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DESCRIPTION: This presentation will be grounded in the idea that grieving is an integral part of being human. Through this lens we will talk about the different times that grief appears in a person’s life and the many ways that plants can be supportive in those times. We will discuss acute trauma and loss and gentle approaches to offering care with herbs during those times. We’ll also talk about recognizing and tending grief in more ordinary times. Throughout our time together, we’ll be naming and honoring some of the many plants who offer particular support for grief, while also welcoming the medicine that any plant can offer.
BIO: Emily Pearson Ryan has spent her whole life an hour’s walk from the Mississippi. A long-time gardener and lover of plant medicine, she began studying with herbalist Lise Wolff in 2020, and the work has claimed her since.
Emily currently sees clients for consults, teaches classes, and leads plant walks. She loves collaborating with other plant lovers she meets in her work, and offers care in times of birth and death.
She lives in a raucous, art-filled South Minneapolis home with her partner and three kids, and continues to learn.
DESCRIPTION: Buried emotional and physiological responses can get in the way of many treatments for many conditions. So it becomes important to understand how a psyche can structure itself around survival strategies that protect us from unbearable feelings of helplessness, hopelessness and powerlessness, because they also prevent us and our clients from accessing our full vitality and personal treasure chest. In this class we will map out structures in the psyche defined in IOPT (Identity-oriented psychotrauma therapy) and how we might use that map to approach custom, trauma-informed, flower essence blending to support deeper, fuller healing processes.
SPEAKER BIO: Loey has been professionally accredited through SEDIBAC (Catalonia Society for the Study and Diffusion of Dr. Bach’s Therapy), and is the English translator of Pablo Noriega’s book, Bach Flower Essences and Chinese Medicine (Inner Traditions, 2016). Loey is a NCCAOM PDA provider #172473, course contributor at A New Possibility, and lectured at the IV and VI SEDIBAC/SEFLOR conferences in Barcelona, Spain, at metro-area universities, a national flower essence conference and podcast, and for professional and community groups in the Twin Cities (including twice or thrice NCHG) since 2011. Loey provided professional training in clinical flower essence therapy to other integrative providers (acupuncturists, social workers and psychologists, herbalists, nurse practitioners, birth and death doulas, body workers…) in her annual 9-month flower essence foundations training course (2017-2022). Loey studied Clinical Integrative Flower Essence Therapy and related coursework at various institutes in Barcelona (ISMET, SEDIBAC, Aula Bach, and Institut Anthemon), in the U.S., and internationally, since 2009. She trained in IOPT (Identity-oriented Psychotrauma Therapy), based in Family Constellations, with Jamie Kirdain, student of Bert Hellinger and Franz Ruppert. Loey has studied Western herbal medicine in San Francisco CA with Adam Seller, student of Michael Moore, and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and fine art from the University of Wisconsin in 1996. She works with clients in private practice.
DESCRIPTION: We will discuss how in Ayurveda, fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), or methi, is a key medicinal plant used for its warming and nourishing properties to balance doshas. It is particularly prized for its ability to improve digestion, support women’s health, and regulate metabolic functions. We will learn how to incorporate fenugreek in our diet while sipping on fenugreek tea and sampling some fenugreek Indian flat bread.
SPEAKER BIO: Nalini started teaching Ayurvedic cooking 22 years ago. She began her career as a culinary instructor at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Health in NYC and later started her own company, Route to India LLC where she now offers cooking classes rooted in Ayurveda. She also makes a fun, crunchy, good-for-you ayurvedic snack, YOGA POPS made from water lily seeds available at Kowolskis, Wedge, Lakewinds Co-ops and select Target stores around the country.
Nalini has been a speaker at a range of institutions including San Francisco Asian Art Museum, Rubin Museum of Art, Princeton University, and the United Nations. Nalini was the recipient of the James Beard Foundation Women In Culinary Leadership Grant program which brought her to Minneapolis first in 2017. Currently she is also in the process of building a yoga retreat and culinary school in Maple Plain, MN which should be open later this Fall.
