Leading the Future of Farming by Example | Featuring Elise & Jeff Higley
Release Date: 05/16/2025
Herbal Radio
"If you want to have a relationship with the more than human world, you have to spend time in the more than human world." – Mo Judith This week on Everything You Didn’t Know About Herbalism, we are once again joined by the Earth-centered herbalist who bottles the alchemical intelligence of plants through the spagyric process, . Join Tommy and Mo for this special PART TWO episode as they expand on: The Tri Prima (three essentials) of spagyrics: soul, spirit, body Spagyrics being about curiosity and humility, not hierarchy The spagyric process expanding beyond tinctures Honoring...
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“Alchemy is the biodynamic system that recognizes the soul and intelligence within the chemical reaction.” – Mo Judith This week on Everything You Didn’t Know About Herbalism, we are joined by the Earth-centered herbalist who bottles the alchemical intelligence of plants through the spagyric process, . Join Tommy and Mo as they explore: Consciousness expanding beyond human consciousness Spagyric tinctures vs. botanical tinctures Separation and recombination to build wholeness Perceiving life through animism: nothing is inanimate Alchemy bridging the gap between science and...
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Please enjoy today’s Tea Talk with and , co-founders of and co-producers of the podcast and radio show on 94.1 KPFA! The Now and Then Herb School focuses on guiding modern herbalism to old magic within a social justice framework. 🌻 is the daughter of Nicaraguan immigrants, and she is dedicated to the empowerment and healing offered by ancestral medicines through a decolonial lens. Her practice draws from her Mediterranean and Indigenous (Chorotega) ancestry and includes nearly a decade of clinical energetic herbalism, traditional birthwork, and folk education. 🪻 is a gay,...
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This week on Tea Talks with Jiling, we are joined by . Asia is an herbalist and earth intuitive, the author of , and host of . She began her journey after years of chronic pain and illness and has guided over 100,000 students through her online programs, where she helps people embrace their own unique medicine through joyful engagement with the natural world. Join Asia and Jiling as they discuss: Intuitive plant medicine How high sensitivity overlaps with herbalism "Integrating the charge” from Hurricane Helene Rebuilding our inner ecology Listen until the end to hear Asia...
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This week on Everything You Didn’t Know About Herbalism, we are joined by Christopher Parker, the self-taught mycologist with 30 years of experience in mushroom cultivation, wildharvesting, and herbal medicine making. Join us to explore: Christopher & Katherine Parker’s new book, Growing up through the changing seasons and breathtaking landscapes of Southern Appalachia The domino effect that transforming floodplains into food forests could have Unique and creative ways to get medicinal mushrooms into your diet Making fungi cultivation accessible for all As always, we...
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This week on Everything You Didn’t Know About Herbalism, we are joined by Juliet Howard, the herbalist and author who focuses her practice on connecting budding mini herbalists-to-be through creating accessible, reciprocal backyard herbal education for children. Join us to explore: Juliet’s newly launch book, How the Pacific Northwest sparked her journey as a writer Children’s natural connection to nature How children can remind us to slow down Why forming relationships with the green world help guide children into adulthood As always, we thank you for joining us on another...
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This week on Everything You Didn’t Know About Herbalism, we are joined by the owners of and authors of , Jeff and Melanie Carpenter. Drawing on over 25 years of hands-on organic farming experience, Join this passionate dynamic duo to explore: Balancing multiple jobs while running a medicinal herb farm Importance of the marketing and business side of farming How Jeff and Melanie weaved both their writings into their book The careful and thoughtful process of drying medicinal herbs Letting go of the ever-expanding business growth = success mindset As always, we thank you for joining us on...
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This week on Everything You Didn’t Know About Herbalism, we are joined by the founder of , Lian Bruno. From rolling herbal cigarettes in her living room to running a national brand, Lian Bruno is reimagining what it means to smoke. In this episode, join Tommy and Lian as they explore: The spark (pun intended) that turned into Puff Herbals Different reasons that people smoke beyond habitual use Using fire and smoke as a menstruum Difference between conventional cigarettes versus organic tobacco leaf How conventional cigarettes became so normalized within our day-to-day culture As...
