Red Road Herbs Retreat & Learning Center LLC

03/30/2026

Another tree hugger in training 🥰
Lottie Lu came to visit this weekend with her momma and did some exploring while her big brother helped rake the yard - yay on both accounts!! She just completed her first trip around the sun and is walking quite well - on flat surfaces. She discovered gravity and inertia of motion while navigating the hills in our yard. She also tasted lots of new things - sticks, leaves, dirt and possibly bugs. It is such a delight to see the world through a child's eyes!

03/27/2026

In addition to knowing the background of your teacher, I think it's important for my students to know the herbalists I admire. Here's list (not all inclusive and not in any particular order) of the herbalists, naturalists and botanists who have been influential in my learning through the past 30 years:
Rosemary Gladstar
Susun W**d
Juliet Blankespoor
Michael Tierra
Henriette Kress
Matthew Wood
Hippocrates
Nicholas Culpeper
Juliette de Baïracli Levy
James Duke
Earl Mindel
Maud Grieve
Carl Linneas
Michael Moore
Keewaydinoquay Peschel
Jerome Kills Small - Lakota elder
John Muir
7Song
Jose Torres (El Yerberito)
Sajah Popham
Linda Black Elk
Elders of Hooper Bay, Alaska
Lisa Strecker - ethnobotany instructor
(I'm sure I've left out a few.)

Who are some of the influential herbalists in your life?

Photo: Impromptu plant walk with Matthew Wood in South Dakota

03/19/2026

While in Arizona I met the cousin of an old friend - Fremont's cottonwood (Populus fremontii.) In Nebraska we have eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoidus) and they are considered sacred by the Lakota and other tribes. Black Elk, an Oglala Lakota holy man, called them the "praying tree" because their leaves are constantly moving and "singing." (Scientifically, this is because they have a flat petiole or leaf stem that allows them to clap up against each other.) They are the honored guest of the Sun Dance with rituals specifically undertaken for choosing, cutting and transporting the chosen one to the center of the Sun Dance circle.

It's not surprising the cottonwood of the southwest is also considered a sacred tree, especially since they are an indicator of water. The Cheyenne and the Arapaho have stories about the star-shaped pith found in twigs. The Arapaho consider them a symbol of the sun. Northern Mexico tribes use them in burial rituals and consider them a symbol of the afterlife. The Hopi and Navajo make their famous Kachina dolls from cottonwood roots.

Both cultures use them for medicine, especially the bark and the buds, which contain the highest amounts of salicin, the chemical compound we have synthesized into common aspirin. Salicin has anti-fever, anti-pain and anti-inflammatory properties. The Hopi use the leaves for infections and swelling. The Mohave use the inner bark for the same conditions. Cottonwood also has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. A salve made from the buds is rubbed on the chest for respiratory conditions.

Cottonwoods grow all across North American, making them one of the most widely distributed trees in the northern hemisphere. Eastern cottonwoods can be found from the Atlantic coast to the Rocky Mountains. Their cousins, Aspen trees, are found at higher altitudes and often form stands of cloned trees. They really do fulfill their scientific name as a "tree of the people."

03/18/2026

An Irish proverb to celebrate St. Patrick's Day 🍀
I hope each day brings you a good giggle and each night brings you sweet dreams 🥰

03/15/2026

I generally start all of my classes with background information about myself because of a poster I got when I was 16 years old and still have hanging in my barn. It says, "If you don't know where I've been, you can't know where I'm coming from." I think it's important to know your teacher and what life experiences brought them to this time and this place. (You can read a brief description at "Our Journey" on our website.)

Most of you only know me as a grandmother who lives in the country, works in her gardens and shares her love of plants as an herbal educator. At a recent self-love gathering we were asked to bring a photo of ourselves from any time in our lives. I found this one from when I was about 18 years old. It's back when I went to Iggy Pop, Frank Zappa and Grateful Dead concerts and had just finished my first year of college as a student of photography and journalism.

I've changed a lot since then but still listen to 80's "alternative" music and still have a passion for photography and writing 🥰

03/12/2026

Learning about herbs can be overwhelming, but learning about them one at a time gives you a chance to get to know each herb intimately and focus on that herb’s specific benefits. Many of you live too far away from Nebraska to attend a class here, so I'm considering an herb-of-the-month learning opportunity. I'd like to know how many of you would be interested.

Here's how it will work:
Sign up for a 6-month or 12-month subscription herb-of-the-month
Each month a package will be shipped to you that contains the following:
🌼 dried herb for that month - 1-2 ounces
🌼 herb monograph card with all the important details about that herb
🌼 recipe card with suggested method of preparation for that herb
🌼 all the supplies needed for that month's suggested recipe
🌼 amber storage bottle
🌼 amber dropper bottle
🌼 amber spray bottle
🌼 salve tins
🌼 beeswax
🌼 cheesecloth for decanting
🌼 tea ball
🌼 muslin bath bags
🌼 printed labels for your herbal creations

The supplies will vary, depending on the recipe method for that month. You will need to have on hand a supply of jars, a few kitchen essentials and alcohol or vegetable glycerin for tinctures to prepare each month’s recipe. As with all of my students, I will be available via email, phone or text for questions.