DESCRIPTION: Join us at The Lamb Shoppe & Wellness Center for a guided walk through our vibrant medicinal gardens and wild spaces. Explore a rich variety of cultivated herbs, native plants, wild edibles, and healing flowers growing right on the farm. We’ll talk plants, share stories, and connect with the land—one leaf at a time. Whether you’re a plant lover, a curious beginner, or a seasoned herbalist, you’ll come away inspired by nature’s abundance and wisdom. Herbal teas will be provided!
SPEAKER BIO: Connie Karstens is a clinical herbalist and holistic health educator with a strong foundation in both science and traditional healing. With over 20 years of focused herbal medicine training and clinical experience, Connie combines deep knowledge of plant medicine with a practical, client-centered approach to wellness. Her extensive herbal education includes advanced clinical training, apprenticeships, specialized coursework in diagnostic skills, flower essence therapy, wild edibles, and therapeutic nutrition—drawing on both modern and time-honored practices. Since 2005, Connie has maintained a thriving clinical practice where she works with clients of all ages to create personalized wellness plans rooted in herbal medicine, whole foods, and sustainable lifestyle choices. She prepares many of her own remedies using locally gathered plants, crafting tinctures and herbal blends from the fields and forests of the 180-acre regenerative farm with her husband. As co-owner of The Lamb Shoppe & Wellness Center, Connie has helped build a unique integrative wellness space that includes a health food store, herbal apothecary, and collaborative team of holistic practitioners. She offers one-on-one consultations, teaches hands-on workshops, and leads educational classes on topics such as herbal medicine, nutrition, flower essences, and natural health. Grounded in nature, backed by science, and shaped by decades of experience, Connie is committed to helping others restore balance, build resilience, and reconnect with the healing power of plants.
DESCRIPTION: This talk delves into the rich tradition of Hmong herbal medicine, highlighting key medicinal plants and their applications. It also explores the intricate process of documenting these herbs, including the use of DNA sampling to preserve and verify their identity. Through this journey, we uncover the deep cultural knowledge embedded in Hmong healing practices and the scientific methods used to safeguard them for future generations.
SPEAKER BIO: Zongxee Lee is a Hmong herbalist, registered nurse, self-taught ethnobotanist, floral farmer, photographer, and author. Rooted in a lineage of Hmong herbalists and shamans, she self-published “30 Days of Purification” in 2016, a postpartum guide highlighting traditional Hmong plant medicine. She is the founder of Zooxis Conservatory and Botanical Garden LLC, a cultural and botanical initiative focused on researching DNA sequence of Hmong postpartum herbs, preserving, and educating about Hmong medicinal plants and holistic healing practices. Her work has been featured at national conferences and universities, bridging ancestral wisdom with modern wellness.
Alongside her mother, Mayyia Lee, and sister, Mhonpaj Lee, Zongxee helped launch Minnesota’s first culturally-based healing meals using traditional Hmong herbs, offering integrative care to patients. Through workshops, public exhibits, and seed-to-bloom storytelling, she continues to inspire communities to reconnect with healing tradition, plant by plant, story by story.
DESCRIPTION: Tree identification with a fun(gi) twist! Learn fun (and sometimes silly) tips and tricks to identifying trees native to the metro area using bark, twigs, leaves, and diseases. While we won’t be focusing on mushroom identification, we will mention which mushrooms like to grow with the trees we are discussing.
