Walk to find gold among the weeds

VISITORS to Sovereign Hill will have the opportunity to learn about why a weed is not always a weed later this month.

Cottage herbalist Caroline Parker will be taking people at the living museum on a weed foraging walk and look at the different types of weeds growing and their medicinal and culinary uses.

“We meet up and take a little walk through the beautiful gardens and head a little bit off track to look at the herbs they’ve planted and some of the common weeds that everyone can find in their gardens,” she said.

“I show people how to identify them and how they can use them.”

Participants will also get to taste some of the foraged plants.

“We finish up with a foraged cup of tea and I usually bring along some botanical inspired snacks I’ve made like elderflower shortbread and plantain seed crackers,” said Ms Parker. “So they get a literal taste of these herbs.”

Ms Parker has experience in the field with a qualification in western herbal medicine.

“I am a qualified herbalist who studied western herbal medicine,” she said.

“I moved to near Trentham about 10 years ago and I started to realise that some of my favourite medicinal herbs were actually weeds.

“I became really interested in what they looked like and how I could use them as medicine and in my kitchen.”

It is hoped that participants may transfer some of what is learnt into their own lives.

“I hope that if people feel like a cup of tea they might head out into their backyard or add some young, fresh weeds into their salad that they’re having with dinner,” said Ms Parker.

“Little things like that can help increase people’s intake of nutrients.”

The session will take place on Sunday 26 November from 11am and tickets cost $44 and can be purchased from the Sovereign Hill website.