Presented by Susan Belsinger and Tina Marie Wilcox
Ozark Folk School Wild Weeds & Seasonal Greens Class
Join this dynamic duo for a fun, educational, and one-of-a-kind, wild-weed and-herb gathering experience. Wild, edible greens are powerful, good food and offer a variety of flavors for free. Wise gardeners and farmers the world over use many of the plants that have successfully colonized the soil as beneficial allies. This is in sharp contrast to modern landscape and agriculture methods that strive to completely control the species of plants growing on the land, regarding all volunteers as weeds. We love our weeds and eat them!
First, we will forage for wild weeds and then gather some seasonal greens from around the park, then we will clean and sort through them. Along the way and throughout the day, we will discuss the individual botanicals, their virtues and health-giving benefits. We will prepare and feast upon a scrumptious salsa verde served with veggies and bread, as well as a savory green soup and a simple salad of seasonal greens. We’ll also learn which weeds to dry and why, and we’ll make an herbal salve with chickweed and plantain, so each student can take one home.
Wear comfortable clothes for foraging outside, bring a basket and your favorite herb clippers or snippers for gathering, a kitchen knife for chopping herbs, and an apron if you wear one. Recipe handouts will be provided.
The $22 registration fee is due to the Ozark Folk Center upon signing up for class; the $100 fee for class and $10 materials fee, is due to the instructor at start of class (cash or check),
total cost of class $132
Registration is required two weeks prior to class.
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About Your Instructors - Herbal enthusiasts, Susan Belsinger and Tina Marie Wilcox met in 1996 when Susan went to present two herb programs at the Ozark Folk Center, where Tina Marie is herbalist, head gardener and coordinates all kinds of wonderful herbal events. Susan cooks, writes and takes photos, blogging weekly for www.vegetablegardener.com; her latest book co-authored with Dr. Arthur Tucker, The Culinary Herbal: Growing & Preserving 97 Flavorful Herbs, was released by Timber Press in January 2016.
Having herbs, gardening, botanizing, good food and fun in common—Tina Marie and Susan hit it off—and that was the beginning of a long-distance friendship. Gardening from their respective homes, Susan in Maryland, and Tina Marie in Arkansas, they’ve exchanged a lot of seeds, plants, roots and ideas over the years. They have collaborated on presentations and workshops across the country, from the Smithsonian to Epcot and have done many programs for HSA. They co-authored the creative herbal home, which celebrates their living the herbal life and have written for national publications like Mother Earth Living, The Herb Companion, Herbs for Health and GRIT, as well as the Brooklyn Botanic Garden All-Regions Guides.
Tina and Susan are both members of the International Herb Association, Herb Society of America, American Botanical Council and United Plant Savers—and they both share a passion for all things herbal.
