something in autumn that is native to my blood�

Touch of manner, hint of mood;

And my heart is like a rhyme,

With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time��. Bliss Carman

CRHI Update

Now that summer has drawn to a close it seems the passing events that marked it are so far away, just pages in the memory book. The Coulee Region Herbal Institute hosted its summer classes out of doors. In June we had our annual Prairie Walk outside of Winona featuring the expertise of Carol Jacobs and Karl Lacher. There was also a special session on tree identification with long time CRHI-er Mitch Cholewa. There was an exceptionally good turn-out for the event and some even stayed the night!

In July we had a Wild Food Potluck on land owned by Linda Conroy and John Holzwort of Moonwise Herbs in the beautiful ridge and valley country near Coon Valley. The mid-summer bounty was richly displayed on the table with wild iced teas and lemonades, wild salads with wild dressings, green deviled eggs, herb-speckled cornbread and berry delights. The group walked off the feast in an herbal explore of the plants community on the property.

The following weekend several CRHI members were involved in an Herbal Share Gathering at the family farm of Carol Willis, proprietress of Morning Star Herbs. Folks from near and far came together to connect, network, share knowledge and envision steps towards creating a healthier, more cohesive herbal community in the region. The up and coming Midwest Herbal Conference slated for June 6-8 in Winona, MN seems to be a good focal point to bring our talents to the table. A sign-up sheet was passed for those interested in getting involved, with promises of more info to come and the event preparation unfolds.

The fall line-up of classes and events looks intriguing! For September, we decided to piggy-back on a mushroom conference in Lanesboro, MN, about 50 minutes west of LaCrosse. The event is called the �Mycoblitz� and will feature mushroom experts, lots of time in the field ID-ing and collecting mushrooms, creating displays and general mushroom education. Details can be found in the calendar pages of the newsletter.

October features the roots and barks in a hands-on class at the People�s Food Co-op in LaCrosse. We�ll be making an herbal cough syrup from scratch and sampling various root and bark potions. Don�t forget to mark your calendar for the CRHI Annual Meeting in November. We�ll have an herbal craft activity to keep our hands busy while we brainstorm the calendar year for 2008 and strategize ways to make the Institute even better.

Thank You to all who sent in memberships both new and re-newed. Your contributions are precious and keep us in print! Enjoy the Autumn issue of our newsletter and consider contributing an article, poem, recipe, book review or anything else that might be of interest to the herbal community��

Thinking In Plants

Earlier in the year, when the spring ephemerals were on stage, I drove out to a favorite foraging site with the intention of harvesting wild leeks, bloodroot, and wild ginger roots. As I drove down a steep hill into the valley I saw a large, dense patch of wild ginger on the wooded edge of the embankment. I wasn�t even going that slow, or actively looking for it yet. It impressed me greatly that I was able to �see� the wild ginger at such a careless, drive-by pace, without even trying. Throughout the rest of the spring harvest I began paying more attention to this phenomenon of �seeing� and �thinking in� plants.

One of the thought processes I have noticed in myself is something I call �mapping�. Wherever I go, I am keenly aware of the plants that grow there. For example, if I visit a friend out on her farm, from the time I get out of my car my mind starts mapping the plants there---the herbs that grow on her doorstep, along the walkways, around the barn, in the pastures. These plants are filed neatly away and readily retrievable anytime thereafter. I could go back 5 years later and remember where I saw that good nettles patch, that lush chickweed, the elder along the hedgerow. This thought process is happening automatically, even while we�re having conversations about babies or the weather or the latest news. I am sure the hunter/gatherer people also did this habitually, and probably didn�t perceive it as a unique ability. This mapping process is key to locating good harvesting sites, and the ability to file these �maps� in the memory is invaluable in planning seasonal harvests.

Another mental process that happens is a sharp attunement with the seasonal progression of the plants. There is a certain �knowing� when things are ripe and ready for harvest, even without checking the patch. Some of this is based on an awareness of phrenology and synchronistic events in nature. For example, when I see the wild plums blossoming I know the morels are starting. I know when I see the first robins arriving that it�s time to visit the spring for watercress. But just as often it seems to happen on a psychic level, the black raspberries start calling me when they ripen, I feel a sense of urgency about harvesting the tender parsnip roots before they toughen, I suddenly remember the St. Johnswort up in the meadow. This seasonal attunement can be developed to a high degree especially when one is able to live in the same place for a number of years, or a lifetime. During my years of travel and adventure I had no sense of this and much of my harvesting was serendipitous and lacked an overall strategy.

