211. Crystal Stevens on Herbalism and Education

Do you grow medicinal herbs? Which ones, and what do you create with them? On this week’s podcast, we’re proud to host Crystal Stevens: author, herbalist, educator, and co-owner of Flourish Farmstead and Flourish Folk School, from Godfrey, Illinois.  Crystal was born in Colorado, partly raised in California, and then transplanted to St. Louis, Missouri, where she spent her formative years as an activist and gardener in her community. She is the author of three successful books: Grow, Create, Inspire: Crafting a Joyful Life; Worms at Work: Harnessing the Awesome Power of Worms; and Your Edible Yard: Landscaping with Fruits and Vegetables. ​ Crystal has been teaching a Resilient Living workshop series for over a decade. She organized the Confluence Herbal Summit, the first small herbal conference of its kind in western Illinois. Crystal and her husband, Eric, have an intrinsic passion for growing food and medicinal herbs, growing native plants, cooking healthy meals, planting trees, foraging for wild food and medicine, creating art, spending time with their children in the fields and forests, and offering workshops through the Flourish Folk School.Tune in to hear about everything Crystal and her family are doing at their thriving farmstead! You’ll hear: How Crystal got into the regenerative herbal field 1:42 What the farm property and farming operation currently looks like 4:49 How Crystal does her marketing for all of her different ventures 7:45 Crystal’s inspiration to write Worms at Work 14:15 How Crystal and her husband decide who does what tasks 16:02 Crystal’s advice for someone looking to get into herbalism 26:51 Crystal’s favorite herb 32:44 The oil Crystal uses for extraction 33:27 About the Guest: Crystal Stevens co-owns Flourish Farmstead and Flourish Folk School with her husband and two children in Godfrey, IL. She is an author, folk herbalist, educator, artist, and a regenerative farmer. Crystal has written three books published by New Society Publishers. She speaks at conferences and Mother Earth News Fairs across the U.S. She has been teaching a Resilient Living workshop series as well as herbal education for nearly 15 years. Crystal co-founded Tend & Flourish School of Botanicals. The Thriving Farmer Podcast Team would like to thank our amazing sponsor! Steward is transforming agriculture by equipping regenerative farms and food systems with the capital they need to grow. As a mission-driven financial partner, Steward works closely with agricultural businesses to scale their operations, improve the health of their lands and waters, and bolster local-to-regional food systems. To date, Steward has provided over $15M in business loans to fund 75 unique projects, backed by more than 1,500 participating lenders. Steward is proud to be a Certified B Corp. Seek financing or support a loan campaign at gosteward.com