Backyard Wildcraft

Traverse some gorgeous terrain in the east Applegate Valley and hills of Jacksonville, while getting to know many native and naturalized medicinal plants.

Beyond the Backyard: an herbal field program exploring the botanical bounty of the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion

Beyond the Backyard: an herbal field program exploring the botanical bounty of the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion

Beyond the Backyard: an herbal field program exploring the botanical bounty of the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion

Beyond the Backyard: an herbal field program exploring the botanical bounty of the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion

Beyond the Backyard: an herbal field program exploring the botanical bounty of the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion

Beyond the Backyard: an herbal field program exploring the botanical bounty of the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion

Beyond the Backyard: an herbal field program exploring the botanical bounty of the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion

It is time again for my annual spring time community plant walk to welcome in the season!

Tinctures (alcohol extracts) are a very resource efficient, highly absorbable, and shelf stable medium for medicinal herbs. One of the drawbacks for many people is that they tend to be quite expensive. For the same price as a 4 ounce tincture at the store, you will leave this class with more than four ounces of tincture of your own making. We'll learn the difference between tincturing dry herbs and fresh. We'll also discuss glycerites, an alcohol free alternative to tinctures, and this option will be available for anyone who needs it. It will be early in the season but we'll hopefully have some fresh herbs that are ready to be harvested, from the garden and if not, there will be various options of dry herbs to work with. You will also gain the skills to continue making these extracts, and deepen your relationship with your medicine. To support young people in learning these skills and, anyone ages 13-22 can take these classes for 1/2 price ($25 per class or $100 for all 5)

Write letters, write poems, sketch and doodle and paint with materials your hands have crafted from nature’s abundance! Join Lauren for a few hours of smooshing and simmering plant parts into exquisite colors! We’ll make three gorgeous inks! Black ink from oak galls (those funny balls that grow on oak trees), brown ink from black walnuts, and yellow from turmeric. You’ll also get to try many other colors of handcrafted inks. We’ll experiment with various tools for using your inks, including handmade twig and feather dip pens. Materials will be available to make your own dip pens during class or at home. You’ll get hands-on learning, handouts, three inks to take home, and pens of your own making, and inspiration to continue sourcing beauty from beneath your feet! To support young people in learning these skills and, anyone ages 13-22 can take these classes for 1/2 price ($25 per class or $100 for all 5)

Honey is both an effective and a delicious base for extracting herbal compounds. We'll taste and learn about various honey based products and make our own tasty oxymel (vinegar and honey) as well as a cough syrup to take home. To support young people in learning these skills and, anyone ages 13-22 can take these classes for 1/2 price ($25 per class or $100 for all 5)

*This class is sold out. Please email or text Lauren to get on the waitlist backyardwildcraft@gmail.com or 541-450-2871* We'll use some of the infused oil we made the previous week to make an herbal first aid salve. We'll also experiment with making minor variations in the salve recipe to make lip balm in a tube. Participants will go home with one 2 ounce jar of salve, a tube of lip balm, and recipes and skills to continue making salve at home. Participation in the infused oils class on February 21st is recommended but not required for this class. To support young people in learning these skills and, anyone ages 13-22 can take these classes for 1/2 price ($25 per class or $100 for all 5)

*This class is full. Email or text Lauren to get on the waitlist backyardwildcraft@gmail.com or 541-450-2871* Herbal infused oils (not to be confused with essential oils) can be used topically for various ailments. They are simple to make and cost effective. We’ll learn several methods of infusing oils. Students will then make a 4 ounce jar of herbal oil from several options of organic, dried herbs, which they will take home to macerate (infuse). We'll also make an ethyl oil together which will be ready to use by the end of the class, with enough for students to take some home as well as some to save to use in our salve making class the following week. To support young people in learning these skills and, anyone ages 13-22 can take these classes for 1/2 price ($25 per class or $100 for all 5)

**Due to some of the classes being full, the whole series ticket is now sold out.** Sign up for all 5 classes for $200 ($50 savings). Young people ages 13-22 price for all 5 classes is $100 ($25 savings)

Explore the gardens and natural area of North Mountain Park while developing an understanding of how to identify and ethically harvest plants for food, medicine and more. (*note: non-educational harvesting at North Mountain Park is prohibited). Learn about the uses and benefits of multiple wild and cultivated herbs while enjoying a nature stroll. By the end of the program, students will feel confident in identifying several plants and their many uses. Novice to intermediate students will enjoy this class as there is always something new to learn! Bring a pen and paper for notes, a camera/phone for photos if desired and anything else needed to stay comfortable (water bottle, sun hat etc.)

