The tulips are pushing up, spring is in the air, and a whole new season is starting up at Innisfree Farm in Royston.
The acres of gardens and grounds are open to the public on Saturdays from May through October, with a farm shop selling herbal products and serving herbal teas.
The farm has recently installed a professional kitchen and has a chef in residence for the season who will create pickles, chutneys and other taste-tempting products for the farm shop with the surplus from the gardens.
A new round of herbal medicine courses with medical herbalist and horticulture therapist Chanchal Cabrera starts in April with an exciting roster of herbal training. For beginners looking to learn the basics of herbal healing and medicine making, to more experienced students wanting to deepen their understanding of the human body and strengthen their practical skills, there is something for everyone.
• A 20-hour series called Beginning with Herbs – Foundations of Herbal Medicine launches April 8. This introductory course is an ideal way for the novice or those interested in herbalism to learn to make and use their own herbal medicines.
• Also starting in April is the 150-hour intermediate training leading to the Community Herbalist Level One certificate. Intended for people with a basic understanding of human health or foundation experience in herbalism who want to go deeper, this 10-month (one weekend per month) intensive course is taught by Chanchal Cabrera and guest teachers, including a chiropractor and a naturopath.
Herbal medicine classes are not the only exciting stuff on offer at Innisfree Farm this season. The farm grows delicious, fresh, unsprayed vegetables. Chef Joseph Forest and Cabrera will showcase this bounty in their 2013 Food as Medicine Series of cooking classes.
The series gets rolling April 6 with a spring cleanse workshop, and continues on Friday evenings and Saturdays throughout the spring and fall.
Go to www.chanchalcabrera.com or call 250-336-8767 for details.
— Innisfree Farm