Learn 5 basic herbs to add to your garden, botanical info, usage, and basic preservation. Each participant will receive a handout with information provided in class plus in depth discussion on adding these herbs to your gardens.

Herbs are plentiful even in an urban setting. Learn what herbs are available right in your own backyard. How have they been used and how can we use them now? Answers to all those questions and more in this backyard foraging class. This class will take place partially in the classroom and partially in the gardens outdoors. Each participant will receive a handout with the information covered in class plus the opportunity to eat some fresh garden weeds. We will make a Backyard Weeds Tea for everyone to take home.

Got Herbs? Don’t know what to do with them. This is the perfect workshop for you. We will walk through step by step the process of harvesting, drying, and preserving your herbs for you to use in your kitchen. Walk through each step of the process with staff from the Ohio Herb Center on hand to answer questions and provide their experience. Each person will receive a handout and materials to make your own herbal infusion to take home.  

Let’s remove some of the overwhelm and confusion that comes

with starting a vegetable garden! This class is a beginner-level class

designed for new and intermediate gardeners who want to grow

their own fruits, vegetables, and herbs close to home.

In this class, you’ll learn the basics of:

Selecting the right location for your vegetable garden

Making a landscape sketch of the space and how to decide

where to add gardens

Deciding on what soil mixture to use, and how to amend

existing garden beds

Selecting raised beds, pots, and other containers for gardening

Creating a basic planting plan that aligns with Central Ohio’s

seasons and your experience level

Organic vegetable garden maintenance (and concrete tips &

tricks for maintaining & planting)

Class is taught by Katie Carey, Columbus Foodscapes.

Warmer weather and the sun are all elements that can wreak havoc on our skin in the summer. Replenishing moisture and protecting our skin are imperative for a healthy complexion. Learn how to create your own skincare products to nourish and protect. Create 3 different products to help your skin stay glowing all summer long. We will walk through the ingredients needed and the process to use them for you and your family. Handout with information covered in class provided.

Parents, are you searching for nature activities and lessons for your children while school is out? Come explore the exciting world of herbs where we will have three interactive activities available for you and your children to enjoy. This event will focus on the beautiful flowering herbs around us where we will press flowers, go on a scavenger hunt, and learn about the different parts of a flower. Activities are great for ages 5-10. Each child participating in the activities requires a ticket.

If you’re curious about growing herbs and wondering how to process and utilize them, this is the class for you! Join Herb Center staff and harvest from the gardens here. Learn methods for drying, possibly a trip to the drying shed and learn everything you need to know about how to use these wonderful plants. Each participant gets to take home a bundle of at least 3 types of herbs from our garden.

Do the dog days’ of summer have you thirsty? We are going to learn different recipes to keep you cool. Learn about the herbs we lean on when the temperatures rise, and how to make amazing Summer Herbal Beverages to enjoy in the sunshine.

Gahanna is filled with historic buildings and great history, and with that history comes some great stories. Join our very own Amanda Ferguson, and learn about Gahanna’s colorful past. As a resident Amanda became fascinated with her neighborhood’s history. Explore “Olde Gahanna” with her and learn the secrets around the not-so-well-known history and lore of Gahanna. Learn about the ghosts of summers past as we take a look at new locations, stories, and ghosts.

Herbalists turn to many plants to reduce inflammation. In the herbal world, the techniques to lower inflammation are many. So how do you choose? In this workshop, learn about cooling and warming anti-inflammatory herbs and how to decide which one is right for you based on herbal assessment techniques. Herbalist Leah Wolfe from the Trillium Center will present profiles of her favorite anti-inflammatory herbs, then guide you will you make your own anti-inflammatory remedy to take home.

Explore the amazing color palette of herbs and plants. Learn how to create a garden just for the purpose of dying yarn or fabric. Explore an array of colors that can be created by plants that grow in your garden or in nature. Everyone will get an opportunity to dye their own pieces using a variety of techniques. This is a 2 hour workshop. Be prepared to get messy! Gloves will be provided but wearing old clothes is recommended.

A hands on exploration of creating with herbs using basic methods of preparation. In this class each participant will use their hands and feel their way through each technique, allowing them to walk away confident in their skills. Each class goes step by step through the process learning the technique in a hands-on manner, limited to 10 students, handouts with general information will be provided, and surprise samples of what is made with occasional take homes.

Schedule of Classes:

8/3 Water Infusions & Vinegar Infusions, 9/7 Oil Infusions & Elixirs, 10/5 Syrups/Honey & Powders/Pastes

Come learn the subtle nuances of making tea. This class dives into the technique of traditional tea, herbal tea or tisanes, and decoctions. Learn the basics of blending for taste and wellness. We will also explore using an energetics approach to focus on what specific herbs do for you. Explore how the ritual of tea can help create moments of self-care in your busy life. Tastings will be provided of a variety of herbal teas plus take home a variety of herbs to use at home in your tea exploration. A handout with recipes and information presented in class will be provided.

