JANUARY
Kitchen Medicine. Saturday January 11th. NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association) Winter Conference.Worcester State University
Learn how to use food as medicine. So many foods and spices, commonly found in most peoples' kitchens, can be used to support a strong and healthy immune system and build whole health.  We'll discuss the benefits of eating locally and with the seasons, how the different flavors affect the body, fantastic and effective herbal and culinary recipes, and essential ingredients to keep on hand in the home.  Medicine-making techniques will be demonstrated and hand-outs will be given!

Winter Tree Medicine. Sunday Jan 19th. 12-2 pm. Blue Dragon Apothecary. 158 Main St Suite 10. Greenfield, MA. Sliding Scale $20-$25.
Just because it's winter doesn't mean you can't still make medicine! In this afternoon workshop we will meet some of our local evergreens and learn how to identify them.  We'll discuss their medicinal benefits and how to capture these properties in easy and effective preparations such as salves, oils and elixers.  Folks will all leave with a product we make together in class!

FEBRUARY
Using Local Herbs for Strong Winter Immunity.  At CISA's Northampton Winterfare. Saturday Feb 8th. Class 11:45am-12:45pm. Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School. 80 Locust St. Northampton, MA. FREE
Winter is the time we are the most susceptible to the myriad of stomach bugs, flus, coughs, and colds that so often come our way.  Plant medicine can effectively ease and move along the symptoms of a cold or flu, and also help prevent you from catching one in the first place!  Learn immune-building recipes and remedies featuring locally abundant and easy to grow herbs.
 

MARCH
Classic Spring Tonics. Tuesday March 18th. 6:30-8 pm. River Valley Market Co-op. Northampton, MA. FREE
Traditionally, the spring is a time of cleansing and waking-up the body after a long winter's rest. In this class we'll explore some safe and effective spring cleanses and tonic herbs.  We'll also take the time to discuss some premier wild spring edibles that grow readily in our bioregion and learn about their value as both food and medicine!  Folks will all leave with a product we make together in class.
~Please call River Valley Customer Service to pre-register. 413-584-2665. Everyone is welcome!

APRIL
FROM THE ROOTS UP. Spring Session begins April 13th.  Meets 1 Sunday/month April-June. April 13th, May 4th, June 8th.
This series is designed for the student who wants to dive-in and get to know the local plants up close and personal.  Folks will learn how to confidently identify plants in the field, how to harvest and make medicine with them and learn their complete medicinal profile.  Learn herbal ecology and develop a bioregional materia medica. For more info click {here}

MAY
Wild & Wonderful Weeds. Mondays May 5th, 12th, 19th & June 2nd. 6:00-7:30 pm. Amherst, MA. $66 (+ $5 materials fee).
Get to know the wild and wonderful weeds growing all around you!  Participants will learn to identify and utilize many of our locally abundant and incredibly useful "weeds."  We will explore edibility, history of medicinal use, botany and plant ID, and traditional uses such as cordage, clothing, dye and more.  Through plant walks in various locales around Amherst and hands-on activities, this class will cultivate a strong connection with the natural world around us.  OPEN TO ALL AGES. Register through Amherst LSSE.

Herbal Meet-up Group Spring Plant Swap. Saturday May 31st. 10 am-12 pm. At Milk & Honey herbs. 163 Leverett Rd, Shutesbury, MA. Free!
Looking to expand your garden? Or maybe you have too much of a good thing and need to weed it out?  New to gardening and wondering what to plant and where to get it?  Come to the swap!  Bring your divisions, starts or seeds to trace or sell and any other garden extras you'd like to passon to a new home (like plastic pots, etc).  We focus on medicinal herbs, but all plants are welcome! Rain or Shine. Open to all!

JUNE

Traditional Herbal Medicines.  Sat June 7th.  HERBSTALK Conference. Somerville, MA.
In this class we'll draw from our rich herbal tradition and learn how to use and make some famous herbal recipes loved and commonly used in the herbal community.We'll cover Fire Cider, Kloss's Liniment, Elderberry Syrup, and All Purpose Salve, to name a few.  There's a reason these recipes have endured!  They are versatile, powerful and easy to make in the home kitchen.  Using these traditional medicines connects us with our deep herbal roots and the nationwide movement towards community and home-based herbal healthcare.

Summer Solstice Plant Walk. Saturday June 21st.  10:30 am-12 noon. Amethyst Brook Conservation Area.  Amherst, MA. $0-$10 Suggested Donation (No one turned away for lack of funds).
It's high summer and an amazing time to explore our local field and woodlands in search of edible and medicinal plants! We'll take a casual walk together and identify the numerous useful, edible and medicinal herbs growing at this beautiful site.  Harvesting tips and guidelines, edibility, identification tips and medicinal preparations will all be discussed!

JULY
Herbal Medicine Making: Tinctures, Honeys, Oils & Vinegars.   Northeast Permaculture Convergence.  July 4th-6th. Unity, Maine.
The classic permaculture landscape is full of medicinal plants.  Knowing how to process these plants and use them for medicine increases our community resilience, challenges the current for-profit healthcare system in our country, greatly enhances our health, and is an extremely ecological form of healthcare.This class will cover 4 important herbal preparations that are versatile, store well, and are easy to make- tinctures, herbal honeys, infused oils and vinegars.  Come learn some simple ways that you can take the mystique out of herbal self-care and provide healthful and sustainable alternatives for yourself, your family and community. 

Summer Wildcrafting Intensive. Fri 7/18-Sun 7/20. Green Mountain National Forest, Vermont
This weekend wildcrafting immersion will take us to the beautiful Green Mountains in south-central Vermont. {more info}

AUGUST
NOFA Summer Conference (Northeast Organic Farming Association). Aug 8-10th. UMASS, Amherst.

