Cost for attending both days of the Herb Weekend is discounted to $140.00
Attending one day only, a full day either Saturday or Sunday, is $80 for adults / $40 for youth. There is also a "Rustic Camping Option ($10/night). See details and registration below.
Morning Workshops, Choose One
8:30am - 11:45am
Native Plant Herb Walk in Pollinator Garden
Instructor: Erin Cummings
We will walk through a lovely native pollinator garden that includes a lot of medicinal herbs. See the conditions these herbs grow and thrive in and learn about how to grow them and how to use them in your day-to-day life.
Introduction to Medicinal Herbs for Health and Vitality
Instructor: Henrietta Cummings
In this workshop, we will go over the history of medicinal herbs, types of herbal supplements, how-to examples, specific medicinal properties of culinary herbs, common local wild plants, easy-to-grow herbs, and more, while we sample various preparations of herbs for health and vitality.
Nervous System Support in these trying times
Instructor: Ricky Bratz
Our nervous system is one of the primary ways we digest and respond to the world around us, especially to what we perceive as stressful. While much of our nervous system responses are programmed in childhood, we also have the ability to influence and reprogram this system through our diets, lifestyles, thought processes and the environments we create (home, relationships, work, etc.) as adults. Nervous system resilience is essential for navigating life’s ups and downs and the pervasive stress of modern society. In this class, we will explore the basics of nervous system function, its role as a protective feedback mechanism in the body, and how chronic stress impacts this system, leading to a cascade of potential symptoms and conditions if left unchecked. We will discuss herbs, practices and other ideas for keeping the nervous system operating from a parasympathetic state as much as possible, why that is important for overall health/wellness, and how to care for oneself when stress is omnipresent.
Community Lunch, provided and time to visit the Vendor area
noon - 2pm
Lunch is included! A key part of the Folk School is community, and sharing a meal is one of the best ways we know of to get to know one another and build community. There are always plenty of options to suit various dietary needs, including gluten free, dairy free, meat free, vegan. If you have particular dietary restrictions that you’d like to share with us, of course just send us a message so that we can be aware of your need so that we can be sure to accommodate it or communicated clearly with you if we think we cannot.
Saturday Afternoon Workshops, Choose One
2pm - 4:45pm
Native Plant Herb Walk in Pollinator Garden
Instructors: Erin Cummings and Ricky Bratz
We will walk through a lovely native pollinator garden that includes a lot of medicinal herbs. See the conditions these herbs grow and thrive in and learn about how to grow them and how to use them in your day-to-day life.
Tea Talkin' with Hannah, farmer and herbalist of Poppysol Farm + Apothecary
Instructor: Hannah Popish
Do you love sipping on herbal tea? Do you maybe even already grow some of your own herbs and are curious how to blend them together? Get ready to engage all your senses and work with some common herbs at the height of their growing season to learn proper harvesting and blending techniques based on taste, purpose and intention. We will also go over brewing techniques when using different parts of the plants (flowers, leaves, roots). Together, we will make a sun tea with fresh herbs for you to try and you will also be able to blend and take home a sample of a tea blend with dried herbs, thus understanding the differences between working with fresh versus dried plant material.
Herbs during period of Conception, during Pregnancy and during Lactation
Instructors: Nancy Harman and Henrietta Cummings
More information to come.
Saturday Evening Workshop - 7:30pm
Grow Your Own Tea— Camellia sinensis (7:30 pm, after supper)
Instructor: Sandy Straw
Did you know white, green, black and oolong tea comes from the same plant? Perhaps you sip hot tea in the winter or make a cold brew in the summer. Learn how to grow your own tea plant here in North Carolina. We’ll go over plant varieties, habitat, needs and care of this unique evergreen shrub as well as lessons learned at Camellia Forest Tea Gardens, most of which is published in Christine Park’s book Grow Your Own Tea, 2020. We’ll cover harvesting and processing basics and perhaps roll for black tea if fresh leaves are available.
Sunday Morning Workshops, Choose One
9am - 11:45am (Note: Distillation workshop lasts until 1pm)
Wild Plant Herb Walk on River Trail
Instructor: Ricky Bratz
More information to come.
Cooking with Herbs
Instructors: Henrietta Cummings and Erin Cummings
In this hands-on workshop, we will discuss how to make herbal-infused vinegars and oils, and will make herbal salad dressings from already made infused vinegars and oils. We will make sauces such as tzatziki sauce, herb butters, and pesto with its many variations from propagated and wildcrafted herbs. We will discuss various herbs to use and ways to make herbal yogurt cheese, and try some already made. There will be recipes for many food preparations that include herbs and information on growing, harvesting, and storing herbs for cooking.
Aromatic Distillation (9am – 1pm)
Instructor: Sunshine Dawson
Join Sunshine for an interactive class on aromatic distillation using a traditional copper alembic still. Learn the nuts and bolts of setting up a still, participate in, and learn how and when to harvest plant material and pack the still. Watch as the alchemy unfolds as you co-create a distillation of fresh plants collected on site. Sunshine will discuss best practices to create potent, stable hydrosols and how to store and use them.
Community Lunch, provided and time to visit the Vendor area
noon – 2:30pm
Lunch is included! A key part of the Folk School is community, and sharing a meal is one of the best ways we know of to get to know one another and build community. There are always plenty of options to suit various dietary needs, including gluten free, dairy free, meat free, vegan. If you have particular dietary restrictions that you’d like to share with us, of course just send us a message so that we can be aware of your need so that we can be sure to accommodate it or communicated clearly with you if we think we cannot.
Sunday Afternoon Workshops, Choose One
2:30pm - 5:00pm
Botanical Cream Making
Instructor: Sunshine Dawson
Come and learn how to make your own silky smooth, effective creams rich with beneficial botanical oils and extracts! Sunshine has been making her own skin and body care, including creams for over 20 years with only natural ingredients.
In this hands-on class, we will explore all the different potential ingredients used in creams; go over a basic cream recipe you can use as a base, and together make a decadent body cream for all participants to take home. Detailed handouts included!
Digestive Health and Immune Support including Making Elderberry Syrup.
Instructor: Ricky Bratz
Did you know that nearly 80% of our immune system lives in our digestive tract? Our digestion regulates so many functions in the body, including nutrient absorption, our immune system, mental health and mood, disease prevention and so much more! Join us for a deep dive into the digestive system, how to support and nourish this system through herbs, foods and other practices, and why ancient practitioners such as Hippocrates said “all disease begins in the gut”.
Part 2 of this class will lead into a discussion around the immune system and how to fortify ourselves for the upcoming seasonal transition. We will discuss herbs that support immune health and do an elderberry syrup-making demonstration.
Wild Plant Herb Walk on River Trail
Instructors: Erin Cummings
More information to come.
Native Plant Walk in Pollinator Garden – Growing and Harvesting your own Tea herbs
Instructors: Hannah Popish
Walk the Pollinator Garden with Hannah Popish while she discusses some of her favorite herbs in the garden for teas. She will talk about how to grow and maintain, what parts of the plant to use, how and when to harvest, how to make a tea (herbal infusion or decoction), good herbs to blend the plant with and more while you are viewing the herb growing.
Register to Join Us!
Herb Weekend: Sept 20 & 21, 2025
From $40