In this class, we will discuss the role that native wild foods have in supporting pollinators as well as other local fauna. We’ll discuss the human role in this ecology and how we can increase our food stocks and nutrition while providing food and habitat for many other organisms in our local ecosystem. Students will enjoy a short presentation relating to best practices and a primer on human ecology in Ohio. This will be followed by a hike through the Ohio Herb center grounds to find wild edibles. Descriptive keys for identification as well as horticultural and propagative information will be covered as well

Forest gardening has always been one of the most ecological ways to produce food and medicine. It integrates species that are useful to humans in ways that mimic our native ecosystems in form and function.   In this class we will map out practical ways we can design a medicinal landscape using wild local plants, natives, and exotics. Fruits, flowers, roots and barks of medicinal plants will be examined for their horticultural and propagative aspects as well as their relationships with local ecology. This lecture style class will include background on the forest garden concept as well as successional agroforestry in our region. Various woody, native, and perennial medicinal plants will be investigated for sustainable harvest, horticultural and propagative aspects, as well as ecological niche.

Join Ohio Herb Center staff to learn the traditional herbal remedies that have been handed down from generation to generation. We will explore 3 different remedies, how they are made, and the history behind them. Taste some samples in class as the instructor walks you through the steps involved to create each remedy. Leave with the confidence to make your own at home to share with friends and family. Each participant will receive a detailed handout with recipes, a sample of one remedy made in class, and an herb blend to try your new skills at home.

Learn how herbs and rituals can help you fall asleep and stay asleep. This class goes beyond your box of chamomile tea. Join Rae, local herb lover of Oracle Botanical, to learn how to care for yourself during shifting seasons and time changes. In this class you will, learn about nervine herbs, and bedtime rituals to help with breathing and ease tension. Receive an email of class notes afterwards plus make a bedtime tea to take home and try. This is a 1.5 hour class.

When the air gets crisp and the leaves turn we all know it’s time to pull out the spices to add to our favorite dishes. Take it a step further and learn how to stay cozy as the seasons change with warming beverages using familiar herbs. Stay warm to your core with recipes discussed in this class. Samples of each beverage will be available to try and recipes for you to take home.

Come learn how to save time and money in building your homestead! John Wright from Red Beet Row has been using permaculture design for almost 20 years to plan epic farms and gardens. Topics we’ll cover will include: designing your farm for efficiency, on-farm livelihoods, food-fuel-medicine production, woodland/orchard/forest garden management, integrating livestock, and aquaculture. There are of course many other topics involved with starting your homestead but we only have so much time! John will be sure to have the best references for you to get started on your journey. This lecture-style class will focus on the aspects of permaculture most useful for small-scale homestead design. As we move through the topics we will use maps and drawings to illustrate how to go about designing any property with permaculture. John will bring his extensive reference library as well as handouts.

 Your crown of hair needs care too! Join Rae of Oracle Botanical to discuss some of her favorite hair care techniques. Discover ways to nourish the scalp and stimulate healthy growth. Learn new recipes for natural masks, cleansing rinses and shampoos. Make your own herbal blend to take home as a treat for your hair!

Are you interested in expanding your spiritual practices? Do you want to learn how herbs can assist you in this process? We will explore how to use herbs for protection, and guidance. Especially during this time of year when the veil is thin. In this 2 hour class you will learn incense practices, utilizing aroma, and different techniques to suit your needs. Take home an incense blend and charcoal disk to continue your practice, plus a handout and soothing tea tasting.

There is nothing better than chicken soup when you’re sick, or is there? Learn how to care for your family heading into the winter months with at home remedies. We will explore how to make you comfortable and cozy while recouping from an illness. Each attendee will receive a handout with recipes, and hands on instruction to make each remedy.

Join us at the end of the growing season when the harvest is plenty! We’ll walk you through the Ohio Herb Centers woods and gardens to learn how to ID oak trees, harvest different types of acorns (if available), and process acorns for food. We will have tasty treats on-hand made from acorn flour. Participants will first be treated with different acorn dishes to accentuate the versatility of the ingredient. We will proceed to have a short presentation on best practices in the landscape before exploring the grounds of the Ohio Herb Center to identify oak species that are present. After the foray we will reconvene in the Herb Center kitchen to process acorns and discuss how to use them as a staple food. Handouts will include oaks of Ohio as well as processing information.

Welcome Friend of the Ohio Herb Center. Memberships are valid for one year from date of purchase and are non-refundable. Benefits of your membership include advance purchase of herbs for Herb Day, first glance of class and event registrations , and 15% off in the gift shop(does not include consignment). Additional benefits include a free class up to $25, taught by Ohio Herb Center staff, and 15% off rentals of our historic 1910 parlor depending on the level of membership you purchase. A membership packet will be sent to you detailing your benefits within 7-10 business days. Thank you for supporting the Ohio Herb Center.