The ability to see and recognize plants without even having to really look at them is pretty interesting to contemplate when many people have trouble seeing them at all. I know from my teaching experiences that it is difficult for many to see distinctive characteristics and features in plants. When they look at a wild plant community, it�s just sort of a green blur unless there�s some striking feature like a vivid flower or the tall spires of mullein or something very familiar like dandelions. Children, on the other hand, easily differentiate plants. They are notoriously the most astute observers on a crime scene and this is no less true when exploring the natural realms. What is it that we lose?

I think in learning to pay attention to plants you first have to fall in love with them and have a sincere interest in getting to know them. It�s also helpful when they are perceived as serving a purpose such as food, medicine, fiber, beauty. Unfortunately, profit is a real motivating factor in learning to recognize some of our plants, such as the nondescript little ginseng plant. Or morels. In fact, morels are a good example of someone training themselves to �see� them to the point where they feel as though they sense them and even smell them before they find them, as any good morel hunter will tell you. This same process applied with a broader brush can be used for a multitude of useful plants.

When I was a young girl, I used to pore over field guides. I especially loved the Golden Guide to the Wildflowers and the colored drawings imprinted indelibly in my mind, along with their common names, and to this day I occasionally encounter a new flower and �remember� its name. I can still vividly see the drawings of certain flowers clearly, nearly 40 years later.

This same imprinting process happens for me out in the field as well, especially with the plants I use a lot, the ones that have become good friends, or allies as Susun Weed calls them. I can recognize them at any stage of growth, from little sproutlings in the early spring to dried, brittle seedheads sticking up out of the snow. I can recognize them at a glance in the same way you can recognize a person you know coming up the street long before you see any distinguishing facial features. I can recognize them going by in a car at 60 miles an hour and sometimes from a surprising distance away.

Sam Thayer, author of �Foragers Harvest�, gifted me with a term to describe this�he calls this mental imprint a �search image� and it helps us to �read� the landscape. That green blur begins to take on distinct features, like the letters of the alphabet on a printed page.

This search image ability sometimes seems to transcend the ordinary in moments like my experience with the wild ginger. I was probably registering the dark green color and the low, close-to-the-ground growth, and possibly the circular shapes of the leaves enough to ID them, but it happened so quickly and peripherally it seemed psychic. Or maybe it was psychic and my spirit recognized wild ginger spirit. Who knows?

My sense of time and place are woven together intricately with an overtone of plant imagery. Many of my memories include the plant communities I shared them with, even long ago childhood memories. It is impossible to separate myself from the plant kingdom; even in stretches that I spent in urban environments there were always plants growing up through the cracks in the sidewalk, potted plants on the windowsills, ornamentals juxtaposed with the concrete, and I noticed them and I mapped them�..

Rose Barlow is an herbalist in the Viroqua area, specializing in using nutritive herbs and wild foods as preventive medicine. She maintains an educational website at www.prodigalgardens.info, is available for presentations, walks and workshops, and is currently acting as director of the Coulee Region Herbal Institute

Black Walnuts Basket Logo

I avoided black walnuts for many years, even though I am an ardent forager and they are prolific where I live. I�d always heard that they were too messy, staining everything they touched with their rich, brown dye, that they were very difficult to crack, tedious, and yielded little for the effort.

Sometimes I�d find shelled black walnuts at local garage sales, peddled by old-timers who are dedicated nutcrackers and understand the value of this tremendous food source, and continue to keep the tradition alive. Or I�d see them at the co-op for 15.00$ a pound (roughly 4 cups shelled). But I never bothered to crack one open and see for myself how �difficult� they were. How strange, I tell myself, as I�ve been more than willing to tackle acorns, wild roots and other �tedious� and �difficult� kitchen projects!

Last October I was blessed to find a motherlode of black walnuts in a grassy park, already de-hulled by the riding mower and left to cure in the sun. I picked up two 5-gallon buckets full of these treasures and determined to figure out how to crack them efficiently, with happy success. They were far easier to shell than I�d anticipated.

This year, I didn�t want to take a chance on hopefully finding a similar stash of ready-to-shell walnuts, especially as early September already had walnuts scattering on the ground in many of favorite haunts. So I set out to de-hull them myself and incorporate black walnuts permanently into my seasonal routine and store of food.

