Sometimes, you just have to stop and do something fun. And that's exactly what I did recently with my friend Jennifer Hack of Blacksnake Ranch and Ronda Reno of Cross and Thistle Apothecary! Jennifer and I have been friends for about 10 years. I met Ronda at local craft shows and events around northeast Georgia, where we both sell soaps, lotions, and other goodness.
Ronda offered an herbal class on making tinctures at Fort Yargo State Park. Our class was held in a yurt! The location was a beautiful spot along the lake. I have never been in a yurt before and I was surprised at how it was a cross between camping out (because you had to walk to the bath house) and a motel room (beds, heat/air, furniture). I loved how the ceiling connected at the top to allow in the natural light.
The class was educational and fun! Ronda is like a walking encyclopedia of herbal knowledge! Her knowledge has been passed down through her Appalachian family, and she is a certified clinical master herbalist. She has even been featured in Foxfire magazine.
During the class we learned about different herbs and how to make tinctures. Each of the participants got to make a tincture of their choice. Ronda helped with herb selection and made sure that we did not have any herbs that might interact with any medications we might be taking. We ate delicious food prepared by Ronda that even had some of her own homegrown herbs! And we made some new friends.
Although I have no desire to add tinctures to the Crescent Mountain Soap product line, I was interested to learn how they are made. I've heard a lot about tinctures and they seemed so intriguing!
My tincture is now sitting in my cabinet. I shake it each day as I wait for all the herbal goodness to leach out of the plant matter into the alcohol. I still have a few more weeks to wait until I can try it out! I'm looking forward to taking another class from Ronda and hanging out with her at local craft shows.
What kind of classes do you like to take? What kinds of things do you want to learn?