As humans we have, over millennia, co-evolved with plants. Our bodies know and recognize each other. In this unique collaboration between Vitalist Botanicals and Lexi Alma, we will explore the energetic intersection between humans and plants. We will embody plant energy and discover the wealth of information and wisdom our bodies hold. We will experiment with using Systemic Constellation Work practices to deepen our relationships with a handful of local plants. Those new to Constellation Work will find a beautiful and gentle tuning-in to your body’s knowledge in relation to our friends in the plant world. In addition to working individually and in small groups with the plants, there is space for one person to set a personal plant focused constellation during the workshop. Please reach out to Lauren and Rhonda vitalistbotanicals@gmail.comif you are interested in or have questions about setting a constellation. $50 to participate, $100 to participate + set a constellation.

Spring time is here and the woodlands are alive with magic! Join Lauren Kemple and Rhonda Brown for a slow meander through a mellow area of the woodlands to greet some spring beauties. We'll get to know both common and unusual edible and medicinal plants of our unique bioregion. Directions to the exact location will be shared with registrants several days before the walk. Kids are welcome though content will be geared towards adults. Bring a notebook and something to write with if you're a notetaking sort of person. Cost of walk is $15. Email vitalistbotanicals@gmail.com with questions.

Spring time is bursting and the forests are alive with magic! Celebrate this vitality-filled time of year with a mellow meander through forested and riparian areas along Foots Creek, between Gold Hill and Rogue River. We'll get to know various common and not-so-common wild spring edible and medicinal plants.

Join Lauren Kemple and Kate Stanko for a delightful time transforming plants into color and applying them to paper. You’ll make three botanicals inks to take home and four holiday cards and envelopes using those inks and other luxurious materials. We'll provide snacks and tea. Bring your own lunch. $70 + $15 materials fee Registration deadline Monday November 6th

Write letters, write poems, sketch and doodle and paint with materials your hands have crafted from nature’s abundance! Join Lauren for a few hours of smooshing and simmering plant parts into exquisite colors! We’ll make three gorgeous inks! Black ink from oak galls (those funny balls that grow on oak trees), brown from black walnuts, and magenta from poke berries. You’ll also get to try many other colors of handcrafted inks. We’ll experiment with various tools for using your inks, including handmade twig and feather dip pens. Materials will be available to make your own dip pens during class or at home. You’ll get a complimentary drink of choice, hands-on learning, handouts, three inks to take home, and pens of your own making, and inspiration to continue sourcing beauty from beneath your feet! More information will be sent out several days before the class. Botanical ink painting by Katrina Davis 2022

Come celebrate fall and check out the gardens, apothecary, and classroom space for Vitalist Botanicals and Backyard Wildcraft. We'll have snacks and tea, product samples, products for sale, 80% discount on select tinctures, herbal giveway area (bring herbs you want to pass along), book give away, a botanical ink art station. Bring a picnic lunch if you'd like!

As we transition into fall, the land is abundant with the offerings she has been growing since spring. This time of year is wonderful for finding nuts and seeds and berries. Join us to get to know some of the late summer wild medicinal and edible plants with Lauren Kemple of Backyard Wildcraft and the Oshala Herb Lab, in a mellow meander around the edges of Oshala Farm.

Visit the gardens of Vitalist Botanicals as well as wild places of the Foots Creek area. We’ll get to know many cultivated medicinals as well as many local wild medicinals. We’ll have some TBD medicine making options (possibly tincture, glycerite or infused oil) so everyone will get to take home medicine if their choice and making.

We’ll spend the day exploring in the Greensprings exploring and getting to know St John’s wort, yarrow, Lomatium dissectum and other plant friends. We’ll have materials to make tinctures and/or infused oil in the field.

Making your own herbal salves and oils can be a hugely satisfying experience. We’ll use pre-infused herbal oil to make our own herbal first aid salve. Students will then make an herbal oil from several options of Oshala grown dried herbs, which they will take home to macerate (infuse). You’ll go home with a 2 oz jar of salve, a half pint of organic olive oil infusing with herbs, the basic skills and the recipes to make many more oils and salves on your own.

