This Holiday Season Give the Gift of Nature
What better way to celebrate the holidays and the love of nature than by giving yourself or your loved ones a gift that will (re)connect you with nature and teach you all about food and health self- and inter-reliance.
Check out our holiday offers below!
*Note: any items with a price listed as $0.00 must be purchased through a link to another website or require an email for more information.
Please read thoroughly.*
Patreon Annual Subscription
With our Patreon Annual Subscription, you support the work of The WANDER School and get exclusive benefits, like:
- Access to patron-only videos and blog posts
- Tips from Abby’s Kitchen
- Herbal medicine-making tutorials
- Ability to submit questions to Abby to be answered in future videos
- Bonus clips from the Wander, Forage & Wildcraft podcast
- Extended footage from Abby’s IGTV videos chock-full of botany and foraging know-how
- Foraged Recipes not available anywhere else
- A discount code to apply to Abby's upcoming classes
Choose one of three different support levels and give yourself or your loved one the gift of nature! You'll also be supporting the work our nonprofit does to get herbal medicine and botanical education to communities in need.
Find out more and choose your support level at https://www.patreon.com/thewanderschool (subscriptions must be bought there)
Wildcrafted Herb School - Roots (1st Year Program)
Sold out
Second Fridays & Saturdays, April - November
April 8-9, May 13-14, June 10-11, July 8-9, August 12-13, September 9-10, October 14-15, November 11-12
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Burnsville, NC
This is a DIFFERENT kind of herb school.
We pride ourselves on that.
In this program you will truly learn the Wild Craft of Herbalism.
We believe that the best medicine for our bodies is already available in the plants that grow in the same habitat that we live in, and have adapted to the same environmental issues.
As the world changes and it becomes more difficult and less sustainable to ship herbs from around the world, knowing that everything we need surrounds us, is a comfort and a big leap in the direction of our own security.
It's about connecting with ourselves, each other, and our habitat.
We, at The WANDER School, have never been big fans of sitting in a classroom, we like to wander. So, we think there's a different way to learn.
We'll gather together one Friday and Saturday a month, April - November, at The WANDER School in Burnsville, NC, on the edge of the gorgeous Pisgah National Forest, on the South Toe River.
Fridays will be field trip days. We'll get out into nature to see, touch, taste, and smell the plants. We'll create relationships with the plants, learning how to recognize them through basic botany and spending time together. Then, we'll sustainably and ethically harvest them. We'll bring the plants/plant parts back to school and get real hands-on experience making them into food, medicine, and crafts.
Saturdays will be spent at the school and in the herb gardens. You'll get experience growing wild and cultivated herbs and learning their favorite habitats. We'll also have a different speaker each Saturday. Topics will include, but not be limited to (and are subject to change):
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge and how it is shared appropriately
- Reciprocity in Herbalism (including a field trip to Cherokee, NC)
- Racism/appropriation in Herbalism
- Cherokee and other Native American tribal and African American/Black Herbalism
- Traditional Cherokee foods
- Folk Appalachian Herbalism
- Nature Connection
- Botanical Drawing
- Herbs and Formulas for Skincare
- Ecology and Habitat
- Tree Medicine
- Cooking Wild Foods
- Having an Herbal Products Business
Another important part of this course is learning about and practicing Reciprocity. A part of Herbalism that's often left out of teaching in the American culture is asking where the knowledge came from. There is a long folk herbal tradition in Appalachia, which has been a melting pot of Indigenous knowledge and knowledge from the descendants of enslaved people, and beyond. Though this has created a wide and rich body of knowledge, its roots are not often acknowledged. This is a large part of why The WANDER School became a non-profit, to acknowledge, and go beyond that, to continuously figure out ways that we can give back for this knowledge.
Throughout the course we'll become true Community Herbalists, by giving back to our Cherokee neighbors (and others) through making medicine that can be given away, and more. We'll also learn what cultural appropriation is and how to avoid it in our herbal practice.
Because we don't want to spend so much time sitting in lecture in the classroom, as part of your tuition you'll receive Abby's book, The Herbal Handbook for Homesteaders, and her Make Your Own Herbal Home Remedies course, so you can start the course with a foundation of basic herbal medicine making. You'll have plenty of opportunities to practice and learn more in and out of class, with plenty of medicine to take home.
