Wildcrafting With Weeds & Invasive Plants With Vanessa Chakour
In this 4-part workshop, learn about all aspects of weeds and how "unlikable" plants can be used as powerful allies.
Course Description
Weeds are plants that, often for lack of fitting into a manicured lawn or garden, have gotten a bad rap. But many of them are full of medicinal properties that, when properly wielded, can turn these tenacious plants into powerful allies. In this four-part seminar with author and herbalist Vanessa Chakour, we’ll learn to identify various weeds, use them to craft teas and tinctures, and become stewards of our local green spaces. By the end of our time together, we’ll rediscover the wonder of nature and explore the power of plants in this practical exploration of wildcrafting.
Syllabus At A Glance
This course includes four total sessions, each lasting for 1.5 hours on four consecutive weeks beginning on Tuesday July 9.
Session 1 (Tuesday, 7/9, 5:00–6:30 PM ET): Dismantling Plant Blindness: We’ll cover common medicinal plants, plant ID, and an overview of medicinal plant uses
Session 2 (Tuesday, 7/16, 5:00–6:30 PM ET): Building an Apothecary: We’ll learn about plant allies, rethink our understanding of invasive species, and explore herbal tea infusions, tinctures, poultices, and herbal bathing.
Session 3 (Tuesday, 7/23, 5:00–6:30 PM ET): Ethical Wildcrafting & Medicine Making: Learn to survey your environment and take only what you need for a safe harvest and medicine production.
Session 4 (Tuesday, 7/30, 5:00–6:30 PM ET): Stewarding Land: We’ll conclude by covering our new awareness of our environment and how we might help others reframe the concept of weeds.
Between Sessions
Outside of class, additional materials and assignments will be provided by the instructor to engage with the practical learnings further.
Course Materials
The following materials are suggested:
A notebook/journal for notes and plant journal
Glass Jars of all sizes with lids (begin saving them!)
ACV, Vegetable Glycerin, or 80-proof Vodka for medicine making
Strainer for making herbal infusion
Pricing Options
In addition to full-price tickets, a limited number of no-pay spots are available for this course. Please note that these tickets are reserved for those who would not otherwise be able to take this course and who expect to attend all sessions. No-pay spots are distributed via a randomized drawing two weeks before each course begins. For more information and to apply for a no-pay spot, please click here. To learn more about our pricing model and randomized selection process for no-pay spots, please visit our FAQ page.
Community Guidelines for Students
Please take a moment to review our community guidelines for students, which aim to share our classroom ethos and help set the stage for the best possible learning experience.
Atlas Obscura Online Courses
Atlas Obscura Courses offer opportunities for participants to emerge with new skills, knowledge, connections, and perspectives through multi-session classes designed and taught by expert instructors. To learn more about our current course offerings, please visit www.atlasobscura.com/online-courses. For answers to commonly asked questions, check out our FAQ page here.
Founded in 2009, Atlas Obscura created the definitive community-driven guide to incredible places across the planet and is now an award-winning company that shares the world’s hidden wonders in person and online.
Once registered, you’ll receive a confirmation email from Eventbrite that will provide access to each class meeting. Please save the confirmation email as you’ll use it to access all sessions of your course via Zoom.
Vanessa Chakour is an author, naturalist, visual artist, herbalist and nature advocate. A dynamic blend of her vast personal experiences over 20+ years, she facilitates courses and retreats; helping students access their inner wild while learning from the plants, fungi and animals that share their ecosystems. She created Rewilding Through Writing programs to facilitate healing through the creative process; encouraging writers to trust their creative instincts and build confidence in their voice. Vanessa lives with her partner in Western Massachusetts where they steward Mount Owen Forest Sanctuary, promoting ecosystem diversity and resilience through forest stewardship and propagation of native and endangered plants and fungi. She is the author of Awakening Artemis, a memoir of healing through the lens of 24 medicinal plants, and the forthcoming Earthly Bodies: Embracing Animal Nature that Sy Montgomery, bestselling author of How to Be A Good Creature, calls a "triumphant and vibrant interweaving of memoir and natural history."
This is an interactive, small-group seminar that meets over Zoom. Students may be encouraged to participate in discussions, work on assignments outside of class, and workshop projects with their instructor or classmates. Due to the interactive nature of this course, we strongly recommend students attend as many live sessions as possible. Within 72 hours after each session meets, students will receive access to a recording of the live session, which they can watch for up to two weeks after the course concludes.
Instructors may use Google Classroom to communicate with students outside of class. While students aren’t required to use Google Classroom, instructors may use this platform to post resources, discussion questions, or assignments. This platform also offers a space for students to connect with one another about course material between sessions.
We provide closed captioning for all of our courses and can share transcripts upon request. Please reach out to us at [email protected] if you have any questions, requests, or accessibility needs.
There are 20 spots available on this experience.
