Blackberry Herbarium
the
Natural Living with Bioregional Foods & Herbs
We're Now Taking New Clients!
Are you curious about how natural vitality differs from chronic symptom-masking? Are you ready to nourish your mind, body and spirit from the roots up?
You Belong here!
Over the years, we've learned that our clients tend to be critical thinkers, deep feelers and creative makers and doers. Many desire to carve a sustainable path forward, and live in a world that is green, balanced, thriving and fun! And they want to feel good in their bodies and in their day-to-day lives. We'd love to support your self-empowered wellness journey, like we have done for others in our community.
About Us
We opened our modest herbal shop in 2022 as a community herbal education hub, with a few choice herbal products, literally housed in a 4x4 space under the stairs at CYANWOOD Natural Lifestyles Center in Harrisonburg! The public reception was inspiring, and it became clear that folks were really yearning for more - more information, more options and more opportunities to gather! Naturally, this work became as much about preservation of our plant allies, as it is about supporting local families and friends through all the cycles and seasons of life. Today our work is varied and flexible (like nature), responding to the needs of those around us (and ourselves) in balance and with creativity. From speaking events, to crafting workshops and day retreats, we almost never do the same thing twice! And we're proud and honored to be able to see folks one-on-one now, weaving herbal plant knowledge with nutritional support, in our private consult space.
Like so many who work in the world of "wellness" we arrived with ailments of our own, that despite all its advances and technology, modern medicine couldn't understand, much less heal. In discovering the power of plants to nourish and to restore balance to our bodies, we realized "health" is a commercialized medical term, and what we had actually been searching for all along was VITALITY! We didn't just want "normal" blood work and "nothing remarkable" on imaging. We wanted to feel energized, connected, balanced and well, in every way. ​
Our journey has led us to the land, plants and animals, as well as the people who call it home. We are fiercely loyal friends to our local organic and no-spray herb farms, grocery stores, farmers markets, herbalists and crafters, restaurants, sustainability companies and wild spaces. We believe individual wellbeing is inherently related to the wellbeing of the greater whole.
We define "bioregional" as that which is native or naturalized, or that which could be grown here in balance with other species and natural resources, sustainably. From nurturing a relationship with the plants we grow, to cultivating new and respectful ones with the plants we meet outside our garden, our approach is all about rekindling a reciprocal friendship with the living land we're on, and helping others find the joy and ease of rediscovering their own wild connections. The foods, formulas and recipes we share with our clients are 100% bioregional, but our mindset flexible and supportive, meeting clients where they are to promote ease over perfection, progress over paralysis, affordability over consumption, and joy over rigidity.
Hi, I'm Jen
It's taken me a long time to say that - " Hi, I'm Jen" - with any comfort or confidence. But here I am having arrived in this version of myself, feeling at home and in love with this valley and the wonderful people and plants I've met since we moved here in 2016.
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I've lived many places, and had many "jobs" and experiences, all of which I am grateful for, but none of which fulfilled me like my work does now. Holding space for intentional living practices through our sister company CYANWOOD Community and through my work here at The Blackberry Herbarium, connecting clients to bioregional foods and herbs, I feel I'm in the flow of my life's purpose (if life can even have a purpose).
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Shockingly vocal, I actually deeply enjoy the quiet work of greeting the trees and plants around us, tending the herbs in our gardens, and creating tinctures, teas, salves, sachets, syrups, electuaries, spice packs and more! I love crafting and sharing with others, and feel it is a source of my inner vitality.
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All I want for my clients is to feel heard, seen and supported, without judgment or rigidity, and free to be themselves in whatever version or place they're in today, to explore what's most important to them at their core, and to pursue adventures among our natural allies and wild spaces. And if they don't feel that, I hope that at the very least they feel they're nowhere near as crazy as they thought they were, and have all the confidence that if there is a purpose to life, at least they won't be the absolute last to discover it (I'm right behind you).
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Jen
Bioregional Herbalist & Master's Student of Clinical Nutrition
CONSULTS
Herbal Wellness and
Intentional Living Consults
​We work one-on-one with clients who are ready to explore whole-being balance - mind, body, & spirit. We help our clients identify and define their own most treasured wellness values, and implement dietary, herbal, and lifestyle changes that better align with those values. ​With in-home DIY Herbal Apothecary Tutorials, and one-on-one Herbal Consults, we can help you shift your sense of wellbeing from symptom-masking to sustainable wellness and VITALITY!
EVENTS
@the_blackberry_herbarium
We love sharing any and all things about bioregional foods, plant power and natural wellness practices, with everyday people, living busy lives who seek access to their own wellness through more natural and self-empowered means.
Follow us on Instagram for our most up-to-date workshop and retreat schedules
Or send us an email if you have questions, or would like to co-create an event, workshop, class or retreat!​