In partnership with Madrona Folk School, www.madronafolkschool.love Kids Herb Camp, ages 10-14 Wednesday thru Friday July 5th - 7th, 10 AM - 3 PM Herbal Medicine, Plant Crafts, Botanical Inks, Games, Plant Walks and Swimming! email Dovekin42@gmail.com to register

This class is hosted by the Siskiyou Field Institute but will be taking place around Jacksonville. Traverse some gorgeous terrain in the east Applegate Valley and hills of Jacksonville, while getting to know many native and naturalized medicinal plants. This class is especially for the frazzled and frayed among us. We’ll focus in on nervines and adaptogens, herbs that nourish and support us in times of stress and exhaustion. We’ll end the day making a tincture of plants we saw in the field as well as a sun tea from them, so you can try the plants out yourself! Field day is moderately difficult (1-3 miles of hiking and/or climbs of up to 500 ft) Ages 12+ welcome.

Tinctures (alcohol extracts*) are a very resource efficient, highly absorbable, and shelf stable medium for medicinal herbs. One of the drawbacks for many people is that they tend to be quite expensive. For the same price as a 4 ounce tincture at the store, you will leave this class with more than four ounces of fresh-plant tincture of your own making. You can choose between several fresh seasonal medicinals, which you’ll harvest right from the ground at Oshala. You will also gain the skills to continue making these extracts (both fresh and dry plant tinctures), and deepen your relationship with your medicine.

We are in the middle of moving our apothecary and setting up classroom space so are postponing the nettle class till June! Our Slow Plant Medicine series is a monthly botanical deep dive offering. We will work with one plant each class using our senses, hands, and heart.

Write letters, write poems, sketch and doodle and paint with materials your hands have crafted from nature’s abundance! Join Lauren Kemple of Backyard Wildcraft and the Oshala Herb Lab, for a few hours of smooshing and simmering plant parts into exquisite colors! We’ll make gorgeous black ink from oak galls (those funny balls that grow on oak trees) and one other color of locally sourced ink. You’ll also get to try many other colors of handcrafted inks. We’ll experiment with various tools for using your inks, including handmade twig and feather dip pens. Materials will be available to make your own dip pens during class or at home. You’ll get hands-on learning, handouts, two inks to take home, and pens of your own making.

Spring time is here and the woodlands are alive with magic! Celebrate Earth Day by joining me for a slow meander through a mellow area of the woodlands to greet some spring beauties. We'll get to know both common and unusual plants of our unique bioregion. Directions to the exact location will be shared with registrants several days before the walk. This walk is offered as a gift because I love my human and plant communities. Kids are welcome though content will be geared towards adults. Bring a notebook and something to write with if you're a notetaking sort of person.

Spring time is bursting and the woodlands are alive with magic! Celebrate this vitality-filled time of year with a mellow meander through the Enchanted Forest to greet some spring beauties. We'll get to know various common and not-so-common wild spring edible and medicinal plants. Group size will be limited so pre-register to ensure your spot. Drop-ins welcome only if there is space. This walk is offered as a free gift just because I love my botanical and human community! Kids are welcome with supervision, though content will be geared towards adults. Bring a notebook and something to write with and all your love for this beautiful land where we live!

The bounty of nature doesn’t end with summer! Explore the many useful roots, berries, bark, and nuts all around you during fall in the Illinois Valley. Learn basic botany and plant identification skills, and get to know medicinal, edible and otherwise usable plants in the field. Finally, we’ll ethically harvest ingredients to make a warm drink, bay nut “chocolates”, and an acorn treat.

Write, sketch, and paint with materials your hands have crafted from nature’s abundance! Smoosh and simmer plant parts into exquisite colors – we’ll make gorgeous black ink from oak galls, rich brown ink from black walnut hulls, and one other locally harvested color. You’ll also get to play with many other colors of handcrafted inks. Finally we’ll experiment with various tools for using your inks, including handmade twig and feather dip pens. You’ll get hands-on learning, handouts, three inks to take home, and a pen of your own making.

