What do you do with all those beautiful herbs growing in your garden? Join Farmer Matt Mayernik for a three-night hands-on herbal preparation intensive designed to teach you the foundations of turning plants into practical preparations you can use every day.
Over the course of three evenings, we’ll explore a variety of traditional herbal extraction and preservation methods, from simple teas and tinctures to infused oils, salves, hydrosols, and herbal vinegars. You’ll learn not only how to make each preparation, but also why we choose one method over another and how different extraction techniques bring out different qualities of the plant.
Wednesday, October 6
Wednesday, October 13
Wednesday, October 20
🌿 Night One: History of Herbalism & Teas
The first step is to take a dive into what herbalism means and understand the fundamentals of preparations in order to develop a foundation.
We will then begin with the simplest preparation: water. We will explore how to source, prepare, and enjoy medicinal herbs. We’ll cover the differences between infusions and decoctions, how to prepare both hot and iced herbal teas, and how to choose herbs based on their traditional uses.
🌿 Night Two: Infused Oils, Salves & Tinctures
Our second evening focuses on extracting the beneficial properties of herbs into oil.
You’ll learn how to make herbal-infused oils, including the difference between medicinal and culinary preparations, which herbs work well in oil, and the basics of creating a successful infusion.
From there, we’ll transform infused oil into a herbal salve. Matt will walk you through the entire process, including how to choose your ingredients, achieve the right consistency, and create salves you can easily make in your own kitchen.
We’ll then dive into tinctures; what they are, how they’re made, why alcohol is used as an extraction medium, and how tinctures can become part of a home apothecary. You’ll create your own custom tincture to take home.
🌿 Night Three: Hydrosols & Herbal Vinegars
We’ll finish the intensive by exploring two unique and versatile herbal preparations.
You’ll learn what a hydrosol is, how it is created through the distillation of plants, and the many ways hydrosols can be incorporated into everyday life and herbal skincare.
We’ll also explore infused vinegars, a simple and delicious way to preserve both culinary and medicinal herbs. You’ll learn the basics of making herbal vinegars and enjoy an in-depth tasting of several different preparations.
This three-night experience is designed to give you a strong foundation in herbal preparation while allowing you to see, smell, taste, make, and experience a variety of plant preparations firsthand. Whether you're just beginning your herbal journey or looking to deepen the skills you already have, you'll leave with practical knowledge you can continue using in your own home apothecary.
✨ What’s Included:
- Three 2-hour hands-on classes with Farmer Matt.
- Instruction on teas, tinctures, infused oils, salves, hydrosols & herbal vinegars
- Tastings of a variety of herbal preparations
- Hands-on preparation of your own herbal tincture
- Hands-on preparation of an herbal salve
- In-depth herbal vinegar tasting
- Recipes, techniques & resources to continue making herbal preparations at home
- 10% off any shop purchase the day of each workshop
📓 Please bring a notebook & pen if you’d like to take notes.
⏰ A 72-hour cancellation notice is required for a full refund, prior to first class.
Please note: A minimum of 4 participants is required for this intensive to take place. If the minimum is not reached, registered participants will receive a full refund.