Meet Suzanne
As a child I loved helping my mother in the kitchen and eventually took over the job of preparing the family meals. As a teen I developed a great interest in health. That and many years of cooking professionally have given me a foundation for the classes I offer with a focus on food as medicine.
During high school I worked at a local plant nursery for several years and gained an immense amount of plant knowledge that I use today in my garden design business.
On graduating high school in 1976 I was gifted two books, one on Shiatsu, the other, on herbs, Jeanne Rose’s Herbs and Things. Fascinated, I read for hours of this exciting new world of concoctions and remedies and spent days experimenting.
In 1980 I enrolled in massage school. Included was a course in herbal studies with Dr. Michael Tierra, one of the forerunners of the North American Natural Health movement. During that time I also met Rosemary Gladstar, founder of the California School of Herbal Studies with whom I have studied extensively. Rosemary and Michael extended my fascination with the use of herbs in cooking as well as in medicine. I eventually married the two practices in founding Woodsorrel Handmade Herbal Body and Bath Products.
In 1983 I received my certification in Shiatsu therapy and through the years have included my herbal knowledge as an offering to my massage clients.
In 1985 I began teaching various herbal workshops and over time developed an 8-month course, “Herbal Ways for Women,” designed to give the student a sound understanding of the subject with a focus on practical applications featuring a hands-on approach. Even though my love for travel and herbal lore has taken me to lands from simple to exotic, I happily reside in a lovely seaside town resplendent in wild edibles and medicinal plants. This special slice of heaven is where I lead herb walks on the identification and practical uses of the bounty at my fingertips. An avid gardener, I enjoy tending my cottage garden, used both for pleasure and as my outdoor classroom where I conduct a variety of herbal classes and workshops.
Kato
Ivy
Yard Assistants