Friday,
June
16th
Friday,
June
23rd
Friday,
June
30th
Friday,
July
7th
This is the time to get out in nature! Summer is such a bountiful time of year-with so many plants at their peak! Whether you are an absolute beginner or a seasoned herbalist desiring to go deeper in herbal studies with hands-on field work, the Summer Botanical Primer is for you! Come meet the plants of our unique bioregion, learn about wild plants and the communities in which they grow. We will focus on the positive impacts plants can have on our physical, mental and spiritual health. To do this, we will dig deep into how the plants work in and with our bodies and how we can cultivate reciprocal relationships with the green world and become better stewards of the earth. We will cover ethical and sustainable harvesting practices, energetics, and plant constituents in order to make the most exquisite hand-crafted remedies that are highly effective and that you will feel good about incorporating into your daily life! The Summer Primer is a fantastic extension of the Spring Primer but can be taken as a stand-alone session as well!
Summer is a time of bounty and vitality! It is a time of passion, energy, growth. Time to get (re)connected to the earth and let your spirit soar as you do something deeply nourishing for yourself!
In the Summer Botanical Primer you will be able to get your hands delightfully dirty and fill your senses as you immerse yourself in learning about the wild plants of our bioregion and herbalism’s holistic approach to health and well-being.
You will acquire skills and knowledge to support your own health and that of your loved ones. Learn to create effective herbal remedies for mind, body and soul and build your herbal apothecary. Getting herbs to the people in ways they will delight in taking them so that healing can occur is a motto here at the Cedar Mountain Herb School. This is a thread that weaves throughout the entire primer!
What we study will depend on what is seasonally abundant. In the Summer Primer students may encounter and study the following herbs:
- St John’s wort
- Wild rose
- Yarrow
- Mullein
- Desert sage
- Mugwort
- Cleavers
- Uva Ursi
- and more!
“We go where the plants grow!” Students will travel to beautiful and unique places to commune with nature and each other, harvest plants in their natural habitats, and create medicine in the field. Each weeks’ lessons follow the season and will focus on what is growing in abundance. Learn to listen to the plants and accept the gifts that nature offers as nature’s timing is always perfect!
Before registration, students will be asked to create a Student Account, where each lesson is posted along with a detailed supply list for each week, harvest location and meeting information, participate in forums, coordinate carpooling, and get tons more herbal info! We do not send out individual course related emails to each student; your Apprentice Portal is where all communication happens.
Detailed meeting locations will be provided each week in your Apprentice Portal.
Classes are held outside-rain or shine-in beautiful fields, forests, and beaches. Each Friday we go to a new and beautiful place to explore the different ecologies and plant communities.
Where we go each week depends on what is abundant and ripe for picking! Some typical places we may travel to for the Summer Primer are areas in and around Seattle, including on the Sound and inland, up the Snoqualmie and Green Rivers, to Camano or Whidbey Island, the Cle Elum/Ellensburg area.
Get ready to meet new herbal friends, both plants and people, and experience for The Best Fridays Ever! This is an exceptionally unique experience that is truly transformational… the start of a life-long love affair!
Important details:
Please feel free to contact us with any questions you might have before registering 🌿
WHAT TO BRING:
Tools and Equipment
Bear in mind that students may not need everything every week, but the following are good to have on hand.
- Half pint (8 ounce) and one-pint (16 ounce) wide mouth jars with screw top lids.
- Sharp knife, scissors and cutting board
- Hand clippers (Felco is a good brand)
- Fabric grocery bags or basket
- Camp chair or blanket to sit on
- Water/snacks/lunch
- Notebook and pencil/pen
- Masking tape or stick on labels and sharpie pen
- You may need to have a Discover Pass and a Northwest Forest Pass
Hand washing station and sanitizer for each outing will be supplied.
Remedy Making Ingredients
This list will help you to get an idea of things you might need to have on hand for medicine making. See below for a list of sources. Each week students will be notified in advance what to bring for each particular lesson.
- 1 bottle (750 ml) 151 proof alcohol (unflavored). Vodka or rum.
- 1 bottle (750 ml brandy (80 proof)
- 1 quart olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 quart apple cider vinegar (unpasteurized)
- 1 quart raw, local honey (not creamed)
- 2 ounces food grade vegetable glycerin (optional)
- 16 ounces witch hazel (unscented-for making topical remedies)
- 6 ounces beeswax or shea butter (for making salves)