SPEAKER BIO: Jaime Rockney, known as “Chick of the Woods,” is a foraging educator with a deep passion for the forest and fungi. Since discovering her love for foraging in 2008, she has been on a mission to inspire others to appreciate the wonders of nature. In 2019, she founded Chick of the Woods Foraging, LLC, and shortly after turned her passion into a full-time career, teaching others about wild mushrooms, berries, plants, and trees. Jaime is an active member of the Minnesota Mycological Society, Wisconsin Mycological Society, and the North American Mycological Association and holds three certifications for mushroom identification and sales. Through her classes and events, she empowers others to forage with confidence while fostering a deep respect for the forest’s rich biodiversity. Learn more about Jaime and her classes on Facebook (@chickofthewoods), Instagram (@chick.of.the.woods), or her website at www.chickofthewoods.com
DESCRIPTION: Minnesota’s native landscape is home to an abundance of medicinal plants, and Bee Balm, Blue Vervain, and Yarrow stand out as three of the most remarkable. Join clinical herbalist Ashley Elenbaas, M.Sc., RH(AHG), as she shares her expertise in cultivating, crafting remedies from, and working with these powerful herbs in her practice. This workshop will delve into the rich mythology, traditional wisdom, and the doctrine of signatures associated with these plants, alongside Ashley’s personal insights and experiences. Participants will also have the opportunity to taste herbal samples, deepening their connection to the plants through a hands-on, sensory experience.
SPEAKER BIO: Ashley Elenbaas is a clinical herbalist, educator, and passionate advocate for plant-based healing. With a Master of Science degree in herbal medicine and certification as a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild (RH(AHG)), Ashley has dedicated her career to blending traditional plant wisdom with modern clinical applications. She draws from years of experience working directly with clients, teaching herbal medicine, and creating personalized remedies that support holistic health. Ashley is known for her engaging workshops, where she weaves together the science, mythology, and energetics of plants to inspire a deeper connection to the natural world. Through her work, she strives to empower individuals to integrate herbal healing into their daily lives with intention and respect for nature’s gifts.
DESCRIPTION: From teas, tinctures, capsules, and salves, botanical products manufacturers face a daunting and unique regulatory landscape in the US. In this discussion, I’ll break down the federal regulations governing each type of product and provide clarification on how FDA views these products and their current thinking on requirements for testing, manufacturing, and labeling.
SPEAKER BIO:After graduating from college with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, Anne began a long career in medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturing when she accepted a position in Engineering at Abbott Critical Care in Salt Lake City. Throughout the next 25 years, she wore many hats at various companies, starting with manufacturing engineering technician and filtering through quality engineer, quality auditor, validation engineer, quality manager, and eventually consultant. Speaking “GMP” became second nature. She left that world behind as an obsession with herbal medicine began 10 years ago and became consumed with learning, making products, wildcrafting, and growing plant allies. As a member of the American Herbalists Guild, she co-founded the Herbal Research chapter for individuals to share studies and scientific observations pertaining to plant medicine. With the skyrocketing interest in alternative therapies, and FDA’s increased scrutiny over the production and marketing of products, she recognized a need to assist small herbal product companies navigate 21 CFR 111, cGMP requirements for Dietary Supplements, and she launched cOMPliants, LLC to provide this service remotely from her farm in Bay City, WI where she shares 60 acres with horses, dogs, cats, chickens, and many, many plants.
DESCRIPTION: Jane Hawley Stevens will speak on aligning growers with the power that is present. Planetary influences have been used in agriculture since the beginning of time. The first simple rule observed is the Full Moon raises the high tide. This influence also happens below the Earth’s surface, influencing planting times, with the fluctuating water table. Add the Elements of Fire, Earth, Air, and Water brought through planetary cycles and you have an easy guide for time-saving and effective planting, harvesting, and cultivation created by these cycles.
SPEAKER BIO: Jane Hawley Stevens was MOSES/Marbleseed Organic Farmer of the Year in 2020. She has specialized in herbs since 1982 and has been certified organic since 1989. She grows herbs to use in her line of herbal wellness, Four Elements Organic Herbals on her farm in Wisconsin. Her recent book, featured by NCHG, is “The Celestial Garden, Growing Herbs, Vegetables, and Flowers in Sync with the Moon and Zodiac.” Visit her website to learn more.
