HERB CLASSES

This year we are offering many new classes in

 Anderson, SC. In keeping with the “Sustaining 

Ourselves” theme from last year, we are offering 

classes on home-canning, soap-making, and 

dying fabric with Indigo, along with the popular

 Basics of Medicine-Making.    Also new this year 

is Choosing the Right Herb, a weekend focused 

on botany, plant constituents, and learning how 

to pair plants with people based on tissue states 

and herbal actions; don’t worry, it’s not as 

complicated as it sounds.  In Southern & 

Appalachian Folk Medicine, we will focus on the 

history and cultural contributions to our 

Southern herbal heritage and keeping that plant-

based knowledge alive.

We are thrilled to have Dr. Karen Hall, Ethnobotanist, joining us as a guest teacher this year! Karen is a gifted teacher who captivates her students as she shares her knowledge of and passion for the plants.  You don’t want to miss an opportunity to learn from the well of wisdom of this green sister!  She will join Robin in teaching Choosing the Right Herb and Southern Appalachian Folk Medicine, and the Indigo class is hers alone.

 Also on the calendar is a series of classes that Robin is offering at Hagood Mil in Pickens, SC. Other venues include the inaugural Organic Growing Conference in Clinton, SC, the Gaia Gathering in Virginia, the New England Women’s Herbal Conference, and Herb Weekend in New Bern, NC. 

 So grab a cup of hot tea, get comfy, and read through the class offerings for 2012.  I look forward to seeing you soon!

Warm Winter Dreams and Green Blessings,

Robin

February 4, 2012

The Joy of Making Soap

$75

10am-4pm

Making your own soap is fun and addictive!  In this one-day demonstration class, students will learn the cold-process method of creating homemade soap from start to finish, all about soap molds, using essential oils to scent your soap, properties of different vegetable oils and animal fats, other ingredients for specialized soaps, and using plant materials for color.  Students will come away with written instructions, recipes, a list of resources for soap-making materials, the confidence and skill to go home and do it yourself, and at least one bar of homemade soap.  Class size is limited to 5-10 students. Registration & deposit due by Jan 27.

February 25-26, 2012

Basics of Medicine-Making

$150

10am-5pm

Come in out of the cold, have some hot tea, and let’s get busy!  Much of our time this weekend will be hands-on in the kitchen making herbal medicine, so don’t wear your Sunday best.  Come prepared to get messy.  Students will create several products to take home.  We will cover harvesting & drying herbs, herbal oils, salves & creams, tinctures, decoctions and infusions, syrups, and resources for purchasing high quality dried herbs, seeds, and plants.  Class size is limited to 5-15 students.  Registration & deposit due by Feb 10.

*WE HAVE A FEW SPACES LEFT FOR THE BASICS

 CLASS. Mail your $50 deposit to


Robin McGee

3456 Hwy 187 South

Anderson, SC 29626


and send an email to robinmcgee16@gmail.com

to let us know you mailed your deposit so we can save

 your space.* 

  March 31 – April 1

Southern & Appalachian Folk

 Medicine: Past to Present

$150

10am-5pm

Medicine is culturally bound.  Our grandmothers' grandmother knew how to use the plants to give ease.  They were connected to the land and understood what is today referred to as Southern Blood Typology; blood temperature, quality, textures, and flavor.  The Cherokee, Scots-Irish, and African peoples each contributed to the plant-based knowledge in the South.  This information was passed down orally and is still practiced in parts of the southeast today.  We will cover some of the plants, the history, cultural contributions, and blood typology of our southern herbal heritage as well as the causes of illness, the methods of transmission of illness from the Southern & Appalachian Folk Medicine perspective, and the persistence of that knowledge today.  Class size is limited to 5-15 students.  Registration and deposit due by March 2.

April 28-29, 2012

Choosing the Right Herb:

Understanding Plant Families,

 Constituents, & Herbal Actions

$150

10am-5pm

This lighthearted, fun, and experiential weekend is suited for any herbalist-in-training from  beginners to advanced students.

As herbalists, common questions we are asked include "how does that plant work," "how do I know which one to choose," and "what if that plant doesn't grow here."  The goal of this workshop is to give the herbalist a set of tools to help answer those questions, to use in determining which plant to choose for a given condition, and to understand how these marvelous green allies do what they do.  By learning to recognize patterns we can identify plant families.  In recognizing the family we have a good idea of some of a plant's constituents.  Having a basic understanding of the constituents we can determine the properties and actions of a given herb. Beyond the  "this herb for that ailment" mentality of herbal medicine this workshop will provide a foundation for choosing the right herb.  Class size is limited to 5-15 students. Registration & deposit due by March 30.

May 19-20, 2012

Long-Term Food Storage:

Home Canning

$125

10am-5pm

Homegrown or locally grown fruits and veggies have much more flavor and nutritional value than the frankenfood lining the shelves in the supermarkets. Canning your own food is much easier than you think! This hands-on weekend workshop will give you the skills and confidence you need to can your own food. Participants will take home a jar of each item canned. We will cover Using a Pressure Canner, Hot Pack, Cold Pack, Hot Water Bath, Fresh Fruits & Veggies, Jams, Jellies & Preserves, Canning Without Pectin, Tomatoes & Tomato Products.  Class size is limited to 5-15 students.  Class size is limited to 5-15 students. Registration & deposit due by April 20.

September 22, 2012

A Plant to Dye For: Indigo

$75

10am-4pm

Dr. Karen Hall will share with us the history of using Indigo for dye, requirements for growing your own Indigo, processing methods and surface design of the fabric.  Come join her in this fun and busy hands-on class.  Dress to make a mess!  Participants will each dye two items to take home. Class size is limited to 5-15 students. Registration & deposit due by August 24.

 *******

To register for classes:

1 - Send an email to robinmcgee16@gmail.com to let us know which class(es) you plan to attend, and

2 - Send a $50 non-refundable*, non-transferable deposit per workshop to:

Robin McGee

3456 Hwy 187 South

Anderson, SC 29626

Tuition for classes includes all instruction, materials, handouts, tea, water, & snacks. To help keep the cost affordable, instead of charging for lunch we are asking that each participant bring a dish to share. This has worked beautifully in the past, and it’s always exciting to see (and taste!) the variety of delicious foods!

Detailed information will be sent when your deposit is received.  


*If we have inclement weather, classes will be

rescheduled. In the unlikely event that a class is

cancelled all deposits will be returned.