Native Plant Week – Plant Walk, Plant Carnivores, Tea Tasting, & Dyeing with Plants

Join us for Day 5 of Native Plant Week, celebrating the rich diversity of plants in Appalachia! Friday, June 10th, will feature a guided plant walk, plant carnivores, and dyeing with plants.

Take a hike with Cara-Lee Langston of Wildcraft Kitchen. As you meander along the nature trails at Foxfire, participants will be introduced to useful plants and fungi that can be used as food or medicine. Topics covered include the basics of botanical identification, ethical wildcrafting and stewardship, and culinary and medicinal uses of wild foods and herbs. Register in advance on Eventbrite.

Visit with Foxfire resident fiber artists Sharon Grist and Kelly Coldren and watch as they color wool yarn with dyes extracted from native plant species.

Friday will also feature native plant carnivores, hosted by Carrie Radcliffe, Restoration Coordinator at the Atlanta Botanical Center, who will also share stories of efforts to conserve these unique areas.

Join herbalist Sue McCoy for “Drink Your Plants!: The exciting world of Tea, Shrubs and Syrups with Native Plants” from 10 am until 3 pm at the Foxfire Museum. Demonstration included with admission to the museum. Sue will explore the techniques of making hot and cold infusions, herbal syrups and zesty shrubs. Participants can learn about what these different techniques are and how they can be used to create wonderful plant infused beverages. Visitors can sample a hot tea and cold tea from the same plant to see how incredibly different they taste. Learn about how much plant material is needed to make a cup of tea medicinal. Watch as a batch of fresh elderberry syrup simmers as it comes together. Learn how vinegar, used as a preservative for fruit can create a refreshing summer beverage. And taste a lovely mocktail made by combining several of these ingredients into one fabulous Native Plant filled drink.

Learn about historic and contemporary uses of native plants in the mountain during this week-long program. Both the plant carnivores presentation and dye pot demonstration are included with general admission to the museum. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis and will be limited to museum capacity. The guided hike requires separate pre-registration. Purchase a membership and save on admission–all members receive free admission to the museum for a year!