Meet Our 2016 Apprenticeship Graduates! Our first apprenticeship program brought together a creative, passionate and enthusiastic group of women. We spent a fabulous six months of growing and learning, with each other and with our generous plant teachers.
At a waterfall behind our cabin in Montgomery.
Katy I feel lucky to have grown up in the beautiful state of Vermont. As a kid I spent hours exploring the woods around my family's camp in Montgomery (this is where I get my ramps - thousands of them on our property!!). I have always been intrigued by what I can eat while roaming the woods but my interest has grown within the last 2 years. I have done lots of research to become acquainted with edible and medicinal plants growing in my local environment. I have experimented with making tinctures, salves, teas. My walks now consist of wild crafting adventures and observing what's growing. I am in awe of the powerful and healing plants that grow all around us. A wise woman once told me the medicine one needs is usually growing right outside of one's front door. Some of my other related interests include permaculture, apiculture and mushroom cultivation.
I have attended many local workshops and classes, with herbalists Heather Irvine, Carly Harrison, Melanie Brotz. I have learned a lot about medicinal herbs and wild crafting from reading books and listening to lectures by renowned herbalists Deb Soule, Rosemary Gladstar. This interest led me to the Spoonful CSH apprenticeship. I am excited to expand my knowledge of herbs and creating herbal remedies! I look forward to meeting, learning and exploring with all of you.
Anna I am very excited to learn and grow with you all in the dirt! My love of plant developed as a teenager when I came to the realization that 'magical' does not presuppose 'super-natural.' I find plants, growth, and ancestral plant knowledge absolutely magical. I am particularly excited about the community-based element of herbalism. I believe that healing practices need to be based on empowerment and communalism if they are to be truly healing. I see mutual support between collective human and non-human environments as a pre-requisite for a healing herbalism practice, which has so strongly drawn me into the practice.
I have just graduated UVM with a degree in gender, sexuality, and feminist studies, and I am excited to now be putting my mental energy into learning from plants and putsing about on musical instruments.
Erin I have been a lover of plants and dirt for sometime, as I worked in gardens with my Mom from a young age I grew a love and bond with Mother Earth. As I grew older I found myself taking classes such as The Mater Gardner program, tincture classes, botany, etc. As I have come into an adult, I realized how opposed I am to western medicine. I see some benefits, but have been more called to the roots and ancient teachings of plant medicine. I just returned from Peru with introductions to some new plants and culture, and have boundless energy to explore further.
I am very excited to expand my knowledge base through this program and be working with all of you.
Maggie I am incredibly excited to start this apprenticeship with you all! I have been becoming increasingly passionate about holistic healing and nutrition and of course, it has led me to herbal remedies and medicinal plants. However, I am fairly new to harvesting, creating and exploring this field which makes me that much more excited!
I've always grown up with a love and appreciation for our environment. As an Environmental Studies major at the University of Vermont, I've become that much more interested in learning, supporting and reciprocating my love for the environment and what it offers. I've sat in classes learning about plant-based healing medicine and ways to cultivate but I've never truly practiced and been part of this wonderful herbal field so this summer and fall will be a huge learning experience for me - especially with a great group. I'm thrilled to meet all of you!
Danielle I'm Danielle and my interest in plant medicine started as I became more convinced that I should be more autonomous over my healing, and as I begin to understand the ways in which corporate medicine is tied into my life and healing around me. I think that practicing herbalism (even if it's gathering a few nettle leaves for stir fry) is a peoples' right-- a form of positive resistance that keeps the hum of the peoples movement singing. I'm also drawn to herbalism because I like tapping into ancestral knowledge and magic wisdom - working with plants feels biologically and spiritually right for me. I have a background in food systems and have worked as a farm hand on several farms- so I'm hoping to learn more about growing medicine plants (among many other things of course).