Bittersweet Weekend

By Ann Schletz

On the weekend of November 25, the 2017 Plants Apprenticeship group gathered for the last time. We spent our time together making plant medicines from many of the plants that we had met during our eight months together. There was laughter and gratitude, learning and sharing and good food for all.

We crafted some infused oils, tinctures, lip balms and salves. Fire cider created some excitement as many of us hadn’t tried this tasty recipe before. Jars filled with colourful, pungent herbs soon lined the counter.

There was a lesson about the art of mixing herbal teas and a chance to create our own blends. Kelly and Lee shared their recipes for tasty elder flower cordial and healthful elderberry syrup. For those of us feeling a bit under the weather and fighting coughs, Alexis shared a recipe for cough syrup.

In addition to all the bustling activity of creating good medicines, there was also the opportunity to read through the well stocked herbal medicine library provided by Alexis.

On Saturday evening, many people shared the projects that they have been working on as part of their learning adventure. I think that it is safe to say that everyone was inspired by the hard work and thoughtfulness that went into these projects.

Thank you to everyone who shared their photos for the power point presentation put together by Kelly. It was a really nice reminder of all the experiences that we have shared together.

As the weekend came to a close and we gathered around the table piled with the bounty that we had created, we shared gratitude one last time for the plants that we had learned about and for one another and the gifts that each person brought to the group.