Remedies in Your Own Back Yard

Bryan and I took a class the other night at Zucchini’s Cooking Store, in South Anchorage. They periodically hold classes on anything from Pasta Making to Hors-d'oeuvres to Fermenting Vegetables.

This class was on Alaskan Herbs and was presented by a Lithuanian woman named Gdaiva Gaulyte.  Gdaiva ia a Certified Nutritionist who owns and operates Alaska Island Retreat on Kalgin Island, where she teaches people (in her own words) “how to eat to be healthy using local whole natural foods; fermented vegetables, fish and bone broths, teas from the forest, and more.”

The class was a good one. We learned about natural teas, tinctures, infused oils, shampoos and tonics with a focus on local Alaskan herbs such as goldenrod, nettle, horsetail, dandelion, clover, elderberry, devil’s club, bluebell, yarrow and more. She explained how to collect, prepare and how to store what we’ve gathered. She offered us samples to taste and/or smell. We even got to make our own herbal tea using herbs she brought with her.

I do have to admit to some familiarity with the subject – but it was still a very interesting class.