Foraging & Herbal Medicine Course: Wild Things Year 1
Join community herbalist and foraging tutor, Catriona Gibson for this eight month exploration of wild medicinal and edible plants growing abundantly in and around Glasgow through the seasons.
About Foraging & Herbal Medicine Course: Wild Things Year 1
The Wild Things course is an eight month exploration of British wild food & medicinal plants growing in a variety of habitats through the seasons.
It provides opportunities to gain confidence in low impact foraging, beginners botany & ecology, & to develop a sensory approach to using wild plants both as food & medicine. There will be a combination of theoretical & practical remedy making sessions in the classroom lessons and introductions to many different plant species on the outdoor herb walks.
Increasingly today our food & medicine is flown to us from far regions of the globe. Health food shops are stocked with ‘superfoods’ from rare and diminishing habitats, and we are commonly offered endangered species like Arnica & Echinacea.
We have lost our connection to our local bioregions, & with it all of the history & traditions that our landscape & the plants that grow there can offer us.
This course is about re-connection & about building sustainable, healthful practices through a deepening relationship with our local ecosystems. For this reason the plants that are covered on this course are those that are common & abundant in the Northern British Isles.
Course Outcomes
• Develop an understanding of the ethics and practice of ecological harvesting and gain confidence in low impact foraging
• Try out recipes and learn practical remedy making skills for home use
• Learn about the edible and medicinal properties of some of our common British plants & when to harvest them
• Develop a sensory approach to herbal medicine
• Beginners botany & ecology & the ability to confidently identify common species
• Gain an understanding of how to live more harmoniously with the seasons
• Visit distinct habitats on our herb walks and see how the plant communities that live within them change over the year
Course Contents & Dates
All sessions will be on Saturdays 10am-4.30pm:
10am-12/12.30pm Herb Walk
Lunch 12.30-1.30pm (please Bring Your Own)
1.30-4.30pm Classroom Session
We have allowed an extra half hour in the morning for potential travel from different meeting points - we may finish earlier on days that we are in Pollok Park all day.
Saturday 28th March 10am-4.30pm:
Herb Walk 1 Pollok Park & mystery herb
Classroom 1: course introduction, basic principles, sensory herbalism introduction & mystery herb
Saturday 18th April 10am-4.30pm:
Herb Walk 2 Queen's Park & mystery herb
Classroom 2: ecology & plant communities, sustainable foraging practice, spring tonics & mystery herb
Saturday 16th May 10am-4.30pm:
Herb Walk 3 Pollok Park & mystery herb
Classroom 3: herbal preparations introduction, harvesting, drying & storing, infusions & decoctions & mystery herb
Saturday 13th June 10am-4.30pm:
Herb Walk 4 Queen's Park & mystery herb
Classroom 4: herbal actions introduction, herbal tinctures & mystery herb
Saturday 25th July 10am-4.30pm:
Herb Walk 5 Lochwinnoch & mystery herb
Classroom 5: a sensory approach to plant chemistry, infused oils & mystery herb
Saturday 22nd August 10am-4.30pm:
Herb Walk 6 Cathkin Braes & mystery herb
Classroom 6: seeds, herbal ointments & mystery herb
Saturday 12th September 10am-4.30pm:
Final Herb Walk 7 Queen's Park & mystery herb
Classroom 7: preserving the bountiful autumn, herbal syrups, herbal infused vinegars & mystery herb
Saturday 3rd October 10.30am-3pm:
Classroom 8: foraging in the dark months, home medicine chest & mystery herb
the final classroom session will include our end of year celebration, a chance to share remedies and food we’ve made from wild ingredients
The structure of our final session together will be a little different including our final classroom activities & then an end of course celebration & bring & share (see below).
Meeting Point: Sir John Stirling Maxwell Allotments, Pollok Park, 2060 Pollokshaws Road, G43 1AT - this will be the meeting point for our first session and subsequent walks in Pollok Park. Information about meeting points for other walks will be emailed out beforehand. All of the walks are currently accessible by public transport and we will also look at liftshares.
Transport: Pollokshaws West train station (5 minutes); First Bus stop (2 minutes); On-street parking nearby; Please ask about accessible parking
Facilities: Accessible, indoor and outdoor spaces and toilets.
Morning walks may be over rough terrain - please ask about accessibility
Where possible we will update our listings to notify of cancelled, postponed and rescheduled events, however we STRONGLY ADVISE that you check with the venue/organiser in the first instance for updates.
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