Upcoming & Past Events
First Farmer's Market of the Year!
Join me on Saturday May 11th for the outdoor Stratford Farmer’s Market! I will have herb seedlings, fresh cut herbs, some dried herbs and teas and fresh rhubarb for sale.
Market is located 357 MCCARTHY RD. STRATFORD, ON N5A 7S7
A Season in Place: Stratford’s Riverside Plant Walk
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/a-season-in-place-stratfords-riverside-plant-walk-tickets-872854008837?aff=oddtdtcreator
Join your hosts, Gabby and Terran, for a grounding-in-place practice and guided plant walk along the north side of the Avon River, running twice monthly from April- October. For the best experience, we recommend participating in multiple walks or the full season to witness how the local flora changes!
Participants will learn plant names, basic plant identification skills, foraging ethics and safety, medicinal and edible (and poisonous?) uses, history and more! Not just a plant walk, participants also practice grounding skills and intentional slowness. The blend of information and time for absorption makes these walks something special.
2024 Dates
Wednesday April 17th 6:30 pm
Sunday April 28th: 9:30 a.m.
Wednesday May 15th 6:30 p.m.
Sunday May 26th 9:30 a.m.
Wednesday June 19th will be a solstice celebration! Details and time TBD.
Sunday June 30th 9:30 a.m.
Wednesday July 17th 6:30 p.m.
Sunday July 28th 9:30 a.m.
Sunday August 25th 9:30 a.m.
Sunday September 29th 9:30 a.m.
Sunday October 27th 9:30 a.m.
Questions? Please email snettlesherbs@gmail.com
Winter Pride: Queer Artisan Market at Matilda Gallery
As part of Stratford Winter Pride, come visit me and other amazing local queer artisans at Matilda Gallery & Art Bar! Shop and have a drink. Donations at the door go to the Stratford Pride Community Centre (SPCC).
Location: Matilda Gallery Art Bar, 85 Downie St. Stratford ON
Dead and Dying: Dead and Dying: A Plant Walk & Samhain Ritual for Changing Seasons
Following a summer of great seasonal plant walks along the Avon River's Northern edge, we are ending the season with a final fall plant walk: Dead and Dying: A Plant Walk & Samhain ritual.
We will learn about plants growing along the river and their life cycles, practice recognizing plants at different stages of life and death, and use observation and grounding skills to practice presence and noticing the natural world around us. The walk will end with a Samhain ritual for letting go and processing grief.
The route will start at the Burnham Wood Arboretum, and the official walk will end at the William Hutt bridge, although participants are welcome to walk back to Burnham Wood with Gabby after the official end.
The route one way is approximately 1.5 km, it is mostly flat but it is natural ground so there may be uneven or muddy areas. Please let us know if you have accessibility needs or concerns and we will do our best to accommodate!
Registration fee is $25. Please register through eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dead-and-dying-a-plant-walk-samhain-ritual-for-changing-seasons-tickets-732020130917?aff=oddtdtcreator
Herbal Study Club
Presenting a series of fall workshops at Ånde the Store, 26 Ontario St in Stratford, ON. Workshops are $40 each, or you can save money by signing up for the whole series for $150.
Visit https://andethestore.com/collections/events to register!
Session 1: Create your own Materia medica
Sunday September 10th 6pm- 8 pm
$40
Come learn how to create your own materia medica, or herbal encyclopedia. Participants will get to know one medicinal plant in depth this session, and practice using a valuable tool for getting to know a medicinal plant and its properties.
Herbal tea and worksheets will be provided. $40 for this session, or sign up for all 4 fall workshops for $150. Visit https://andethestore.com/collections/events to register.
Session 2: Intro to Herbal Energetics
Sunday October 22nd 6pm- 8pm
$40
In this workshop, participants will be introduced to herbal energetics in the Western European tradition. Is a plant warming or cooling? Moistening or drying? Tightening or relaxing? How can we choose herbs based on energetics that will work best for us? Some discussion of energetics in other herbal traditions will also be included.
Herbal tea and worksheets will be provided. $40 for this session, or sign up for all 4 fall workshops for $150. Visit https://andethestore.com/collections/events to register.
Session 3: Herbal Extractions and Remedies
Sunday November 19th 6pm- 8pm
$40
The medicinal properties of plants can be extracted in many mediums: water, alcohol, oil, and more! In this workshop, participants will explore making different herbal remedies and learn about the chemistry involved in medicine making.
$40 for this session, or sign up for all 4 fall workshops for $150. Visit https://andethestore.com/collections/events to register.
Session 4: Herbal Gifts for the Holidays
Sunday December 10th 6pm- 8pm
$40
In this final fall session, participants will have the opportunity to put what they’ve learned into practice by making herbal gifts for the holidays. Optional recipes will be provided, and participants will also have the option to experiment and make their own gifts.
$40 for this session, or sign up for all 4 fall workshops for $150. Visit https://andethestore.com/collections/events to register.
July: A Season in Place: Stratford's Riverside Plant Walk
** Registration required: email terranvshaver@gmail.com to register**
Join your hosts Gabby and Terran for a monthly plant walk along the Avon River!