DESCRIPTION: Winter is the perfect time to slow down, turn inward, and nurture ourselves with intentional self-care. This workshop offers simple yet powerful techniques to regulate the nervous system, support lymphatic flow, and explore the benefits of self-massage. Together, we’ll dive into the art of making and using herb-infused oils, exploring different carrier oils and their therapeutic properties. You’ll also learn self-massage techniques and breathwork practices to enhance relaxation and well-being. As a hands-on Make & Take experience, each participant will create a personalized herbal oil blend to use during the workshop and take home for continued self-care.
ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS:
Betsy Nelson is a freelance food stylist, recipe developer, cooking teacher, Ayurvedic chef, and certified herbalist. Passionate about the connection between food and well-being, she blends creativity with holistic nutrition. With a BA in Psychology and Studio Arts from the University of Minnesota, Betsy sees cooking as both an art and a way to foster connection. She has studied Ayurveda, Western herbalism, and wellness coaching through the Mayo Clinic. She loves teaching cooking classes, incorporating healing foods and herbs, and leading foraging walks to explore nature’s bounty.
Annette Havlicek is a holistic healthcare practitioner specializing in herbal preparations and hands-on healing to restore balance in the body, mind, and spirit. With over 20 years of experience, Annette integrates diverse healing modalities, including massage therapy, yoga, meditation, and herbal medicine, to support the body’s innate ability to heal itself. Certified in multiple disciplines, Annette has studied a range of bodywork techniques, including Swedish massage, myofascial release, acupressure, reflexology, and aromatherapy. Her education in herbal medicine, spanning courses with renowned practitioners, has deepened her practice, and she also cultivates many of the herbs she uses in her work. In addition to her healthcare practice, Annette is a certified Prenatal, Birth, and Postpartum Doula, as well as a hypnobirthing practitioner, offering specialized support to women through the transition into motherhood. She continues to study the healing arts including homeopathy and enjoys gardening, homeschooling her children, and nurturing her family.
Description: This class will focus on formulas Erica has developed or found effective, utilizing them throughout 24 years of herbal practice and teaching. This class will discuss these trusted formulas, highlighting some principles of formulation, such as classic herbal pairs. Some herbs just work better together! You will leave with a few effective formulas in hand for a variety of issues and some basic understanding of the art of formulation for your own experimentation.
Speaker Bio: Erica Fargione is an award winning faculty at Minneapolis College, formerly MCTC. The program she started in 2006 has expanded into both a certificate and diploma award in Herbal Studies. The Herbal Studies program is still the only award program in the US at a public institution, offering financial aid and all the benefits of being at a community college. She is happy to be a steward of the most diverse Herbal Studies program in the nation. All our ancestors used herbs, and all of us get to reclaim the apothecary that is this world.
Erica Fargione
Description: It’s very easy to work with flower essences in a superficial manner, recommending some remedies on a “this flower is for this issue” basis, spending only a few minutes with the client. But as practitioners, we can do much better than this. When you grasp the notion of the energybody, both of the person and the flowers themselves, and how it evolves over time, a whole new perspective opens up. In particular, working with a person over long periods of time and seeing them through the major transitions of their life is a powerful way to expand your practice. I’m currently going through one of the most significant transition periods of my own life — retiring from the working life and opening up to a time of spiritual growth and personal healing. The insights this is giving me the past year or two has been quite illuminating. This process of “eldering” as I peel away layers and layers in my energybody accumulated over 50 years of living, often dramatic and sometimes painful, is leading to a fork in my spiritual path and a shift in my role as a healer. Walk with me as I pass on some of these insights and discover some new flower remedies for my own transition period. We can heal whole lives, not just a list of issues. We are all works in progress.
