Harvesting the Medicine of Early Summer
Early summer is such a busy and beautiful time for herbalists. The gardens are abundant, the fields are alive, and so many plants are ready for harvest and transformation into incredible medicines.
Just this week, I’ve gathered hawthorn leaf and flower, elderflower, catnip, and spruce tips— each one offering its own gifts and support. There is something deeply grounding about moving with the rhythm of the season and tending the plants at the moment they are ready.
In the midst of the busyness, I feel incredibly grateful for this work and for all that the plants offer — supporting both physical and emotional well-being for myself, my family, and my clients.
Learning Directly with the Plants
One of the things I love most about this season is teaching with fresh plants. On Saturday, I welcomed students into my garden for hands-on herbal learning, and it reminded me again how powerful it is to experience the plants directly.
There is such a beautiful connection that happens when you can see, touch, smell, taste, and create with the herbs in real time. Herbalism becomes something much more than information from a book. It becomes relationship.
This is one of the reasons the hands-on component of the Essential Herbalism Foundations Program and Hands-On Herbal Medicine-Making Circle feels so meaningful to me. Learning alongside the plants during their growing season brings the teachings alive in a way that is difficult to recreate otherwise.
There are only a few spots remaining in the next session beginning June 7, and I would love to welcome those who feel called to deepen their relationship with the plants this season.
Impressions of the Garden: Clay and Herbal Medicine
I’m also excited to be collaborating with a fellow artist at the SOSU Artist Collective for a special workshop: Impressions of the Garden: Clay and Herbal Medicine.
In this class, Julie will guide participants in creating beautiful ceramic wall hangings using pressed plant materials gathered from the garden. Alongside the clay work, I’ll be sharing about fennel — one of my favorite herbs for both its beauty and its long history of supporting digestion.
It feels especially meaningful to pair herbal learning with art-making in this season of abundance and creativity.
Working Together This Season
If you are seeking support this season, I continue to offer one-on-one herbal consultations rooted in deep listening, plant wisdom, and holistic care. It is always an honor to walk beside women and families through seasons of transition, healing, and reconnection.
And if you are feeling the quiet pull toward learning herbal medicine more deeply — not just through books, but through relationship, practice, and community — the Essential Herbalism Foundations Program may be a beautiful place to begin.