What follows here is my current method of processing black walnuts. I say �current� because there�s always room for modified technique, although the basic goal is to make them less daunting and more do-able.

De-Hulling

Black walnuts form in thick green hulls that can range from the size of golf balls to tennis balls. Unlike hickory nuts, which have seams that split open when ripened, releasing the nuts, black walnuts fall sealed inside the hulls and remaining there until the hull rots away. The hulls decompose rather quickly upon contact with earth and moisture so that often under a walnut tree you find the nuts encased in droppings of black, mushy goo, for want of a better description.

I�ve been told the best way to de-hull them is to run over them with a car, which gave me the impression that they are difficult to de-hull. Not true. Some people de-hull them with their boots as they are picking them up. I tried this, but in soft ground it didn�t work well and seemed rather slow to me.

What I do now is pick them up by the bucketful and bring them home. I use a hammer out in the driveway and simply give each one a good whack and the hull pops right open. The fresher green hulls yield a blonde nut, whereas brown or blackened hulls yield a black nut coated in a shoe polish-like substance. Therefore I wear rubber gloves and old clothes during this stage of the processing to avoid staining. This is by far the most unappetizing part of the process.

Some walnut hulls are infested with the walnut husk maggot and tend to be extra blackened and mushy. These do not harm the nut but can be really gross to de-hull and wash. To avoid these, try to be selective when picking them up and just get the fresher-looking green walnuts. Also try to de-hull as soon as possible. This will help take some of the �black� out of the black walnut and many of your nuts will actually be a very blonde color.

It takes about 15-20 minutes to de-hull a 5-gallon bucket of walnuts with the simple hammer method. A 5-gallon bucket yields about 1 to 1-� gallons of nuts in the shell, which in turn yields roughly 4-6 cups of finished nuts.

Do not dispose of the walnut hulls in your compost as they contain a chemical called juglone that is a phyto-toxin, inhibiting plant activity in your garden.

Washing, Drying and Curing the Unshelled Walnuts

At this point I have a gallon or so of very black, tarry looking walnuts that need to be cured since the freshfall nuts are still unripe and difficult to shell. I do an extra step of washing them to make them easier to handle. I put them back in the 5-gallon bucket and rinse them 4 or 5 times with an outdoor hose, being careful where I dump the pitch-black water. They do not ever seem to get �clean� no matter how many rinsings I give them, so the goal is to just get the worst of it off.

Now the washed nuts need to be spread out on a tarp or old sheet (one that you don�t care about anymore as it will be badly stained!) in a sunny place. They must also be protected from the squirrels, perhaps using a sheet on top as well, until the shells get good and dry.

Once they are dry, they still need to cure. If you try to crack them right away the nut meats will not readily come loose from the shells. As the walnuts cure, the nutmeats inside ripen and shrink so that they easily come loose, practically falling out of the shell when it�s shattered.

Curing the walnuts involves simply storing them away for 6 weeks or longer. It is important to store them in shallow containers because in a deep container they generate a moist heat that causes mold and imparts a musky, unpleasant flavor to the nuts (possibly a reason some people don�t like black walnuts).

Once cured properly, the nuts can be stored for long periods of time (I�m hesitant to suggest how long) and they can be shelled at your convenience.

Shelling Black Walnuts

There are some fancy devices on the market sold specifically for cracking black walnuts, but the truth is a hammer does the trick just fine. The shells are too hard for an ordinary nutcracker, but shatter easily upon impact.

I quickly realized that shelling walnuts one-by-one was slow-going, so I developed a technique that I think is about as efficient as it gets.

I have a cement floor in the basement where I begin by shattering a gallon�s worth with a hammer. I gather up the pieces: nuts, broken shells and all, and I bring them upstairs to my table. This takes about 5 minutes.

At the table, I dump the bucket out into a pile and I begin a sorting process. I sort nutmeats into one pile, empty shells into another and shells that need to have nuts picked out of them back into the bucket. This step yields more than � of the finished nuts without using a pick. I then use a nutpick to clean up what�s left in the shells.

The fastest I was able to work last winter yielded about 2 cups of nuts per hour. I found I enjoyed this step in the processing very much. It was relaxing and meditative alone, even better with friends. Four people can average � gallon of nuts an hour and some good fellowship to boot.

