Herbal Winter Wellness: Elderberry Syrup & Fire Cider

Friday, February 9, 2024
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuition: $36  Materials: $30
*Sliding Scale Avialable

Arm yourself this winter with two powerful herbal solutions - Elderberry Syrup and Fire Cider! The Elder Tree, offering up it's clusters of dark, tannic berries, is associated with protection against the darkest time of the year – Yule or midwinter. In European, Celtic and Indigenous Cultures of North America, it has been used to ward off evil spirits, protect against witches, and is recognized as a common defense against disease. Supporting your immune system, particularly during this 'dark time', is beneficial in defending yourself against germs and viruses. Increasingly popular, Elderberry Syrup is selling for up to $30 for an 8 oz. bottle! Learn to make your own for a fraction of the cost! Colds? Flu? Cough? Congestion? While your syrup is brewing, you will discover an old herbalist secret - Fire Cider is a powerful blend of foods and herbs that have the words 'Flu Fighter' written all over them! Give any invading winter virus a run for their money with these two powerful herbal defenders.

You will go home with a bottle of ready to use Elderberry Syrup, and jar of prepped Fire Cider to use in the weeks to come. *Students need to bring two quart sized canning jars to class.

Herbalism classes taught through the Ely Folk School are led by instructors who have sought out training or education about herbal medicine and are not intended to replace care from medical professionals. These classes are strictly educational, and do not provide treatment, diagnosis, or medical guidance. Attendees acknowledge their responsibility for personal choices.

About the Instructor: Sue Wille is new to Ely, but not so new to the area. She grew up spending most of her summertime at her family's primitive island cabin on Lake Vermilion and since 2020 has lived summers there full time. Although rural Northwest Wisconsin has been 'home' for the past 12 years, Sue is now is excited to call both Tower (summer) and Ely (Winter) her home. Sue has been a practicing massage therapist for close to 29 years. Her continuous curiosity and studies in the healing arts and modalities led Sue to complete her 1600-hour Masters of Herbalism from the Green Wisdom School of Botanical Medicine in 2019. In full complement to the herbs, her life-long appreciation and fascination with mushrooms (finding, photographing, identifying, foraging, eating) came full circle. So much so that her final master thesis project was a book titled " Fruits of the Forest: The What, Why and How of Medicinal Mushrooms Made Easy". Sue is the sole proprietor of "MuttShrooms" - a small scale business of homemade mushroom dog treats containing medicinal mushrooms. Sue has a passion for sharing her knowledge and empowering other people to achieve wellness. For seven years she taught both hands-on and administrative courses at Minneapolis School of Massage and she currently presents as an instructor for Green Wisdom's Intermediate Level Certificate. Sue especially enjoys offering her hands-on, make-and-take courses which include the always popular Elderberry Syrup Class!