• Bioregional Herbalism: Stocking the Home Apothecary with Locally Abundant Herbs
   This class will cover traditional medicine-making techniques including tinctures, elixers, cordials, vinegars, oxymels, herbal honeys, syrups, infused oils, teas and best drying/ harvesting practices, and more.  Class will be hands-on with medicine-making demoed with freshly harvested, locally abundant plants of the northeast.   As we make medicine with these local herbs we will also cover the medicinal uses of each plant we work with, developing a bioregional “materia medica.” Learn why to choose one preparation over another, trouble-shooting when unexpected problems arise, common medicinals of the northeast, and all the ins and outs of making and using your own medicine. (Pre-Conference Intensive)

• 10 Culinary Herbs: Cultivation & Medicinal Use
  Among the most medicinally active plants, culinary herbs are delicious, easy to grow in containers, small spaces, or fields. They provide a starting point to de-mystifying herbalism and bring into the home.  Specific growth requirements, harvest, drying and storage, and medicinal uses will be discussed, and medicine-making techniques will be demonstrated. (Workshop #1)

• Medicinal Weed Walk
  Join us for a walk around the UMASS campus as we identify the numerous medicinal plants growing on its grounds.  Harvesting tips and guidelines, medicinal use, edibility, identification tips and medicinal preparations will all be discussed! (Workshop #2)

SEPT
Harmonizing With the Seasons. Sunday Sept 10th. 12-2:30 pm. Just Roots. Greenfield, MA.         By Donation $0-$15.
The distinct seasons of New England each exert their own subtle-and not so subtle- influences on both our physical bodies and our psyches.  By attuning with each season on hand, we can ally with these natural influences to advance our personal growth and development, and improve our health.  Using the framework of Chinese Five Element Theory as a guide, we will learn the flavors and foods, colors and sounds, herbs and daily practices associated with each season, and see the amazing unity and balance one can achieve by harmonizing with the earth and her seasonal rhythms.

FROM THE ROOTS UP.  Fall Session begins Sept 14th.  Meets 1 Sunday/month Sept-Nov. Sept 14th, Oct 5th, Nov 2nd.
This series is designed for the student who wants to dive-in and get to know the local plants up close and personal.  Folks will learn how to confidently identify plants in the field, how to harvest and make medicine with them and learn their complete medicinal profile.  Learn herbal ecology and develop a bioregional materia medica.  For more info click {here}

OCT
Elements of a Successful Herbal Workshop. Radherb Convergence. Oct 11th-12th. At Farmacy Herbs-West Greenwich, RI
As herbalists, sharing and promoting the myriad of wonderful uses of herbs within our communities is often a huge part of the work we do in the world.  In this class I'll share some of what I've learned about how to successfully convey easy application of herbalism in a workshop setting, even to audiences who may be very new to it.  Class participants will leave with the tools they'll need to successfully lead their own workshop.  Bring your questions, class ideas, and enthusiasm for sharing herbal knowledge!
 

The Winter Herbal Medicine Cabinet.  Sunday Oct 19th. 12-2:30 pm. Just Roots. Greenfield, MA. By Donation $0-$15.
In this afternoon workshop we'll cover some common and not so common herbal remedies to boost our immune systems, support us through the winter months and help keep ourselves and our families and communities healthy.  Class will be a mixture of hand-outs, discussion and most importantly, medicine-making.  Participants will all leave with an herbal preparation made in class, a check-list of important remedies to have on hand for the winter season, and a sense of empowerment that grassroots healthcare is not only incredibly important and highly effective, it's also easy and fun!

NOV

The Suppressed History of Herbalism in America. Sunday Nov 9th. Permaculture FEAST. Holyoke, MA

The Winter Herbal Medicine Cabinet for Kids, Wednesday Nov 19th. 6:30-8:00pm. River Valley Market in Northampton, MA. FREE
As a parent one of our most rewarding, and sometimes challenging, tasks is keeping our kids healthy.  In this workshop we'll learn how to safely use herbal medicine to support the body's own innate healing process, strengthen the immune system, and ease the symptoms of the colds, flus, and coughs that kids invariably get during the long winter months.  Kid-tested recipes will be given and participants will all leave with some medicine we make together in class! ~pre-registration required. Please call River Valley Market at 413-584-2665~

DEC

Building Deep Immunity with Herbs. Sunday Dec 7th. 3:34-5pm. Sirius Community Holistic Health Fair. Shutesbury, MA. ~Folks can choose to register for the entire fair OR just choose to attend a single workshop~
The herbal tonics, also known as "adaptogens," have long been prized for their ability to support and build deep immune health, vitality and vigor.  This workshop will introduce participants to this extraordinary class of herbs, showcase their uses, and demonstrate how to best incorporate them into daily practice. Special focus will be given to adaptogens that grow here in our bioregion or are easily cultivated in the garden.

The Herbal D.I.Y. Spa. Monday Dec 8th. 6:30-8:30. Blue Dragon Apothecary, 158 Main St, Suite 10, Greenfield, MA. Sliding Scale $20-$40.
In this hands-on workshop participants will gain first hand experience making their own facial masks and scrubs, calming and invigorating bath salts, and luscious body butters- all with healthy and natural ingredients that are actually good for you!  Folks will all leave with a product made together in class and recipes will be given.  And, of course, they'll make great gifts! ~pre-registration required~

Yoga + Herbs Convergence.  Saturday Dec 13th. Greenfield, MA.
Jade will participate in a panel discussion with 5 local herbalists as we share our community projects, and offer information, perspective, and tips.  In addition, the convergence offers a day of yoga, medicine-making, herbal workshops, and community.