Speaker Bio: Martin Bulgerin has been active in the area of natural healing for 34 years, with an emphasis on flower essence therapy and a form of bodywork called Ortho-Bionomy. He is recognized as a local expert with flower essences, both via private consultations and teaching classes to budding practitioners on his particular approach to the field. In addition, he has created his own line of flower essences and other energetic remedies over the decades. He is currently in the process of writing an in depth book detailing his approach to working with flower essences.
Website: Martin can be reached by email at BPIguy@icloud.com
Martin Bulgerin
Description: A book, a teacher, a podcast, or a YouTube video says a particular herb is “for headaches.” Or even better, there is a list of herbs that are all “for headaches.” Do we use the whole list? Make a combo…based on what? Lise has treated headaches – and migraines – for 30 years, in practice. She will share her years of experience so that you can be more precise when helping yourself and others with this common, sometimes acute and sometimes chronic, malady.
Instructor Bio: Lise Wolff, MSc in Herbalism, RH-AHG, has been teaching and practicing drop dose herbalism in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the last 30 years. She harvests her pharmacy from weeds that grow prolifically and loves to share her knowledge with students of all levels. Her lectures are based on actual case histories, with a focus on actually using the herbs in real life.
Description: Different from our usual herbal-focused presentations, Charlie will be leading an interactive session around the concept of vibrational water. Attendees are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and bring a cushion or other type of seat if they would like to sit on the floor with her. Chairs will still be available for those who do not want to sit on the floor. In Charlie’s words: I will share with the group how important the water we consume is for our vitality. How most of us are completely mineral deficient because our land is also mineral deficient, and that in general, we are a dehydrated society, which leads to much of our disease. I will demonstrate how to change the structure of water in a way that supports healing at the cellular level. We will do this as a group with meditation, sound, and intention. I will talk about others doing work in this field, including some that I have worked with personally. I will bring different kinds of water and sound devices to share the frequency shifts and we will do multiple proofings to confirm our work together. In 2000 I made vibrational water: I was working with scientists and chemists around the country and they were blown away by the efficacy of the product and how long it held its frequency. My product was featured on Good Morning America as “the must have,” going into the New Millennium. I was also featured in Vogue and Self magazines.
Speaker Bio: My Name is Charlie Wagner I am an alchemist in the natural world and life in general. I have studied under Lise Wolff in her Three Seasons program. I am a distiller, I distill essential oils and hydrosol. I formulate beauty products for the natural world around me and support small communities of growers and makers around the world. I have a passion for cooking, nutrition, wellness, and beauty. This has taken me all over the world to learn from masters and combine this wide range of interests into a formula for living a healthy, vibrant life. I love to learn, experiment, master, and ultimately share my experience and knowledge. Thank you for this opportunity.
Free for NCHG members to attend, or $10 per person for non-members.
Description: Peach leaves, twigs, and bark, are part of a comprehensive materia medica for many herbalists. Of course, the fruit is also just plain delicious and so refreshing! Come join us on a field trip to Stone Creek Farm to see the system that caused peach trees to fruit over the last 12 years, nine years successfully on this property using organic sustainable practices. NCHG board members can point out other wild herbs growing on the property along the way. Peaches may also be available for sale depending on the timing of certain trees.
Speaker Bio: Dan Sheild, Stone Creek Farm, is a farmer in Taylors Falls Minnesota specializing in growing stone fruit. Since 2010, Dan has successfully grown Peaches in the harshest conditions, surviving -35° with his cold weather peach protection system. With over 40 varieties of peaches in review, desiring to find a template for this region, his research makes growing peaches in the upper Midwest, a viable commercial consideration, bringing a new crop to Minnesota, and cutting 2000 miles off of the carbon footprint. His system lends itself toward organic growing in unthought of areas for a better future. Dan is a member of the Land Stewardship Project, Minnesota, fruit and vegetable growers association, North American Fruit Explorers, and a board member in the Organic Fruit Growers Association.
