In Spring, buds and shoots pop out and tree saps run lively… In Summer, leaves expand and flowers burst in colors all around us. In Autumn, fruits ripen and roots fill up with summer’s energy. And in Winter, it’s the evergreens who shine with their needles and sticky resins. Walk with us in the forest, join us in the apothecary and learn how to deepen your connection with the Plant Kingdom. Our classes are immersive – they provide practical tips and information, while allowing space to connect with the natural environement.
Our wildcrafting offerings
PLANT
IDENTIFICATION
“Nobody learns “foraging”. You learn one plant at a time. For ages humans have learned plants from other people. Grandmother showed you an herb over and over again: identifying big ones, small ones, normal ones, odd ones, dead ones. You’d get to feel the stem, sniff the leaf, flip it over, run it along your cheek, take a nibble – until you recognized it. The fixative power of flavor, scent, location, and a familiar voice would reinforce your memories.”
– Sam Thayer’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants.
A sneak peak into the magical world of plants for people curious to know their environment better and discover the medicine and food hidden right at their feet in the city’s green spaces.
Common garden weeds, boreal pioneers and even invasives play a role in the urban landscape and hold many gifts for us.
We will engage our observation skills and our child’s eyes as we meet some of them.
Plant Identifications are held once a week in Whitehorse from May to July.
These one hour sessions propose an introduction to common plants of downtown Whitehorse, tips to identify them and information on their medicinal and nutritive properties. From our Fireweed Market stand in Shipyard’s Park, participants will be guided to discover the unsung weeds, pioneers and invasives growing not so far away.
- common plant identification
- tools + books recommendations
- meet at our Fireweed Market stand
- thursdays 5:30 to 6:30 pm
- may 23 to july 11
- $10 to $20 sliding scale
- drop in – no registration
- children welcome
ENCHANTED
WALK
“When the berry season was done, the plants would send out slender red runners to make new plants. Because I was fascinated by the way they would travel over the ground looking for good places to take root, I would weed out little patches of bare ground where the runners touched down. Sure enough, tiny little roots would emerge from the runner and by the end of the season there were even more plants, ready to bloom, under the next Strawberry Moon. No person taught us this – the strawberries showed us. Because they had given us a gift, an ongoing relationship opened between us.”
– Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass.
A special time in the forest for nature lovers who yearn to connect deeper with their environment and explore the medicine and food abundant in the wilderness.
Healing is in nature everywhere, and plants are just waiting for us to introduce ourselves. Boreal plants and trees form intricate communities and hold many gifts for us.
We will engage our observation skills, our child’s eyes and our heart memory as we meet some of them.
Enchanted Walks are held intermittently in Mount Lorne from May to September.
These 3 hour sessions propose an introduction to common plants of the Boreal forest, tips to identify them and information on their medicinal and nutritive properties. From our off-grid property on the Wheaton River, we will head out to explore different habitats and meet with plants through a series of meditative exercises.
- common plant identification
- tools + books recommendations
- meditative exercises
- HErbal sample
- Saturdays 1 to 4 pm
- adults only
PLANT ENCOUNTER
“Have you ever intuitively been pulled toward a certain flower or plant? This is the plant energy beckoning you. The most traditional way of attuning to a plant is to be present with it. Be observant, look at it, touch it, smell it. Exploring a plant with an intuitive sense is a vital part of the process.”
– Beverley Gray, The Boreal Herbal.
A focused immersion for hands-on people who are called to study a specific plant and work with their medicine.
We will engage our observation skills, our child’s eyes, our heart memory and our whole body as we meet, harvest and transform this plant together.
Plant Encounters are held quarterly in Mount Lorne, featuring different plants throughout the year.
These 3 hour sessions propose an overview of a specific plant, including their gift of food, technology and medicine. At our off-grid property on the Wheaton River, participants will meet and attune to the plant, harvest respectfully and transform the harvest.
- common plant identification
- tools + books recommendations
- meditative exercises
- proper harvesting practices
- herbal samples + handouts
- herbal preparation to take home
- Saturdays 1 to 4 pm
- adults only
FAMILY PLANT FUN
“Have you ever intuitively been pulled toward a certain flower or plant? This is the plant energy beckoning you. The most traditional way of attuning to a plant is to be present with it. Be observant, look at it, touch it, smell it. Exploring a plant with an intuitive sense is a vital part of the process.”
– Beverley Gray, The Boreal Herbal.
An immersion into the magical world of plants for families looking to be out and gather in an inspiring place to learn and play.
Whether they grow close to our homes or in the forest, plants hold many gifts for us.
We will engage our observation skills, our child’s eyes and our whole body as we meet some of them, harvest them and transform them together.
Family Plant Fun are held between June and September in Mount Lorne.
These 3 hour sessions propose an introduction to common plants found in our gardens and forested areas, including their gift of food, technology and medicine. At our off-grid property on the Wheaton River, participants will meet the plants through a series of kid friendly, hands-on exercises.
- common plant identification
- tools + books recommendations
- kid friendly hands-on exercises
- proper harvesting practices
- herbal samples + handouts
- herbal preparation to take home
- Saturdays 1 to 4 pM
Looking for something specific?
We can organize plant walks and medicinal-making workshops for your group or family and are happy to tailor it to your own forested area. We look forward to hearing what interests you!
“The Honorable Harvest, a practice both ancient and urgent, applies to every exchange between people and the Earth.
Its protocol is not written down, but if it were, it would look something like this: Ask permission of the ones whose lives you seek. Abide by the answer. Never take the first. Never take the last. Harvest in a way that minimizes harm. Take only what you need and leave some for others. Use everything that you take. Take only that which is given to you. Share it, as the Earth has shared with you. Be grateful. Reciprocate the gift. Sustain the ones who sustain you, and the Earth will last forever.”
– Robin Wall Kimmerer