Elderberry’s is home to a charming, periwinkle-blue 1908 farmhouse, graced with Peach, Plum, and Apple trees, where chickens free-range among organic vegetable and herb gardens. Our botanical sanctuary is on the edge of town, in a quiet, peaceful, varied landscape with huge Cottonwood trees shading the lawns. It’s the perfect place to shed the chaos of city life and recharge your vitality. Eat fresh food right from local farms and gardens and rest in the camping meadow under brilliant stars or stay in one of our tiny houses. Find yourself at home among healing waters, where the Minnesota creek and mountain snowmelt converge to nourish the land and soothe the mind, body and spirit.
The LandThis breathtaking landscape is surrounded by an expanse of mountains and mesas, with clear air and pure mountain water. Sage and Juniper grow in wild abundance among other fragrant plants and wildflowers. Elderberry’s is located on the edge of Paonia, in the North Fork Valley, an area known for its fertile soil that supports the abundant growth of organic fruits and vegetables. This unique micro-climate is often compared to the Provence region of southeast France, as the valley mimics coastal Mediterranean terrain. Paonia is home to the highest concentration of organic farms and orchards in the state – truly a haven for plant-lovers, gardeners, herbalists and healers!
We are currently planning our 2019 schedule – check back later in January! This year we’ll be offering a Wild Foods weekend workshop and feast (with the amazing team of Kat Mackinnon and Briana Wiles, who rocked our socks last year), some one-day medicine-making classes, a Botanical Arts workshop, an expanded Wise Woman Week, Nature Cure experiences, Essential Oil distilling, and more …
The talented Kat Mackinnon and Briana Wiles have agreed to return in 2019 to offer an expanded version of their wildly popular 2018 Wild Foods Foraging workshop (see below). We’ve just scheduled the dates; more information coming soon …
Learn how to make exquisite herbal-infused honeys and use them to create elixirs with tinctures (stronger medicines than syrups!) with herbal pharmacist and CSCH Director Lisa Ganora. We’ll harvest local medicinal herbs and create several elixirs including Spruce, Elderberry, Ginger, etc.
Join two amazing artists / herbalists for a weekend of learning the spirit and magic of healing plants both wild and domestic, through observation, botanical illustration, Nature journaling and more …
Calling all women who want to reconnect with the wild green powers of Earth! Come join us for five days of learning directly from our herbal allies in the gardens at Elderberry’s and the wild lands of the beautiful North Fork Valley and surrounding mountains. We’ll practice plant communication in the biodynamic gardens, make traditional nourishing & empowering herbal remedies and medicinal foods, and deepen our connection with Mother Earth as we visit a sacred grove for journeying with the Green Spirits. At night we’ll share stories and song around the fire and celebrate the Wild and Wise power of Women as Coyotes sing nearby! Five days of healing, transformation & empowerment … more details coming soon …
Eric returns for another inspiring workshop in the art, spirit & practical science of essential oil distilling (see 2018 workshop below). More information & registration here.
Come immerse yourself in the healing powers of Nature as we sing up the sun, meditate with the plants, and dance around the fire!
What we’ve offered in the past …
Join us for an amazing weekend of foraging and wild foods preparation with herbalist, wildcrafter, and author Briana Wiles and Kat Mackinnon, Director of CSCH’s Rocky Mountain Field Botany course and ancestral skills teacher. With these skilled guides, you’ll learn sustainable harvesting and practical techniques for preparing and cooking with native and naturalized wild foods and local herbs of the Western Slope. Come learn how surprisingly delicious Cattail Ash Cakes can be at our Saturday night Wild Food Feast! For more information or to register online, click the link above, or email Lisa.Ganora@ClinicalHerbalism.com.
Learn artisan essential oil distilling with Eric and Amber from House of Aromatics in Boulder, Utah. At this fascinating workshop, participants harvest, prepare and distill magical essences while connecting with the spirits, energies and medicine of the local Conifers. Eric returns for another popular workshop at Elderberry’s to guide us in harvesting the plants respectfully and sustainably, and experiencing the magic of distilling to capture “the Genie in the Bottle” in the form of essential oils and hydrosols.
Immerse yourself in the healing powers of Nature and prepare for Winter with traditional nourishing tonics, herbs, hydrotherapy, meditations, and movements to build Qi.
© 2019 Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism | Lafayette, Colorado