As we transition into fall, the land is abundant with the offerings she has been growing since spring. This time of year is wonderful for finding nuts and seeds and berries. Join us to get to know some of the late summer wild medicinal and edible plants with Lauren Kemple of Backyard Wildcraft and the Oshala Herb Lab, in a mellow meander around the edges of Oshala Farm.

Making your own herbal salves and oils can be a hugely satisfying experience. We’ll use pre-infused herbal oil to make our own herbal first aid salve. Students will then make an herbal from several options of Oshala grown dried herbs, which they will take home to macerate (infuse). You’ll go home with a 2 oz jar of salve, a half pint of organic olive oil infusing with herbs, the basic skills and the recipes to make many more oils and salves on your own.

Expand your foraging knowledge and explore the useful flora all around you in the Illinois Valley. Learn basic botany and plant identification skills, which plants are edible and have medicinal uses, as well as various extraction and medicine making methods. Finally you’ll get hands-on practice at making tinctures and more with plant material gathered during your exploration in the field. Field day is easy (car travel with short stops, up to 1 mile of hiking). Ages 12+ welcome.

This class is full! Please email me to get on the waitlist. Tinctures (alcohol extracts*) are a very resource efficient, highly absorbable, and shelf stable medium for medicinal herbs. One of the drawbacks for many people is that they tend to be quite expensive. For the same price as a 4 ounce tincture at the store, you will leave this class with more than four ounces of fresh-plant tincture of your own making. You can choose between several fresh seasonal medicinals, which you’ll harvest right from the ground at Oshala. You will also gain the skills to continue making these extracts (both fresh and dry plant tinctures), and deepen your relationship with your medicine.

***This class is being postponed till later this summer. *** I am so excited to be collaborating with local calligrapher and artist, Kate Clark for this day long workshop! It is sure to inspire you! It will be held at a beautiful private residence in Williams, and you'll be fed a delicious lunch and great wine! We'll make three different botanical inks to take home, and play with other colors. Sticks and feathers will become our writing tools and we'll have empty markers, brushes, and glass dip pens to use as well. Kate will lead us in making a simple journal and share some very basic calligraphy tips.

We’ll explore some natural botanical inks, and then do a hands-on activity with oak galls. How do these natural oddities form, and how can they be transformed for creative human uses? You’ll make your own oak gall ink, experiment with various implements for writing or sketching. Wear clothes that might get dirty/stained.

Write letters, write poems, sketch and doodle and paint with materials your hands have crafted from nature’s abundance! Join Lauren Kemple of Backyard Wildcraft and the Oshala Herb Lab, for a morning of smooshing and simmering plant parts into exquisite colors! We’ll make gorgeous black ink from oak galls (those funny balls that grow on oak trees) and one other color of locally sourced ink. You’ll also get to try many other colors of handcrafted inks. We’ll experiment with various tools for using your inks, including handmade twig and feather dip pens. Materials will be available to make your own dip pens during class or at home. You’ll get hands-on learning, handouts, two inks to take home, materials for a pen of your own making, and a journal for taking notes.

Explore the gardens and natural area of North Mountain Park while developing an understanding of how to identify and ethically harvest plants for food, medicine and more. (*note: non-educational harvesting at North Mountain Park is prohibited). Learn about the uses and benefits of multiple wild and cultivated herbs while enjoying a nature stroll. By the end of the program, students will feel confident in identifying several plants and their many uses. Novice to intermediate students will enjoy this class as there is always something new to learn! Bring pen and paper for notes, a camera/phone for photos if desired and anything else needed to stay comfortable (water bottle, sun hat etc.)

Springtime is here and the land is alive with magic! Celebrate this vibrant time of year by joining Lauren Kemple of Backyard Wildcraft and the Oshala Herb Lab, for a meander around the edges of Oshala Farm to greet some medicinal and edible wild spring beauties.

Spring time is just about to burst and the woodlands are alive with impending magic! Celebrate this vitality-filled time of year with a meander through a mellow area of the woodlands to greet some spring beauties. We'll get to know various common and not-so-common wild spring edible and medicinal plants. Group size will be limited so pre-register to ensure your spot. Drop-ins welcome only if there is space. This walk is offered as a free gift just because I love my botanical and human community! Kids are welcome with supervision, though content will be geared towards adults. Bring a notebook and something to write with and all your love for this beautiful land where we live!