Salt-brine Processing

At this point, the walnuts are ready to use and should be stored in the freezer or a cool, dark place to avoid any chance of rancidity after all that work. But I like to take them one step further. I learned through the �Nourishing Traditions� circles that nuts are more easily digested and the nutrients more readily absorbed if soaked in a brine and then de-hydrated. Apparently this technique helps to neutralize enzyme inhibitors present in the nuts. It also enhances them greatly with a wonderful, slightly roasted flavor:

4 cups black walnuts

2 tsp salt

Water to cover

1. Mix together and leave in a warm place for 8 hours or overnight.

2. Strain.

3. Spread on to a cookie sheet or put into a dehydrator.

4. Dry at 140� for 12 hours or until completely dry and crisp, stirring occasionally.

Once you�ve tasted these nuts, you�ll be back for more year after year. Your neighbors will love you. People are always so happy when I pick up their black walnuts for them!

Black Walnut Pie

This recipe puts a local spin on pecan pie and is a decadent way to showcase your Black Walnuts.

Pie crust:

1 cup white flour

1/3 cup butter or shortening

� tsp salt

2-3 Tbsp cold water

Note: I like to make my pie crusts in a food processor. It�s quick and easy and makes a fine, flaky crust.

1. Put flour, butter and salt in a food processor.

2. Turn on medium to high, until it forms a coarse, crumbly mixture.

3. Add 1 Tbsp cold water at a time and blend until it forms into a lump. Be careful not to add too much water.

4. Roll out as for any pie crust.

Filling:

2 cups Black Walnuts

3 eggs

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup corn syrup, dark or light

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup melted butter

Pinch of salt

1. Roll out your crust and line a 9-inch pie plate with it.

2. Beat brown sugar and eggs together until thick.

3. Stir in corn syrup, vanilla, butter and salt. Mix well.

4. Stir in Hickory Nuts.

From Vine Swinger to Weed Waltzer

It all started with Tarzan. From there, it became an obsession with moving to the jungle and living in the wild, which morphed into a love for green things growing. As a Master Herbalist with training through the School of Natural Healing, founded by Dr. John Christopher, I�ve utilized herbs in a number of ways in my life. I started with all the formulas and teas that formed the basis of my studies and moved to an interest in using herbs both home-grown and wild and putting together some of my own combinations. Most of my learning has been academic cobbled together with whatever I could teach myself outdoors. Time and circumstance colluded and I never did find the experienced field mentor I sought.

Moving to the Coulee Region from Door County has been a boon in many ways: it�s reminded me of all that I do know and it�s humbled me in the face of all that I do not know. Wherever I�ve lived, I�ve been the �expert� of sorts. I was never comfortable with that title and coming here helped me to see why. Meeting so many learned herbalists and healers, I began to feel inadequate with my book-learned herbalism. Until recently, that is.

A fellow herbalist mentioned to me, almost casually, the importance of both field and academic knowledge and within a day that was brought home to me.

I post messages regularly at an Herb Bulletin Board online and I often share my success stories. Several years ago, I was attempting to guide someone through something Dr. Christopher called the Incurables Routine. I could not find anyone at the time who had been a guide or experienced it themselves so I just did what I could do with my own knowledge and the books I had. The results were remarkable and I shared that story. I�ve since guided several people through a similar program and posted those successes, too.

A fellow herbalist from Upstate New York emailed me after seeing those posts. She has a client who was given a 2-3 month �expiration date� by the doctors. The client has a rare and aggressive form of cancer of the esophagus which, after a year of chemo and conventional treatment, has spread to the liver. The NY herbalist sent me her journal and she and I have been exchanging rapid fire emails ever since. The progress of this woman sent home by her

doctors with a bunch of pain medication and no hope has been astounding.

The NY herbalist is equally astounding. With her formal training, a fierce belief in her work, and a strong instinct, she is changing people�s lives. And she and I have learned from each other. She�s using Dr. Christopher�s recipes (which he never patented) and putting together her own formulas, giving them in whatever way she can to a client who vomits things up on a daily basis. Using what she has and what she knows, she�s giving juice and tea enemas, rubbing oils on the skin, drawing baths with teas and oils and honey in them and helping the toxins come out with reflexology. Anything to get the nutrients in and the garbage out.