The WANDER School is a United Plant Savers Partner in Herbal Education. That means you'll automatically get a student membership to United Plant Savers!
Formed in the spirit of hope, United Plant Savers is a group of plant enthusiasts committed to raising public awareness of the plight of our wild medicinal plants and to protecting these plants through organic cultivation, sustainable agricultural practices, and the replanting of native medicinal species back into their natural habitats. Our goal is to ensure that these valuable medicinal plants will be preserved for our grandchildren and our grandchildren's grandchildren.
Members of UpS:
- Receive the annual Journal of Medicinal Plant Conservation
- Participate in Spring and Fall dispersals of seeds/plants for replanting purposes
- Access our directory of nurseries, seed sources, and farms that supply “at-risk” herbs
- Receive discounts to Planting the Future conferences and other herbal events
- Become eligible for community grants and other benefits
Throughout the course, you'll get to:
- Make your own Herbal First Aid Kit
- Create a Materia Medica (your own herbal encyclopedia)
- Make a Foraging Basket
- Visit a traditional Cherokee garden
- Practice working with herbs for various issues, with friends, loved ones, and your community
- Forage wild and medicinal Plants & Mushrooms
- Learn how to create and organize your own home Apothecary
- Practice Plant Meditation for deeper connection with the plants
- Learn to Grow common herbs and Steward wild herbs
- See, Taste, and Try Wild Food Cooking
Be prepared to create lasting relationships with other plant lovers. We will gather together in circle every morning to check in about where we are in our relationships with the world and the plants. Students from herb courses often go on to meet outside of and after school is over, becoming friends, learning from and with each other. Come ready to connect!
You'll graduate with a certificate on Graduation Day, which will include a party potluck and medicine show to celebrate all you've learned and share medicine with your herbie friends.
This is a 3 year program. The second 2 years are not mandatory, but build on the knowledge of the first year, going deeper each year into Botany, Medicine Making, Clinical Herbalism, and more.
Lodging is not included, but there are several local lodging options, including Inns, Airbnb's, and Campgrounds, that will be shared before class begins or can be emailed upon request.
Your Investment in Your Health Empowerment:
- $2,000 if paid in one full payment before January 1, 2022
- $2,250 if paid in one full payment before March 1, 2022
- $2,500 if paid in one full payment before April 1, 2022 (if space is still available)
Payment Plans are available upon request. The total is $2,500 to cover administrative fees, and must be paid in full by April 1, 2022, with a $500 deposit.
Scholarship has been FILLED. One Scholarship position will be available for a BIPOC person.
Work Trade is FULL. (Two partial Work Trade positions will be available, on a first come, first served basis for people with a financial need that would make attendance impossible otherwise, with a $1,000 payment by March 1.)
We welcome all people into the Herb School, including BIPOC, Queer, single parents, and differently abled people (though you will need to be able to hike). Please let us know your needs and concerns, and we'll do our best to accomodate you.
All prospective students will have a Zoom or phone interview with Abby before being accepted into the program, to ensure that you are a good fit for the program and the program is a good fit for you. Contact us to schedule yours now, or with questions.
Refund Policy:
As we are a very small business, we cannot offer refunds, unless we cancel the course. If you have a family or health emergency, and need to drop out of the course before it starts, we will try to offer you a refund, minus a $500 administrative fee, if you or we can find a replacement to take your place. Thanks for your understanding; the tuition supports our family.
Botanical Property Survey
Do you want to develop a deeper relationship with the land you live on?
Schedule a personalized plant walk on your property with Botanist, Herbalist, & Forager, Abby Artemisia.
At your Botanical Property Survey, you'll learn all about the plants that grow on your property. As you reconnect with the wild, you'll be empowered with information and know-how to forage for delicious foods and turn wild herbs into medicine.
It doesn't stop there: after the survey itself, you'll get customized information in an easy-to-understand format that will help you continue enjoying the benefits of knowing your land.