A Season in Place will follow largely the same route each month along the north side of Lake Victoria (the dammed portion of the Avon River in Stratford).
We will talk about 3-4 plants each time, as well as plant identification skills, foraging/harvesting safety and ethics, as well as practicing observation and grounding.
You can sign up for 1 walk, but signing up for all 4 is recommended to experience the changes in plants and the riverside ecosystem throughout the season.
$25 for 1 walk, $60 for all 3.
Registration Required: Email terranvshaver@gmail.com to register.
About Your Hosts:
Terran V. Shaver, B.A., is a spoonie, femme-witch, artist, activist and educator devoted to building a slow new world.
@terran.ofearth
Gabrielle Arkett is a community herbalist who runs Singing Nettles Herbs, offering herbs and herbal products as well as educational oppotunities.
@snherbs
June: A Season in Place: Stratford's Riverside Plant Walk
** Registration required: email terranvshaver@gmail.com to register**
Join your hosts Gabby and Terran for a monthly plant walk along the Avon River!
A Season in Place will follow largely the same route each month along the north side of Lake Victoria (the dammed portion of the Avon River in Stratford).
We will talk about 3-4 plants each time, as well as plant identification skills, foraging/harvesting safety and ethics, as well as practicing observation and grounding.
You can sign up for 1 walk, but signing up for all 4 is recommended to experience the changes in plants and the riverside ecosystem throughout the season.
$25 for 1 walk, $60 for all 3.
Registration Required: Email terranvshaver@gmail.com to register.
About Your Hosts:
Terran V. Shaver, B.A., is a spoonie, femme-witch, artist, activist and educator devoted to building a slow new world.
@terran.ofearth
Gabrielle Arkett is a community herbalist who runs Singing Nettles Herbs, offering herbs and herbal products as well as educational oppotunities.
@snherbs
May: A Season in Place: Stratford's Riverside Plant Walk
** Registration required: email terranvshaver@gmail.com to register**
Join your hosts Gabby and Terran for a monthly plant walk along the Avon River!
A Season in Place will follow largely the same route each month along the north side of Lake Victoria (the dammed portion of the Avon River in Stratford).
We will talk about 3-4 plants each time, as well as plant identification skills, foraging/harvesting safety and ethics, as well as practicing observation and grounding.
You can sign up for 1 walk, but signing up for all 4 is recommended to experience the changes in plants and the riverside ecosystem throughout the season.
$25 for 1 walk, $60 for all 3.
Registration Required: Email terranvshaver@gmail.com to register.
About Your Hosts:
Terran V. Shaver, B.A., is a spoonie, femme-witch, artist, activist and educator devoted to building a slow new world.
@terran.ofearth
Gabrielle Arkett is a community herbalist who runs Singing Nettles Herbs, offering herbs and herbal products as well as educational oppotunities.
@snherbs
Herbal Study Club: Create your own Materia Medica
What is a materia medica? A Materia Medica contains reference pages about different plant's medicinal and historical uses, herbal actions, energetics, folklore, chemistry, a botanical description and more! It is a great tool to get to know a single plant.
Participants will choose one herb to research in depth using herb books from Gabby's personal library, and will fill out a worksheet to create a reference page for their own materia medica. Participants will also have the opportunity to taste tea with some of the herbs discussed.
At the end of the workshop, participants will share what they've found, and will receive photocopies of other participants worksheets, giving them a good start on their own personal Materia Medica, and a framework for getting to know other medicinal plants.
Registration Fee: $25
Location: Apt. 6 Apothecary, 65A Albert St. Stratford ON
Register on eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/herbal-study-club-create-your-own-materia-medica-tickets-534064299697
Herbal Oils & Body Butters
We will be making two products during this event: a body butter bar and an herbal oil that participants can take home and use to make their own skincare products. Come learn about herbs and oils for the skin. You will smell amazing after this workshop.
Registration price includes 1 body butter bar, 1 jar of a cold-infusion herbal oil, instruction sheets, tea, a small giftbag and a 10% discount code to the Apt. 6 Apothecary
Registration Fee: $50
Location: Apt. 6 Apothecary, 65A Albert St. Stratford, ON.
Register through eventbrite
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/get-crafty-with-apt-6-herbal-oils-body-butters-tickets-534055262667
Intro to Essential Oils & Aromatherapy
In this workshop, we will learn about and work with essential oils: what they are, some of their therapeutic uses, and how to use them safely. We will also make two roll-on essential oil blends: one for headaches, and one that participants will create themselves.
Registration price includes cost of materials, presenter’s time and knowledge, as well as a 10% discount code on all products in the Apt. 6 Apothecary and a small giftbag.
Registration Fee: $40
Location: Apt. 6 Apothecary, 65A Albert St. Stratford ON
Vegan Candles & Bath Salts
Join Gabby at Apt. 6 for a crafty night out.
We will be making vegan candles and a bath salt mix. Registration includes all materials, an instruction sheet for you to take home, a small giftbag of goodies from the Apt. 6 Apothecary, a 10% discount code for purchases in the shop, tea, and snacks.
Registration Fee: $60
Location: Apt. 6 Apothecary, 65A Albert St. Stratford ON