Upcoming Community Classes
I teach classes at libraries, community centers, herb stores, farms, schools, and more! Details and registration information for all upcoming classes is available on this calendar:
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This is where I share the classes I’m teaching each month and any updates. Very straightforward, no nonsense!
The Art of Medicinal Spice Blending
Curio Spice Lab
Thursday, March 6, 7-8:30pm
Registration Required
Food is medicine! And medicine can taste delicious.
Did you know that we have far more bitter taste receptors than any other, and when we taste something bitter our whole body reacts? Or that aromatic molecules ease gut spasms by irritating our smooth muscles so that they contract and then relax?
Come deepen your understanding of how flavor shows up physiologically in our bodies! In this class, we will learn how to use common kitchen spices to promote circulation, ease gut spasms, modulate blood sugar and more!
After we’ve fully nerded out on chemistry, Mo will guide the class in making our own medicinal spice blends! Each participant will have the opportunity to make their own individualized blend to take home for their household or to gift to someone they love. Part science, part play, this class is for anyone who knows that cooking is the best way to care for our communities.
Past classes:
Please reach out if you’d like to me to teach one of these for your organization!
Taste the Molecular Rainbow: What Color and Flavor Tell Us About Chemistry
Herbstalk @ the Armory
Why do all alliums have that strong garlicky smell? How do I know if the dried herbs I’ve had in my cabinet for five years are still good? In this class you will begin to practice using your senses to teach you about the chemical constituents in your foods and medicine. We will discuss the primary atoms that make up plant molecules, and some common forms that they take. You will get to see, smell, and taste different preparations of the same herbs to learn the flavors and mouthfeel of specific molecules, and to learn which preparations extract which constituents. Bring your favorite mug and a pen and come join me where experiential and scientific knowledge meet!
From Chicken Soup to Elderberry Syrup: Herbal Immune Support
Something going around the daycare again? Still coughing from an infection that cleared months ago? From Covid to the common cold, keeping our immune system resilient is key to staying well and smooth recovery from infections.
Come learn how to keep your immune system robust all winter, address an illness when you first feel symptoms, support your body to fully clear the infection, and regain strength afterwards. Believe it or not, each of these stages of illness requires a different approach!
We will discuss herbs, foods, and supportive strategies, focusing on the most accessible methods. We will discuss different herbal preparations including steams, syrups, tinctures. From chicken soup to elderberry syrup, this class will help you weather the infections that come your way.
Fresh Herb Tea Blending
Somerville Community Growing Center
Discover the fragrance of fresh herbal tea blends! Bring a mug and join us in the garden to learn about the uses, flavors, and energies of different tea herbs. This class will be primarily play and exploration, with science and botany blended in.
Herbal Syrup Workshop
Culture House Union Square
The sweetness of honey combined with the flavorful tartness of medicinal berries…come learn how to make an herbal syrup! In this class, we will discuss what herbal syrups are, what they are used for, and how to make one.
We will make an elderberry syrup together — bring $5 and a jar if you’d like to take some home with you!
Bridgerton Afternoon Tea
Somerville Library: Main Branch
Please join us on Sunday, June 9th in the Central Library Auditorium for Bridgerton Afternoon Tea! Come celebrate the release of Season 3 of Bridgerton (attention all Penelope and Colin –Polin – fans!) with a tasting of teas donated by Mem Tea, light refreshments, a presentation on tea blending by local herbalist Mo Katz-Christy, and Bridgerton trivia.
Fancy dress is highly encouraged, and RSVP-ing in the form of registration is the height of good manners…
Demystifying Tea Blending
Cambridge Naturals
Move beyond tea bags and learn how to make a delicious, medicinal, loose-leaf herbal tea blend! In this class, we will discuss a handful of common herbs for tea: their uses, flavors, energies, and what they add to a blend. We will smell and taste each of the herbs, learning how the flavors blend and complement each other.
We will discuss different considerations for the process of making tea including infusing versus boiling, temperature of the water, and length of time infused.
Part information and science, part sensory exploration, this class will be as playful as it is educational!
All attendees will receive a 15% off coupon to Cambridge Naturals
Medicine on the Seder Plate: Parlsey, Lettuce, Horseradish, and More!
Bitter herbs, spring greens – these plants contain nutrients and flavors that are essential to our springtime bodies. In this class, we will explore the physiological wisdom in the plants we hold sacred. We will delve into the bitter flavor, as we discuss why neither horseradish nor lettuce – the foods often included as “bitter herbs” on the seder plate – are particularly bitter. We will learn about the vital importance of the bitter flavor for the functioning of our body systems, as well as the uses of the other flavors in these plants.
We will discuss how our body’s needs correspond with the seasons of the year, and how these differ by climate. What does your body crave in springtime, and how is (or isn’t) that reflected in our Jewish traditions? We will taste the plants on the seder plate and learn how these tastes interact with our bodies.
Join us for an herbal exploration into the plants of the seder plate!
Herbal Tincture-Making Workshop
Union Square Culture House
Learn how to make an alcoholic herbal extract! Infusing herbs in alcohol is a great way to preserve them so that you have them readily on hand. And they last for years!
This workshop will teach the aspiring herbalist everything you need to know to make a high-quality tincture. We will go over each step of the process including sourcing herbs and alcohol, measuring the appropriate ratios, macerating the tincture, straining, and finally using your tincture.
Each participant will leave with a jar of herbal tincture and a cheesecloth to strain their tincture at home.
Tu BiShvat: Trees as Medicine
Trees play a powerful role in medicine, both herbally and extracted in our pharmaceuticals. In this class, we will learn which herbal actions trees most commonly have. We will explore the chemistry behind those actions and the benefits they offer the trees and humans. We will taste some local tree medicines and learn about some of the trees used in Jewish rituals.
Come celebrate Tu BiShvat by learning a new way to love trees!