There's 3 parts to your botanical property survey:
Botanical Property Survey, Part 1 - Scheduling
Just email Abby to book your botanical property survey. Ideally, you'll do a survey in 3 seasons (Spring, Summer and Fall) because new plants are growing and blossoming at different times of year. Email Abby now to schedule YOUR Botanical Property Survey.
Botanical Property Survey, Part 2 - The Walk
Abby will come to your property and spend a couple hours walking the land with you. You'll get to go for a botanical walkabout of your property with a botanist, forager, herbalist and wildcrafter with over 20 years experience teaching people how to reconnect with the land and empower themselves with the knowledge and the know-how of all things wild. The walk takes at least a couple of hours, and you will get to ask burning questions you've been dying to have answered.
Botanical Property Survey, Part 3 - The Customized Information
After the walk on your land, Abby will provide you with a spreadsheet of the edible, medicinal, and poisonous plants on your land. This spreadsheet is an easy-to-understand tool that you can continue using in seasons and years to come.
The Investment
$250 + transportation fees for the first two hours and the spreadsheet; $100 for each additional hour
Schedule your holiday botanical property survey today! You must email Abby to reserve yours, as price differs depending on length of survey and location.
Virtual Botanical Discovery Session
Take advantage of this seriously special offer!
When you’re walking around outside, and you think...
dang I wish I knew more about these plants!
More plant knowledge could help me survive, if it all came to that...
Your wish is granted.
You can now join botanist, herbalist and professional forager, Abby Artemisia,
for a private virtual plant walk customized FOR YOU.
HERE'S HOW IT WORKS!
- Buy Your Session (or Gift), choosing as many hours as you'd like. If you are buying multiple gifts, please checkout with multiple orders, so each gift recipient receives a unique order number.
- Schedule Your Session: Book a time slot with Abby via email. You will need the order number* to schedule.
- Prep for your session: Test the videoconferencing options agreed on at booking. If you don’t have data reception where you live, or you’d rather do it inside on your computer, just bring the plants you most want to know about (or several pictures of each one). That is very common! Just make sure you walking around outside and note the plants you want to learn about.
- LEARN! Join the videoconference at your scheduled time to begin. During your Virtual Botanical Discovery Session, Abby will focus on a few plants to help you understand your connection to them better through some practical tips on identification as well as the benefits those plants can provide you as food and medicine.
- Grow! Each Virtual Botanical Discovery Session lasts (1) hour. You can do a 2 or 3 hour session also, if you have lots to learn! You'd be surprised how fast an hour flies!
*Your order number becomes available on the thank you page after purchase below, and in the email you'll receive after purchase with the subject "Your downloads are ready!" You will need to note this order number to schedule.
THIS OFFERING MAKES A GREAT GIFT!
If purchasing a Virtual Botanical Discovery Session as a gift, make sure to note the order number you receive, and give THAT to the lucky recipient when you give the gift. You can just print or email out the PDF you receive after purchase to give to to the lucky recipient once you've added the order number details!
HERE'S WHAT FOLKS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT VIRTUAL BOTANICAL DISCOVERY SESSIONS WITH ABBY...
- "I was really curious about the trees that were growing outside my window. I felt pretty lonely during quarantine, and they seemed to just keep me company. Abby helped me learn more about them." -Angela G, New York
- "I had no idea that I could eat the weeds that I was pulling out of my garden! I just wanted to know more about them, and turns out now I have extra free food!" -Susie, Ohio
Short Term Private Apprenticeship
If you're missing conferences and botanical education, or bummed about the lack of classes, or always wanted to study with Abby, Private Apprenticeships are the right choice for you.
Apprentices spend 1 to 3 days with Abby for hands-on education about plants. Whether your interest is botany, wildcrafting, foraging, cooking wild foods, herbalism or medicine-making, we design your days together so that you get the most out of it.
To agree on the topic(s) you are interested in learning in the private apprenticeship contact Abby.
Location
You can come to the gorgeous mountains and rivers of western North Carolina!
Or Abby can come to you, if you provide transportation fees (the government mileage rate) plus food and lodging.
The Investment
Apprenticeships are $125 per hour per person, plus materials fees for medicine making and cooking classes. Additional discounts available for multiple days and groups.