**Class cancelled due to low enrollment. Reach out if you’re interested in another wild foods class this winter, otherwise stay tuned for more spring of 2022! ** Amongst the striking beauty of a changing fall forest exists a bounty of food. Join Lauren of Backyard Wildcraft for a morning of cooking up some of this abundance. We’ll learn about identification and respectful harvesting of several locally abundant wild foods. You’ll get hands-on experience and recipes for making acorn muffins, California bay nut truffles (they really taste like chocolate + coffee!), and a warming tea blend with extra to take home. Cost of class includes one drink from the Miners' Bazaar menu, treats and recipes + a bag of the tea we will create together Sliding scale option available, contact me for info. Space is limited. Dress warmly as we’ll spend most of the time outside on the covered patio area.

Write letters, write poems, sketch and doodle and paint with materials your hands have crafted from nature’s abundance!

The bounty of nature doesn’t end with summer! Join us to learn about harvesting many of the useful roots, berries, bark, and nuts that can be found in the fall months. Spend time in the field identifying, learning the benefits of, and collecting local flora. Then get hands-on practice preparing your own medicinal tincture, as well as some warm fall treats and teas. Ages 12 and up welcome! *Field hike is easy: car travel with short stops, up to 1 mile of hiking

Join me, Lauren Kemple, at beautiful Oshala Farm in Provolt, for another class on how to make your own fresh plant tinctures! This time we'll be tincturing roots.

Write letters, write poems, sketch and doodle and paint with materials your hands have crafted from nature’s abundance!

If you have been curious about how to begin your wildcrafting journey, this class is for you.

Rescheduled for September 8th! Join me, Lauren Kemple, at beautiful Oshala Farm in Provolt, for a class on how to make your own fresh plant tinctures!

If you have been curious about how to begin your wildcrafting journey, this class is for you.

Explore the gardens and natural area of North Mountain Park, while developing an understanding of where to find and how to harvest useful plants (*note: non-educational harvesting at North Mountain Park is prohibited). Learn about the uses and benefits of several wild and cultivated herbs, while enjoying a nature stroll. There will be new things to see in each walk, take one or both of them. Novice to intermediate students will enjoy this class, there is always something new to learn! This class will be held outdoors, masks and safe physical distancing are required.

Expand your foraging knowledge and explore the local flora of the Illinois Valley! Learn basic botany and plant identification skills, types of useful plants in the area and how to ethically harvest them, as well as various extraction and medicine making methods. Finally we’ll try our hand at making tinctures with plant material gathered during our explorations in the field. Ages 12 and up welcome! With Lauren Kemple and Erin McKinsey

Explore the gardens and natural area of North Mountain Park, while developing an understanding of where to find and how to harvest useful plants (*note: non-educational harvesting at North Mountain Park is prohibited). Learn about the uses and benefits of several wild and cultivated herbs, while enjoying a nature stroll. There will be new things to see in each walk, take one or both of them. Novice to intermediate students will enjoy this class, there is always something new to learn! This class will be held outdoors, masks and safe physical distancing are required.

Spring time is here and the woodlands are alive with magic! Celebrate Mothers' Day weekend by joining me and herbalists Rhonda Brown and Joyce Stahmann, for a meander through a mellow riparian area of the woodlands to greet some spring beauties. We'll get to know bleeding heart, Lomatium dissectum, and other common and powerful plants. Preregistration required (use registration form OR email backyardwildcraft@gmail.com) Group size will be kept small. This walk is offered as a gift to the community in honor of Mothers' Day and Beltane. Donations will be accepted but not expected. Kids are welcome though content will be geared towards adults. Bring a notebook and something to write with.

Plant Spirit Herbalism Summit: on Connecting with Plant Consciousness and the Healing Wisdom of Nature with 30+ Herbalists and Plant Spirit Healing Experts. Join us for 4 days of amazing speakers! Check out my talk on Saturday, March 20, 1:30 PM PDT. "Begin Where You Are: Plant Spirits in Your Backyard."

With Erin McKinsey and Lauren Kemple A day long class through the Siskiyou Field Institute, exploring edible and medicinal plants in the field, learning some basic medicine making techniques and making wild weed pesto.

Erin McKinsey and Lauren Kemple are back at North Mountain Park again for a springtime plant walk.

Join Lauren to explore the medicinal and edible plants that are beginning to pop up in early spring in Jacksonville.