I�ve not yet had occasion to help herbs work their magic in such dramatic circumstances but I now have more confidence that I can and will. I�m still looking for a field mentor who will help me fill in the blanks but, after a bout of questioning the approach I�ve used to gain my entr�e into the world of herbs, I trust my own skills and instinct more than ever. And part of that comes from trusting the instinct that told me to move here when logic argued against it.

The wellness program (no more �Incurables Routine� for me) through which I�ve guided nine people, has, as I�d hoped, helped several people make much-needed lifestyle changes. And it�s taught several people, including me, things about their bodies that they didn�t know. It�s given confidence to them and to me.

Here I am in a new place, learning new ways. Maybe it�s not the jungles of Africa and I�m not swinging on a vine wearing only a loincloth, but I am ready to meet the natives and get to know the Wild Peoples (plants and animals, that is) on a new level. And I�m confident that I have something powerful to give as well as to receive.

Gabrielle Daniels is a master Herbalist and writer who has recently moved to Viroqua with her husband Pete and two sons, Soren, 6 and Miles, 2�. As a �Jackie of All Trades�, Gabrielle has worked in professional theater, managed a small newspaper, and run an organic CSA garden with Pete. She�s all fired up to see what the future brings in beautiful Kickapoo country.

corn

My sorrow, when she's here with me, thinks these dark days of autumn rain are beautiful as days can be; she loves the bare, the withered tree; she walks the sodden pasture lane��

Robert Frost

*LACROSSE AREA*

Coulee Region Herbal Institute

2007 Classes & Events

Classes and events are typically (but not always!) held on the third Sunday of each month. Classes and events are free for members and cost 5$ for non-members. Some classes may request a nominal fee for cost of materials. Check details for location and contact number.

September 22 Mushroom Walk

We decided to piggyback on a nearby mushroom event for our September Mushroom Walk. Please see below for details about Mycoblitz 2007.

October 21 Roots and Barks with Rose Barlow

People�s Food Co-op, LaCrosse 3:30-5:30

As winter approaches, the roots and barks become potent allies for the common ailments we can expect to see in the coming months ahead�colds, flus sore throats, sluggishness and fatigue�.This will be a hands-on class processing roots and barks

and making winter medicines such as cough syrups, lozenges, and tea mixtures. There will be a small fee for use of the classroom. Call Rose for details at 608-637-3074

November 18 Holiday Herbal Crafts and CRHI Annual Meeting

People�s Food Co-op, LaCrosse

We will hold our annual meeting to brainstorm a calendar of events for 2008 and discuss any other CRHI business that needs discussing. We�ll also make plans for an Herbal Challenge for 2008, and do some kind of herbal craft project for the holidays. There will be a small fee for use of the co-op classroom.

December--No Meeting Happy Holidays!!

MycoBlitz 2007:A Mushroom Event You Cannot Miss!

Saturday,September 22 9am-5pm

Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center (50 minutes west of LaCrosse)

28097 Goodview Drive, Lanesboro, Minnesota

This will be an event open to all who would like to participate. We will set out to find and identify as many mushrooms as we can at Eagle Bluff and its surrounding area. Experts on mushrooms will be at hand to lead collecting walksAutumn, when the leaves are turning yellow and crimson, is the peak season of mushroom fruiting, when the most different kinds of mushrooms emerge in the greatest numbers.

This event is sponsored by the Bell Museum of Natural History at the University of Minnesota, the Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center and the Minnesota Mycological Society.

612-625-7088 e-mail: geren002@umn.edu

www.eagle-bluff.org/maps-directions.html

*VIROQUA*

Driftless Folk School

Fall Wild Foods Workshop w/ Rose Barlow

September 29 10:00-2:00
Course Fee: $40
How many people still harvest sumac berries, acorns, chokecherries or hickory nuts? Come and experience the bounty of the land and the deep flavors of in-season wild foods. This workshop involves a wild food walk where we will identify and discuss a variety of in-season common edible plants, a foraging expedition in which we will actually harvest the wild ingredients needed to prepare a wild food dinner, and hands-on experience in the kitchen creating a gourmet wild food dinner for all participants. Recipes and hand-outs are also included.