Dan Sheild
Description: In this presentation by a clinical herbalist in practice for 27 years, you will learn about the amazing healing potential of little-known, locally-sourced medicinal plants that are not typically available on the market. The speaker will share information on how to identify these plants (aided by color photos he has taken that will be projected as slides), where to find them, and how to harvest and prepare them for use. He will also relate experiences of how he has implemented these plants to help people to heal. Detailed descriptions, historical uses, and scientific studies on these plants are further available in the speaker’s three books on herbal medicine, (1) Edible & Medicinal Wild Plants of the Midwest, 3rd edition of 2020, (2) 300 Herbs: A Materia Medica & A Repertory, 2nd ed of 2020, and (3) Diary of a Country Herbalist, 2017. Matthew will have copies of these books available for signing and purchase after the presentation.
Speaker Bio: Matthew Alfs, MH, RH (AHG) is a clinical herbalist who has been in practice since 1997. He obtained his Master-Herbalist (M.H.) diploma from Wild Rose College of Natural Healing (Calgary, Ontario) and followed that up with training in Traditional Chinese Medicine at the American Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in MN. In 2002, he was awarded a peer-reviewed, Registered-Herbalist (RH) credential by the American Herbalists Guild for educational and clinical excellence, a status currently held by less than 300 persons in the entire country. After having practiced at the first integrative clinic on a medical campus, the Natural Care Center at Woodwinds, from 2001-2003, he founded an integrative-therapies clinic in 2004 (www.midwestherbsandhealing.com) that he directs to this day. Altogether, Matthew has seen almost 10,000 different clients, compassionately helping them along the way to vibrant health. He has also delivered over 300 lectures to a wide variety of institutions and associations (including many hospitals) and has taught herbal medicine at two different universities and two different colleges. In 2003, he founded his own school of herbal studies, Midwest School of Herbal Studies (www.midwestherbalstudies.com), an AHG Member School and a Partner in Education with United Plant Savers, based upon a 1500-page curriculum and two large books on herbal medicine (300 Herbs and Edible & Medicinal Wild Plants of the Midwest) that he wrote. He has also been featured on television and radio and has been published in over a dozen different journals and magazines, including Medical Herbalism, Journal of the American Herbalists Guild, Journal of Medicinal Plant Conservation, Herb Quarterly, Natural Products Review, and Journal of the American Chiropractic Association.
Matthew Alfs
Description: Join us on a plant walk through Theodore Wirth Park with Sam Thayer, to see what plants we can identify this time of year with both culinary and medicinal applications.
Speaker Bio: Samuel Thayer is an internationally recognized authority on edible wild plants who has been teaching workshops and classes for three decades. He is the author of four highly acclaimed, award-winning books on edible wild plants. His first book, The Forager’s Harvest, has sold over 250,000 copies. His most recent, Sam Thayer’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America, is the winner of the National Outdoor Book Award for best nature guide of 2023. Born in Wausau, Wisconsin, Samuel began gathering wild food in early childhood. At the age of 18 he built a log cabin and began pursuing his dream of homesteading, foraging, and studying Nature. Today he lives in Northern Wisconsin with his wife, Melissa, and their three children. Besides teaching and writing, Sam runs a small organic orchard featuring apples, native fruits and berries, and edible native ground covers; he also harvests wild rice, makes maple and birch syrup, and hickory nut oil.
Sam Thayer
Join us for a fun evening at Lake Monster Brewing in St Paul to share plants from our gardens, seedlings or splitting some of your plants. We’ll reserve a table. Look for a sign with NCHG!
WHEN: May 15 at 5:30PM
WHERE: Lake Monster Brewing
550 Vandalia St #160,
St Paul, MN 55114
Don’t forget to bring a sweater. It can get cold this time of year.
Description: Join a fascinating talk exploring how the ancient wisdom of plants converges with the cosmic dance of the stars. We’ll delve into the energetic qualities of herbs and their alignment with astrological principles and explore the interplay between heavenly bodies, human bodies, and earthly herbs to offer a unique perspective on health and wellness.
