Once again I have the lovely and talented Caroline Citrine to thank for this great poster – which I finally managed to distribute around Wakefield. I am so looking forward to class this weekend, getting together with my core group of students, maybe seeing some new faces, and having fun with the process of creating usable medicines from our beloved wild and cultivated herbs. Medicine-making is a large topic, and I don’t expect everyone to master it in a day, much less a two and a half hour class. But as we get started, there are some things we need to bear in mind – some is a little technical (which plant constituents extract best in which medium, for example) and most is just learning techniques to try at home. I’ve been doing this for a while and still have failures, still learn (endlessly) from others, still find new ways of doing old things, that improve upon the end result. I’m inspired by the creativity of others, inspired to try new combinations – for example, my many elixirs now brewing in the back of the cupbaord which feature combinations I doubt I’d have come up with on my own (tip of the hat to mountainrose herbs!) In this class, we will start by covering the basic terms,  and methods of preparation. This includes – tea, infusion, decoction – what’s the difference? – tinctures, how to measure your plant material and use of alcohol – various approaches – oxymels, elixirs, ointments, salves, compresses, poultices, fomentations, electuaries, capsules, pessaries, syrups,  honeys and vinegars – a look at all of these, how to make and when to use them..and then in the second part of class, we’ll make a few/taste a few, and generally have fun. This will be an Introductory class but very thorough and plenty of handouts(terms, recipes) at the Facebook group for you to download. I’ll be bringing dandelions for tea and dandelion cookies (cuz it’s that time of year!) and have some seedlings to give away mostly  borage, calendula, some monarda and chamomile(German) too. Looking forward to seeing you all – 1:30 pm at the Rupert Community Centre – and to our walk next time ,which we shall all petition the rain gods to stay well away from!!