www.driftlessfolkschool.com

*DULUTH AREA*

Northhouse Folk School

Herbal Healthcare for Winter w/Gigi Stafne
November 16 9am-5pm
Discover holistic ways to deal with illness and aches that come to the forefront in wintertime. Help ease the discomforts of the chills and ills that often accompany �Old Man Winter� by learning about winter nutrition and cleansing/detoxifying the body in preparation for winter. Hands-on opportunities for making teas, meal items and herbal remedies as well as tips on learning to listen to your own body to determine what it needs.
http://www.northhousefolkschool.com/classes/SustainLiving.htm

Giving Ground Wilderness Herbal Retreat Center

Superior National Forest, Brimson, MN (60 miles north of Duluth)

Pam Thompson 1-888-276-1336

September 14-16: Digging Roots

September 25-27, 2007: Fall Harvest, Full Moon! All the best of everything!
October 6-8, 2007: Tree Resins and Holiday Gift-Making
October 12-14, 2007: Tree Resins and Holiday Gift-Making
October 19-21, 2007: Tree Resins and Holiday Gift-Making
December 7-9, 2007: Tree Resins and Holiday Gift-Making
www.givingground.com

*MADISON AREA*

Herb Day

Saturday, October 20 10am-3pm Olbrich Garden, Madison

HerbDay is a public educational event celebrating the importance of herbs and herbalism. The Madison Herbal Institute, a non-profit organization founded to promote herbal education, will be sponsoring our local celebration with the assistance of many local individuals, businesses and organizations.

Herb walks every hour on the half-hour led by local herbalists.

10AM: A Taste for Herbs: Using Taste to Identify Energetic Characteristics of Herbs

11:15AM: A Perfect Pot of Tea

12:30PM: Making Your Own Herbal Concoctions

2 PM: Doctor as Herbalist

Displays and exhibits in the Commons Hall from 10AM-3PM.

Madison Society Herb Fair

Olbrich Botanical Garden

Saturday, November 10 , 10am-5pm

608-242-1664

www.madisonherbsociety.org

Community Pharmacy

Aromatherapy For Bodyworkers
Saturday, September 15^th 2-4 pm
Madison Senior Center (330 W. Mifflin St.)

$10 per person
Delve deeper into the practice of aromatherapy by exploring effective ways to incorporate essential oils into bodywork healing. This workshop is ideal for those who already have some foundation in essential oil use, and want to learn more about specific applications. we will discuss the physiological benefits of essential oils, how to choose and dilute essential oils for safety, and learn about synergistic blending.. 608-251-3242

Wildwood Herbs w/Kathleen Wildwood

Sept 27 Thurs, Autumn Herb Walk, $10, Location to be announced

Oct 3 Wed - Fundamentals of Herbalism I, 6:00-9 PM

Oct 17 Wed - Fundamentals of Herbalism II, 6-9 PM

Nov 14 Wed - Building Strong Immunity: How to Stay Well During the Winter - Lots of use info plus make your own cough syrup.

http://www.wildwoodherbs.com

Nature�s Acres Farm

(Home of Four Elements Organic Herbals)

North Freedom, WI (Madison Area)

September 23 Ritualistic Use of Herbs

Learn about the herbal tradition of using herbs for Ritual. We will cover White sage, Holy Basil Cedar and Rue for starters. Together we can make a smudge stick to take home.

http://www.fourelementsherbals.com/whats_new.html

*SHEBOYGAN AREA*

Moonwise Herbs w/Linda Conroy

Fall Herbal Series: Roots,Seeds, Berries and More!!

Thursday evenings: October 11, 18, 25 and November 1, 2007 (6-8:30pm each evening)

Sponsored by and held at the University of Wisconsin, Sheboygan

This four week series will offer participants the opportunity the learn about the lore and history of herbs that promote health, provide relief from winter ailments and promote healing of cuts, scrapes and more! We will go on plant walks to identify the plants of the season, make herbal preparations for topical use: poultices as well as salves, learn to make nourishing herbal beverages as well as cold and cough remedies. You will take home some of our creations as well as recipes for future use.

To register call 920-459-6617.

Cooking with Wild Edibles

October 20, 2007 10:00am-noon,

Hayssen Pavilion, Ellwood H. May Environmental Park

Contact: Wild Ones sarah@landmarklandscapesinc.com

Herbal Nourishment for Winter Blues

October 30, 2007

Contact: rosemarygoddess@moonwiseherbs.com or 920-457-9290

Wild Eats: Fall Frenzy

November 4, 2007 (6-9pm)

Dining Adventure: Join us for a wild and whole food dining adventure. You will be served wild and whole foods in community.