6-month subscription - $28 per month
Includes: Chamomile, Thyme, Yarrow, Nettle, Comfrey, Rose

12-month subscription - $25 per month
Additional: Sage, Linden, Elderflower, Rosemary, Bee Balm, Hawthorn

Please let me know in the comments if you are interested in receiving an herb-of-the-month learning kit.

03/11/2026

Joshua Tree National Park
Descriptions on pics 🌼

03/08/2026

I've been soaking up some sunshine and moonshine (not the kind you drink) on a visit to my sister's home in Parker, Arizona. I'm also doing some research on southwest ethnobotany.

Parker is on the Colorado River Indian Tribes reservation (Navajo, Mojave, Hopi and Chemehuevi tribes combined.) In the first week we went to museums, libraries and the La Paz county cooperative extension office to pick oranges fresh from their trees and chat about their food sovereignty project. We also walked the trails at a few nature preserves in the area and attended Mojave Days, a small gathering with dancing and singing competitions.

Next week we plan to visit Joshua Tree National Park. We're waiting for the winds to calm down a bit. We've had relatively cool temperatures for most of the visit; 70's and 80's with the exception of one 96 degree day. It seems I've timed the visit well for good weather. The week after I leave the forecast is several days over 100 degrees. It might look a bit silly to be in the Phoenix airport with layers of clothes and a winter coat wrapped around me, but the night I get back to Nebraska it will be 25 degrees and windy 🥶

03/07/2026

Herbal Home Gardening
BAT Academy in West Point
Saturday, March 14
1:00 - 3:00
Special Price: $45

Join us in a celebration of Spring at BAT Academy in West Point with a specially priced herb gardening class on Saturday, March 14. Growing your own herbs is one of the best ways to ensure fresh, high-quality food and medicine. This hands-on class teaches you how to successfully grow, harvest and use 12+ easy-to-grow herbs right at home.

What You’ll Learn:
Which herbs are easy and reliable to grow
Ideal growing conditions for each plant
When and how to harvest for peak potency
Practical culinary and medicinal uses

What’s Included:
Take-home handouts on herb garden designs
Growing tips you can use immediately
A strong foundation to start your own herb garden

Pre-registration is required
Call BAT Academy - (402) 372-9091

03/06/2026

Jerome Kills Small, a dear friend and Oglala Lakota elder has generously shared his wisdom with me for the past two decades. He has also given informed consent and encourages me to share his wisdom so it is not lost.

Cornus sericea is known as red willow, red-twig dogwood and red osier dogwood. Even though they are known as red willow, they are not from the willow family, but the bark has similar pain-killing and astringent properties. They are a member of the Cornaceae or dogwood family.

From Jerome:
The Lakota name is čhaŋšáša (ša = red) The outer bark is used as medicine and the inner bark is a sacred "to***co" (called kinnikinnick by some tribes in other areas) that is used in the sacred pipe for ceremonies. The twigs are harvested in late winter or early spring before the sap runs and need to be prepared (bark and inner bark removed) before they are dry (1-2 days.) The whole twigs (with bark) are used to make dream catchers and baskets.

03/04/2026

Growing herbs is the best way to ensure potency. Come learn about 12 easy-to-grow herbs and their many uses on Saturday, March 14 at BAT Academy Art Studio. Class starts at 1:00 with seeds sharing.

We couldn’t think of a better way to welcome in Spring than with an Herbal Home Gardening and Seed Swap workshop.

Join BAT Academy & Special Guest Rachel of Red Road Herbs Retreat & Learning Center LLC for a fun & engaging opportunity to learn all things HERBS!!

What You Will Learn

🌱 Which 12+ herbs are easy & reliable to grow

🌞 Ideal growing conditions for each plant

👩🏼‍🌾 When and how to harvest for peak potency

🌿 Practical culinary and medicinal uses

💚 Plus bring packets of seeds to share with others. Because seeds swaps are fun!!

👨‍🍳 Themed refreshments will be provided.

Reserve your seat TODAY.
Limited seating available.

03/02/2026

I love the folks at Open Harvest Cooperative Grocery 🥰
They are so thoughtful and kind to their local vendors!

"Good Health Through Good Nutrition"

They are a "full line store with an in-house deli and bakery, fresh meat and seafood and lots of bulk items including flours, cereals, nuts, beans, grains, herbs and spices. We have gorgeous organic produce, an extensive supplement and body care section, a great selection of domestic, imported and local cheeses, lots of quick meal options, and of course a wide range of groceries and frozen products. We also specialize in foods for special dietary needs including our own rice bread baked fresh twice a week." They also carry "The Best Herbal Salve Ever!"