Out to the countryside of northwest Asheville this time to refill my water jugs.  Fourteen this time (16 last time), as one is being borrowed and one broke along the way as my vehicle banged over the bumpy roads.

The day I harvested this fresh batch of spring water it was a cloudy wet day, and I was happy when the rain stopped in time for me to trek through the woods for the water, and the sun began to peer through the clouds.  It goes without saying the water tastes delicious, crystal clear, clean & pure, and makes the dirty ol’ tap (city water) taste like chlorinated pool water!

BTW:

The spring is on the property of Ceara Foley’s, who runs Appalachia School for Holistic Herbalism, located in West Asheville, and who I had the pleasure of studying under as a student of the Fundamentals of Herbalism class in the spring of 2011.

The class focuses on an introduction to a plethora of herbs, their matera medica, and herbal support for every system of the body.

What’s lovely too is that you’re not always confined to a classroom—there are days when you’re out in the woods, learning how to identify plants & sustainably wildcrafting for medicine-making.

You learn those that are safe to eat, and there’s just nothing like plucking a plant straight from nature and popping it into your mouth!

There’s also time devoted to aromatherapy, making salves, syrups, herbal first aid, and flower essences.  One of my favorite classes was when we focused on herbs for pets, and when I also gained knowledge that I’m implementing today in the regards to pets’ diet, and specifically, raw feeding.  (And my German Shepherd sure is one happy and lucky dog because of it!)

And at the end of it all there’s a wonderful wild foods potluck!  I brought chickweed chocolate brownies, mmm!

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Read about my first time harvesting water here.