Present: April ( facilitating ), Mona, Donna, AnaHope, Katie, Quinn, Luna, Kami, Beth, Claudia, Lisa, Alex, Davora, Leslie ( notes )
A special thank you to our Sponsors ~ Nutritional Seeds, Eat for Health, Lyric Harmony, Cultivate Wellness, Quantum Wellness Consulting.
DISCUSSION ITEMS/ANNOUNCEMENTS:
-Membership renewals are due
Donna: spoke about the Caring Kitchen a project that puts adults and teenagers together to provide meals for cancer patients. They have a need for herbs. Contact: Call (707) 467-3212 , 413 N State St. Ukiah, California
-We need people to write an article – Herbal interests, for the Willits Weekly. 800 words or less. This needs to happen once a month and can be rotated among people. Contact Donna for formatting or questions: motherland@pacific.net
-We need people to volunteer to give a 10-15 min chat at the weekly Willits Farmers Market. Contact: motherland@pacific.net
-The Willits Weekly _ Aura would like to interview one of us for the upcoming Calendula Festival . contact: motherland@pacific.net
Beth: Spoke about some of the ways that the Sonoma County Herb Guild works with their growers and buyers and how it was initially started. She was a founding member and on their board for a while.
SCHG was originally started by a grant and a wish to train growers how to best grow the herbs that the Herbalists want. Leslie Gardener was a main person energetic force in growing the SCHG. It is open at Laguna Farms in Sebastopol on Tuesdays to drop off herbs and pick up orders. You can call in orders.. it was best to order ahead in bulk, like a pound of ____, so that growers knew what to grow. Peg Schaffer was instrumental in the growth as well. There were separate meetings for growers/apprentices. You had to be a member to sell Herbs but not to buy them. All herbs are brought in fresh. It is a non profit model. SCHG holds Organic Cert and helped other farms with their status or organic growing.
Suggestion put out to put a TAB on our MCHG website to help put together the herbalists requests/needs with local farmers in the area.
If you want to talk w Beth more about the SCHG model contact: 459-1810
Suggestion: put out a list of the ingredients needed monthly for the Mendo Vitality Tonic on our website.
Lisa: shared that there are other classifications now than just an Organically Certified .. now there is Naturally Grown. More clarification needed
WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES:
Luna– Each 3rd Wednesday at the Muse in Willits there will be an Herbal Teaching class. It is booked through August. It needs more promotion and she asks that the MCHG help. She will set a table in the classes to help with MCHG membership drive. CLASS TIME: 5;30-7pm. Drop in. $15-25 Sliding scale- $5 iff for MCHG members
AnaHope– shared flyers for multiple classes being held starting March 30 – August at the School of Adaptive Agriculture on the “Herbal Track” . Please register online at: www.school-of-adaptiveagriculture.org/extension
APRIL 20 – EARTHDAY at Mariposa Market. We have a table and need 1-2 more volunteers for a short time to answer questions and pour teas. Kimberly has volunteered.. anyone else? Contact: info@mendocinoherbguild.com
NEEDS:
We need a Social Media person. .. someone willing and able to post daily to FB, Instragram etc.
We need more information/articles written/photos/garden tips/recipes/poems for our newsletter please. Contact and send to: info@mendocinoherbguild.com
We need a Small events coordinator/volunteer. If interested contact: info@mendocinoherbguild.com
We need people interested in joining the interim Council to help set some important things in motion and help get the non profit set up and cultivate board members. Please contact asap: info@mendocinoherbguild.com
repeat ( need ) :
-We need people to write an article – Herbal interests, for the Willits Weekly. 800 words or less. This needs to happen once a month and can be rotated among people. Contact Donna for formatting or questions: motherland@pacific.net
-We need people to volunteer to give a 10-15 min chat at the weekly Willits Farmers Market. Contact: motherland@pacific.net
GENERAL INFO:
-AnaHope spoke about a workshop she went to called California Ecosystem Restoration Council held by a man named John Lui. They are setting up eco-restoration camps over the world. April 26-28 they are setting up in Paradise California. Contact: campfirerestorationproject.org or rebuildingparadise.com if you want to join.
-AnaHope set up a conversation at the workshop about herbs roles in restoration. .. planting Elder, willow, yerba santa. Herbs as being part of the first responders to fire torn land and for the people – fire fighters and victims that have lost homes. Need for continued discussion re our role or ability to help in future fires
-Alex spoke about the difficulty many local Native Americans have in their replanting/restoration efforts. Jughandle Nursery is growing trees and bushes for Native Americans to plant/restore native areas.
-April 13 at the Hopland Tribe Rancheria 9:30- 1 pm. There is an event honoring National Crime Survivors Week. AnaHope volunteered to set up a table and offer a class on herbs to help w stress and trauma.
-Claudia spoke about the change in liability issues at the Grange.
-Claudia in producing the Womens Emposerment Summit the same weekend as the Calendula Festival. More details to emerge as she has them.
-May 19 is the Grateful Gleaners Day. There will be a plant sale at Carol Cox’s home in Willits.
CALENDULA FESTIVAL JUNE 9 – Rec Grove Park in Willits 10-3pm ~ FREE event to the public
We already have over 1000 people interested in the event just from Social Media. Need much more PR for this. It would be really really good to have coordinators for each area. If you would like to volunteer.. please contact Kami at: info@mendocinoherbguild.com
Plant sale– initial seedings are getting started.
Mona: yarrow, camomile, elecampagne
Leslie/Quinn: Sida, Tulsi, Ashwaganda, flowers
Devora: clary sage, has pots to share ( will bring next meeting )
Kami: Calendula
Alex: pennyroyal
April: poppy
AnaHope: Lemon Balm, catnip, chocolate mint
Kati: clary sage, fever few
Kami- Calendula
Workshops: plan is to have one at a time, maybe 5-6 different ones, looking for speakers, suggest having some hands on workshops like making herb screens
Elixir Bar; Herb Guild in charge
Food: 2- 3 different food vendors .. in the works
Vendors: charge $20-25 for the table
Apothocary
Music
Membership Drive
Kid Zone
Opening and Closing circle
Mobile Guild on Wheels – next meeting date change from April 7 to April 30. Place TBA
Next Inland MCHG meeting: April 23: 5:30- 7 pm at Cultivate Wellness Studio at the Grange.
