Locust Light Farm

Hi there,

I went MIA for three months. You may have noticed, or maybe you didn't -- there's a lot going on in the world. Here's what's up:

I started working at Pure Indian Foods, a company I've long admired. They're an Indian foods company (as I'm sure you guessed) that is expanding into skincare. I'm working to help them develop a cosmetics line. It's fascinating and fun: I'm learning about ghee for skincare (amazing), Indian herbs I've never worked with before, and, most exciting, Sneha Kalpana, and Ayurvedic method of extracting herbs into oil that captures the water-soluble constituents. This, specifically, has been mind-blowing.

Because of this new job, I'm teaching less (and have been sending fewer emails). I will be teaching a bit this summer -- see the classes below. And I'm still available for consultations.

I'm continuing to work on finding land that can host Locust Light as a teaching garden again. More on that next week ;)

In the meantime, I hope to see you at an event this summer!

yours in seeking balance,

Amanda

Upcoming Events

Classes at Grounds for Sculpture

​Wellness Symposium​

Thursday, April 16th, 6:00-800pm

I’ll be serving up herbal mocktails at the inaugural Wellness Symposium at Grounds for Sculpture!

​Garden Retreat​

Saturday, April 18th, 9:00am-1:00pm

Join us for the Third Annual Garden Retreat—a day dedicated to self-exploration and overall wellness.

I’ll be teaching Intro to Herbal Teas. We’ll sample teas and discuss the different ways of preparing tea for flavor, medicine, and potent extractions.

​Herbal Allergy Relief​

Saturday, April 25th, 10:30-11:30am

Explore herbs & holistic techniques that address the root cause of allergies and help manage symptoms when they arise. You’ll leave class with an herbal tea blend, snack recipes, and lifestyle tips. Admission to GFS is included, so feel free to enjoy the grounds!

Note: this class covers allergic rhinitis, not food intolerances or food allergies.

​Crafting Herbal Mocktails​

Saturday, May 23, 1:00-3:00 PM

Learn to craft delicious herbal mocktails (non-alcoholic cocktails) with oxymels, simple syrups, hydrosols, and more! You’ll make your own tasty oxymel (a mixture of honey and vinegar) and receive delicious mocktail recipes to take home, all while sipping delicious mocktails.
​

This class is so fun, I'm also teaching it on:

​Saturday, June 20th, 1:00-3:00 PM​

​Saturday, July 25th, 1:00-3:00 PM​

Herb Day

​Herb Day is a full day of FREE herbalism classes taught by some really wonderful herbalists. The full day runs from 9:00am-5:00pm.

I’ll be teaching Herbs for Kids at 2:00pm. We’ll cover:

• Herbal support for common childhood ailments
• How to use herbs safely with kids (i.e. dosing)
• Safe herbs for kids
• and most importantly — many creative ideas for getting herbs into their squirmy, fussy bodies (i.e. compliance)

Note: everything I teach in this class will also be helpful for getting uninterested friends and family members to take herbs.

​
​

Meadow Medicine at Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve

Wednesday nights, 6:00-8:00pm, beginning May 13th

I am beyond thrilled to be offering this series with Bowman's Hill!

Learn the medicinal qualities of our beloved full-sun herbaceous perennials, i.e. the meadow plants!

In this class, we'll go deep with eight "meadow herbs," studying their medicinal qualities, including how they are harvested and used. You'll learn the process by which basic herbal preparations are made, how to grow these precious perennials in your garden, and how they support their local ecosystem.

Herbalist Amanda Crooke will guide you in the herbal qualities of the herbs, and Santino from BHWP will teach you about cultivating these plants and their ecosystem relationships.

What's included

• Each class will include all materials necessary for our study.
• Participants will also go home with eight plants, one of each of the species discussed in the class.
• You will take home one herbal preparation from each class (tea, oxymel, oil, and salve).

Itinerary

Meadow Medicine is a 4-Part Series. Your attendance will be expected on the following dates:

• May 13th
• May 20th
• May 27th
• June 3rd

Register here

Free + Clear

Dealing with spring allergies? This class is for you. It's all online, and will help you manage seasonal allergies. It's truly very effective. ​

---

Community Bulletins

(aka my extremely talented friends)

• If you've attended a class with me, you've probably heard me mention my friend Mare McClellan, who's taught me most of what I know about native plants. Mare is also a talented artist whose work is inspired by the natural world. There will be an exhibition of her recent work, inspired by the Cecropia moth, on May 2nd at the Morpeth Gallery in Hopewell.
• My friend Sheila Masterson, a romantasy author, recently published her 7th book (!!)—and it became a USA Today bestseller. Originally self-published, the book has since been picked up by a traditional publisher and is now available for pre-order. The book is fantastic -- I highly recommend!​
• My husband John & his farm are being featured in a monthly series about veggie farming in the Bucks County Herald. This is the perfect time to sign up for your local CSA ;)
• My friends Malaika & her husband Ian opened Amara Kitchen & Tasting Room last summer. In addition to the farm market, CSA, fancy dinners, and cooking classes, they're open on Wednesdays (and soon to be Saturdays) for pizza, small plates, and drinks. AND they just got a playground. So if you have small kids and you want to take them somewhere that you can sip wine/beer/mocktails while watching them run around with a bunch of other kids, this is the place. It's pretty great.
• My friend Michele of MotMot Collective will be teaching ongoing herbalism classes in her garden this year! She's located in Asbury Park, NJ

Need personalized herbal support?

I'm still available for consultations. I'd love to help you.​

Did a friend send you this email? Awesome! To get more herby goodness in your inbox, click the button below:

Send me herby goodness