About the speaker: Laura is an energy shift expert who helps her clients get unstuck and into the flow of life. In search of the keys to healing, Laura slept in a cave in Tibet, breathed for 45 minutes in ice water, and walked on fire seven times without being burned. She is Master and Teacher of Unlimited Body and Unlimited Breath, an Advanced Practitioner of Flower Essences, and a certified Western Herbalist. She studied Tarot, Hellenistic Astrology, and holds a Master’s degree in Human Development from St. Mary’s University. Laura has practiced for over 25 years and teaches both locally and nationally. Laura is the author of the book, Unveiling Tarot; 78 Catalysts for Personal Awakening.
Laura Shaw
Description: Come learn about some of Linda Black Elk’s favorite edible medicinal plants. She will share stories, personal experience, and other information about ways to work with plant relatives as both food and as medicine. She’ll also share some of her go-to recipes! Please RSVP to nchgbod@gmail.com to secure a spot as space is limited. Carpooling is also highly encouraged, as there are fewer parking spaces at the venue than seats in the room, and we are expecting a big turnout!
Speaker Bio: Linda Black Elk is an ethnobotanist and food sovereignty activist specializing in teaching about culturally important plants and their uses as food and medicine. She is eternally grateful for the intergenerational knowledge of elders and other knowledge holders, who have shared their understandings of the world with her, and she has dedicated her life to giving back to these peoples and their communities. Linda works to build ways of thinking that will promote and protect food sovereignty, traditional plant knowledge, and environmental quality as an extension of her work as a gardener, forager, fisher, hunter, and gatherer. Linda and her family spearhead a grassroots effort to provide organic, traditional, shelf stable food and traditional Indigenous medicines to elders and others in need. Thus far, they have fed and healed thousands of people. She has written numerous articles, book chapters, and papers, and is the author of “Watoto Unyutapi”, a field guide to edible wild plants of the Dakota people, which is now out of print. Linda proudly serves as the Educational Programs and Community Engagement Leader at NATIFS, a Native-led nonprofit in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She also sits on the board of Makoce Ikikcupi, a Reparative Justice project on Dakota lands in Mnisota Makoce. When she isn’t teaching, Linda spends her time living in a traditional Dakota earthlodge while foraging, hiking, hunting, and fishing on the prairies, woodlands, and waters of Turtle Island with her husband and three sons, who are all members of the Oceti Sakowin – the Seven Council Fires of the Lakota.
Linda Black Elk
Description: to come soon
Instructor bio:
My focus is not just in classic Chinese Medicine. Herbs and essential oil we envision for use is a universal herbal method used by natives, Rasta, Dutch, Greek, Italian and a fleet of aboriginals and Aborigine communities. It is important to search the world to find the best herbs to do the job right! Acquiring accurate knowledge and understanding the science of every herb used helps me design my products to target specific diseases. For now, such methods enable me to find the closest gift to a cure. Hopefully someday we all find the cure that may heal the world.
Marcail Parker
Description: Did you know that many of the evergreens that inhabit our landscape have edible and medicinal properties? Learn how to safely forage them in this month’s presentation by Maria Wesserle of Four Season Foraging. Together, we will go over identification, harvesting, and preparation of edible evergreens while avoiding toxic varieties. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.
Presenter bio: Maria has been gathering wild edibles since 2004 and loves sharing this skill with others. She has spent over 10 years teaching foraging and other nature programs at various organizations in the Upper Midwest. In 2017, Maria founded Four Season Foraging to offer monthly foraging workshops, creating a space where people can learn to interact with urban and rural wild places in meaningful and sustainable ways.
Empower yourself with easy to learn steps to take to promote the health of your breasts. The lymph’s role in breast health will be highlighted. Handouts will be provided.
