Have you ever envisioned yourself getting lost on a hike and wondering what you could eat? Are you curious about what kinds of local medicinal herbs are right under your nose? If so, join Lauren Kemple and Rhonda Brown for an exploration through Jacksonville and the surrounding Woodlands to learn about edible and medicinal plants found here. The “Edible and Medicinal Plan Walk” is the very first class offered in the newly renovated and expanded Jacksonville Community Center.
Lauren, an experienced outdoor educator, says “Once you learn how to identify and use just a few plants, you start to notice that almost all of them have some value, some useful function for humans. It’s an amazing way to connect with and deepen relationships with the place where you live. We can participate in our ecosystem, not just appreciate it as observers.”
This hands-on class is intended for both outdoor novices and experienced students. The first of these three classes will meet on Friday, March 16 at JCC from 10:00-11:30am. During this time, students will wander the lovely grounds, identify local herbs and make a yummy medicinal pesto for all to taste. The second and third classes will be different and offer new content, although attendance at a previous class is not necessary.
Co-instructor Rhonda Brown, states, “We learn about the plants; but also from the plants. For millennia, we co-evolved with so much more plant diversity than the few we currently eat. Learning about herbs feels like coming home.”
Edible and Medicinal Plant Walk with Lauren Kemple and Rhonda Brown
Friday, March 16, 2018, 10:00-11:30am – Jacksonville Community Center – 4th and Main
$12.00 per student – Registration: online at cedarson4th.org or call 541-702-2585
Class is limited to 25 students with a minimum of 5 students needed to hold the class.
Last minute day of class drop-in students are welcome if fewer than 25 students have registered.