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This week on Everything You Didn’t Know About Herbalism, we are joined by the author, herbalist, and accomplished girl boss of the botanical world, Rachelle Robinett. Join Tommy and Rachelle as they explore: Rachelle’s recent book launch, Reflecting personal experience, science, and herbal knowledge into writing Rachelle’s lifelong fascination with our connection to the “ness” of life How herbalism relates to modern life The permanence of putting your writing out into the world Writing from the perspective of the educator while learning alongside the reader Learn more about...
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This week on Tea Talks with Jiling, we are joined by Kirsten K. Shockey. Kirsten is the author of 🌿Homebrewed Vinegar, and coauthor of several award-winning and bestselling alongside Christopher Shockey: 🌿Fermented Vegetables; 🌿Fiery Ferments; 🌿The Big Book of Cidermaking; and 🌿Miso, Tempeh, Natto & Other Tasty Ferments. She is a co-founder of , a women-owned and women-led benefits corporation supporting the voices of independent educators to empower learning and build culture. Go forth and ferment! Listen in as Jiling and Kirsten discuss how fermentation works, with...
info_outlineThis week on Everything You Didn’t Know About Herbalism, we are joined by our long-time beloved friends, farm partners, and stewards of the regenerative organic farming movement, Elise and Jeff Higley. Tune in with Tommy, Elise, and Jeff, as they explore what it means to be a Regenerative Organic Certified® farmer and how we must grow alongside the movement of regenerative agriculture for the preservation of our food systems and the future of our planet.
Elise and Jeff also share about the upcoming Oshala Herb Camp, which is weekend campout hosted in the breathtaking landscape of Grants Pass, Oregon on July 27 – 29. Filled with classes on medicine making, materia medica, botanical crafting, and hands-on experience for what life on an herb farm is like, Oshala Herb Camp weaves agriculture, herbalism, and sustainability into one to create a weekend of community building with plant-lovers from all walks of life. Be sure to check out the hyperlink above or detailed links included below to learn more about this invaluable opportunity!
Learn more about Oshala Farm and the farmers behind it below! ⬇️
🚜 Oshala Farm is a 290-acre Regenerative Organic Certified® family farm in Southern Oregon growing more than 80 varieties of medicinal and culinary herbs. With Elise's background in Western Herbalism and Jeff’s background in organic farming, they blended their dreams and created a full-fledged herb farm in 2013. Oshala Farm is where they cultivate with consciousness to ensure that their herbs are grown with care, dedication, and a love for the land. Elise and Jeff consider it an honor to be stewards of the Earth and to grow herbs that support community health.
🪻Elise Higley is a folk herbalist, wife, mother, grandmother, and farmer. She was inspired to start an herb farm when she started a line of herbal teas, but she had trouble sourcing herbs domestically and with the quality she was looking for. In her pastime, (10pm - 5am) she works on agricultural advocacy as a board member of Our Family Farms, Rogue Valley Food System Network. Elise also represents a farmer’s voice on the board of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA). Elise has taught for over a decade at numerous national herbal gatherings and events along with organizing and hosting an annual herb camp on Oshala Farm for the past 5 years.
👨🏼🌾 Jeff Higley has spent over the last 25 years farming vegetables in Southern California for CSAs, farmer’s markets, and restaurants. He has grown vanilla, kava, fruit, flowers, and vegetables in Fiji for wholesale, resort, and direct markets. Jeff currently leads the farming at Oshala Farm and also maintains a busy teaching schedule, where he teaches about growing herbs, drying, and farm finance at Universities, conferences, and events.
Read all about the Oshala Herb Camp on the Oshala Farm Blog!
🏕️ Wake Up With the Plants: A Morning at Herb Camp 🏕️
Learn about last year’s Oshala Herb Camp on the Mountain Rose Herbs Blog!
🌾 Cultivating Consciousness with Oshala Farm 🌾
Take a virtual journey through Oshala Farm on our YouTube Channel!
⛰️ Organic Farming for the Future ⛰️
Find out why Mountain Rose Herbs can’t get enough of Regenerative Agriculture!
🌿 Furthering Our Commitment to Sustainability and Transparency: Regenerative Organics 🌿
💿 Consider yourself more of a visual creature? 📀
Check out Elise and Jeff’s video interview on our YouTube Channel!
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