Meet Katherine Krumwiede
Katherine earned a Master of Oriental Medicine from the Minnesota College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine at Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington, MN. She has been in practice for 17 years now, and it is tremendously rewarding to help people get back to their best selves – with a smile on their faces and a sparkle in their eyes once their pain has been resolved, their depression lifted, and they’re able to digest and enjoy their food.
http://diamondstoneom.com/about/
Hi! I am Betsy Nelson – freelance food stylist, recipe developer, cooking teacher, Ayurvedic chef and certified herbalist. Why do I wear so many hats? I have always loved learning and exploring how our food relates to our health and well being.
I have always been interested in food, especially plants that are the sources for nourishing our bodies, as well as our minds and spirits. I graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BA in Psychology and Studio Arts, which may seem like an odd background for a food person, but I find the process of cooking to be very much a creative process and a great way to connect with others. I have continued my education studying Ayurveda and Western herbalism with a variety of local and national teachers, as well as completed/participated in a Wellness Coaching Program through the Mayo Clinic. Teaching cooking classes to learn how to incorporate foods and herbs for supporting our health as well as foraging for wild edibles, is a passion of mine and I love to take people on walks in the woods to go out and see what nature has to offer!
Autumn is the time for us to hunker down and get back to our roots and nourish ourselves. Betsy will talk about some ways to work with roots in cooking and tea and bitters making. We will do some ’show and smell’ with some common roots found in our area and sip on some roots teas.
Recipes:Autumn Roots BittersThe roots in this sipper are bitter but also aromatic and helpful for digestion. When I serve this to guests after a meal they are delighted with the flavor and surprised to learn what is in it. I think that is part of the mystique of roots. Feel free to get a little in touch with your inner witch and try some other combinations. A little fresh turmeric root can sub for the yellow dock root, if you like. Dried roots can work as well, just use about 1/4 the quantity for the recipe. Licorice root is nice if you like that flavor, although I wouldn’t over-do it, especially if you on blood thinner medication or have high blood pressure. Sometimes I toss in a couple of star anise, a cinnamon stick, some cloves or a little orange zest. Let your palate and intuition be your guide!4 ounces brandy1 ounce maple syrup1” vanilla bean, split1 slice burdock root1 slice yellow dock root1 slice elecampane root6 slices roasted dandelion root (or raw, up to you)1 slice ginger root1 slice turmeric root(optional)1 star anise pod (optional)1/2 Ceylon cinnamon stick (optional)Add all ingredients to a 6-8 ounce jar or bottle. Label and date the container. Let it infuse for 6-8 weeks and strain through a fine strainer or coffee filter. Taste and add more maple syrup if you like. Will keep for at least a year in a well-sealed bottle at room temperature.
Witchy Roots SyrupRoots like burdock, dandelion, elecampane and ginger are great for the digestive system and this witchy concoction is a sort of DIY root beer that is wonderful enjoyed as a soda or a cocktail. Dried roots can be found at herbal shops or online, or even in your own backyard.Makes 1 ½ cups syrupRoots Syrup:2 Tablespoons dried burdock root*1 slice dried elecampane root*1 Tablespoon roasted dandelion or chicory root*1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger root½ teaspoon dried licorice root or star anise pod½ vanilla bean or ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste1 cup water½ cup maple syrupSimmer the roots and vanilla bean in water for 5 minutes and steep for 25 minutes. Strain, add maple syrup and chill. This syrup is delicious added to drinks and also when drizzled over vanilla ice cream.For the drinks:Wild Root Beer: Pour ¼ cup roots syrup over crushed ice and top with fizzy water or gingerale
I am Amy Sponaugle. I have been with North Country Herbalist Guild since 2019 and a board member since 2020.
Kathy Tran
Judit O’Keeffe
Rachel Zerby
Pam Broekemeier
Amy Daws
Emily Pearson Ryan
Carolyn Smith
Laura Shaw Sanden