Upcoming Plant Walks & Workshops

Join us for immersive plant walks and hands-on workshops exploring the medicinal and food uses of the plants and fungi of our bioregion!

2025 – Spring Workshops

Folk Herbcraft & Medicine Making

Four Class Series – Spring 2025 – Tuesdays: March 18, April 22, May 20, June 24

Learn how to turn your kitchen into a vibrant and healing apothecary to support yourself and your community! Each month, we will explore herbal medicine making through various preparation methods while learning the basic framework and philosophy for working with herbs.

The Herb of the Ocean: Seaweed 101 with Fallow Fern Healing

Thursday, March 20th, 2025 – 6:30-8:30pm

Join local herbalist Krisi Nehls to learn about the healing properties of the “herb of the ocean”: seaweed. We’ll explore seaweed through the lens of red, green, and brown varieties, focusing on seaweed’s botanical anatomy, its healing properties, and how it can be used topically, internally, and nutritionally to help various illnesses and ailments.

Green Gratitude: Cut-Up Poetry for the Earth

Thursday, March 27th, 2025 – 6:30-8:00pm

A creative workshop exploring intuitive and intentional self-expression with the purpose of cultivating gratitude and reciprocal relationships with the Earth and our nonhuman kin.

Incense Making Workshop with Hard Broom

Thursday, May 1st, 2025 – 6:30-8:30pm

Join Chicago-based artist & incense-maker, Morganne Wakefield, in an exploration of the art of natural incense making. We’ll learn the fundamentals of natural incense, using a variety of aromatics, botanicals, tree barks and resins. We will discover various recipes and craft a unique incense cone blend for you to take home! All materials provided.

  • "I really enjoyed the tinctures & infusions workshop; it was informative and fun! Alex is very knowledgeable and open to questions; it was a comfortable, welcoming space to learn. I am enjoying the tea I made and can't wait to try the tincture when it's ready!"

    Adrienne Q., Workshop Participant 2023

  • "This was a great experience! It was a treat to explore Horner Park for the first time with Alex, who is a knowledgable and generous teacher. Despite the heat, there were so many wonderful, medicinal plants in bloom - most of them native and part of a recreated prairie along the river. It was a perfect way to spend a summer afternoon."

    Ryan B., Plant Walk Participant, 2024

  • "I joined Alex's Patchwork Farms plant walk and it exceeded my expectations. Not only is he extremely knowledgeable, enabling him to give thoughtful responses to all of our questions, but his passion for plants is truly contagious and I left feeling inspired and motivated to continue delving deeper into herbalism. I can't believe how much I learned in the span of two hours; bring a notebook, you'll need it! Looking forward to future learning with Greenspell."

    Sarah E., Plant Walk Participant, 2024

  • "I left this workshop eager to develop a deeper relationship with my local herbs and empowered to make my own tinctures. Alex's enthusiasm and knowledge made the time fly by!"

    Tincture Making Workshop Participant, 2024

  • "I attended a very informative and interesting plant walk at Patchwork Farms with Alex. Herbalism is very new to me, but nature walks and outdoor education are not. As a science teacher with a huge dose of skepticism towards anything "woowoo", I appreciated Alex's depth of knowledge of everything from the origins of the names, the biochemistry of plants, to the history of herb use and the different frameworks for herbalism. He sprinkled in so many interesting tidbits that I jotted down to follow up on later. It's obvious that Alex works from a very deep respect for everything, most especially the plants themselves, the people who have used them over the millennia, and the students present on the walk. I highly recommend taking a class with him!"

    Beth M., Plant Walk Participant, 2024

  • "Very informational and hands-on workshop that details real ways to get started creating infused oils at home. In addition to providing suggestions for supplemental resources for continued learning, we learned a lot about how to identify credible farms and sources for herbs. Lovely time!"

    Julia N., Infused Oils Workshop Participant, 2024

A 7-month, in-person intensive with an embodied, experiential, and bioregional approach to herbalism.

Based in Chicago, IL, this intensive will immerse you in the living language of herbalism and ecology. We focus on bioregional herbalism, actions & energetics in western herbalism, making herbal preparations, building plant relationships, and community engagement related to the use of herbs to support individual and community well-being & resilience.

Interested in hosting a class, plant walk or workshop for your organization?

I'm always excited to explore new areas and travel to talk about the medicinal and edible uses of plants. I speak on a wide range of herbal and ecological topics, with classes ranging from a couple of hours to a full weekend. I also am happy to lead private walks for you and your friends or family. If you’re interested, feel free to reach out at [email protected]