Herbal Soap Making

November 14, 2007 (6-9pm)

Make your own soap, incorporating whole herbs for skin health!! Learn the science and the art!!

Contact: Maywood Environmental Center 920-459 3906

Herbal Gift Making

December 5, 2007 (6-9pm)

Make a variety of herbal crafts for yourself as well as holiday gifts. We will make bath salts, lip balms, body spritzers and more!! www.Moonwiseherbs.com

*EAU CLAIRE*

Center for Healing Arts Herb & Eco School

Sept 16 Herbal Tincture Making for Humans & Critters

with Kathy Miller, Master Herbalist $39

Sept 23 Self Guided Plant ID Walks

Explore the UpS Botanical Sanctuary trails with Amy Quade, Botanical Sanctuary manager, or self-guided

Suggested donation: $5-15

Plant & Paddling Eco Tours

with Adventure Botanica & MI ZI ZAK KAYAKS

Oct.7, Oct 21, 2007

with Gigi Stafne, ND, MH

See website: www.mizizakkayak.com

*MINNEAPOLIS/ST.PAUL*

Sacred Journey Healing Arts is proud to present:

Plant Spirit Allies with Pam Montgomery
at Tree of Peace Education Center, Somerset, WI (One Hour east of Twin Cities)

Dates: September 28-30, 2007
Friday 10:00am, Sat/Sun 9:00am

Cost: $275. includes all instruction & material

Contact: Cynthia Thomas at (612) 991-2717, cynthia_thomas@mac.com

This experiential long weekend will include:
� building relationship with plants through sensual awareness
� communication through light, sound and breath
� stepping into the daydream of plants
� shamanic journeying
� receiving a personal plant ally
� feeding the plant spirits
� spiritual bathing with plants to clear auras
� �greenbreath�, combines breathwork with plants
� and more

http://www.partnereartheducationcenter.com/

Holistic Health & Herbal Education Festival

Twelve teachers from diverse healing traditions.

Sunday September 15 8:30-6:00 PM

Cannon Falls, Minnesota

Teachers include Lise Wolfe, Matthew Wood, Jeanette Turner, Erin Piorier, Chandler Yorkhall, Michelle Patterson, Sara Sherva, and more to be announced��.

http://www.nchg.org/Classes/herbfest07.pdf

Herbal Wildcrafting Trip w/Erin Priorier

Two days of workshops for 2007--join us for one or both days!

September 29-30, 10 am-5 pm

$50 for one day,$90 for both days

Saturday: Herbs for The Respiratory and Immune System

Sunday: Wild Roots: Understanding Aromatic Stimulants and Alteratives

Erin 612-508-0584 or epiorier@mninter.net

North Country Herbalist Guild

1st Wednesday meetings held at Bethany Lutheran Church

2511 East Franklin Ave, Minneapolis

Wednesday, October 3
"Sacred Protection of Plant Energy with Erica Evans"

Wednesday, November 7
"Medicinal Elixirs and Cordials with Carol Jacobs, and NCHG Board Elections"

Wednesday, December 5
"Winter Health with Lise Wolff and Silent Auction"

Social time with tea and snacks from 6:30-7:00

Lecture from 7:00 to 9:00 PM

www.nchg.org

*TREMPEALEAU AREA*

Driftless Folk School

Drawing Wild Prairie Grasses and Forbs

November 3, 40$

Instructor: Marilyn Klinkner

A great way to learn about plants is to draw them. This workshop guides you in exercises to see the character of each plant and to discover in increments how to draw the plant so that others can recognize it by your drawing. What better way to learn to identify plants? This class will be outdoors if weather permits, but there is an indoor studio as well.

Gathering,Drying & Storing Seeds for a Prairie or Woodland Garden

Sunday, October 7 40$

Instructor: Marilyn Klinkner

Learn the basic techniques for collecting seeds for your wild garden. See how you can use the weather to your advantage and find out how to dry seed for storage without destroying the germ. Learn to identify seed ready for collecting and techniques to separate the actual seed from the rest of the plant in an efficient way.

www.driftlessfolkschool.org

Calendar items are also sent out via a monthly (or so) e-mail

list. If you are not currently on the list and would like to

receive our monthly e-mail calendar of herb and wild food

related classes and events please send your e-mail address

to dandeliongold22@hotmail.com and I�ll get you hooked up

right away!