Olwyn and I would love to see you in The Happy Pig in Kylebrack, Co. Galway to share this event with us on Saturday the 26th of September.
We have planned a workshop that focuses on a range of mostly common plants that grow in gardens and hedgerows all over the country.
The workshop will consist of an outdoor walk-and-talk element where we will identify and discuss the plants growing in the surrounding area, and a workshop element in which we will demonstrate and discuss some basic ways to use, process and preserve the plants.
Everyone will go home with their own herbal vinegar or oil and with many suggestions for other simple things to make.
The workshop incorporates plant identification and basic botanical knowledge, exploration of the ecological settings in which you might expect to find these plants, culinary and medicinal uses for them and simple ways to use these plants and incorporate them into your daily routines. We may touch on some folkloric and/or historical elements of the plants too, though these are not the main focus.
Central to our motives for running this course are themes of rewilding ourselves and the land around us, the need to reconnect with the Irish landscape and flora and to reclaim some sovereignty over our food supply chains and wellbeing.
A hot lunch will be provided to close off the event, with vegan and gluten free options available. Please advise us in advance of any food intolerances/allergies. We will make some of the lunch together using foods foraged during the morning and tasters of other wild food products will be available too.
The option to spend the afternoon at the Happy Pig after the workshop & lunch is open to all, in which case some other activities to engage with the plants will be proposed. If you are interested in drawing and have a sketchbook, feel free to bring it with you. Olwyn lives there and will be on hand to talk more about the plants and foraging.
There is also the option to stay over either in the dorms or camping on site. There are limited spaces available so please let me know if you are interested in staying over.
A €15 deposit is required to reserve your place and to cover costs. It is not considered to be full payment for the workshop. The Happy Pig operates on an informal economy/gift economy basis. It operates as a hostel and workshop space where people who use it are invited to anonymously donate what they can for the use of the space. In keeping with this ethos, we are offering the workshop on a donation basis. This allows attendees to pay for the workshop based on how valuable it is to them and according to their personal financial situation.
Please feel free to contact me if you’d like any more information.
This event is now fully booked. If you’d like to join the waitlist please follow the link below and let me know!