Join the Hedgefolk Apprenticeship
This is a year-long immersion in herbalism, seasonal ritual, and folk magic, designed for those who want to learn the land’s language and work with plants in a practical, rooted way. Located on Bainbridge Island, we'll meet the land through all its seasons—gathering, foraging, and crafting medicine and ritual together. The Hedgefolk apprenticeship blends hands-on plant study, ancestral knowledge, and seasonal practices, giving you the skills and confidence to care for yourself and your community while staying connected to the cycles of nature.
Each month brings new teachings, rituals, and practical skills rooted in the rhythms of the Cascadian bioregion: forest, coast, sage steppe, and mountain. We’ll visit locations around the area, mindfully harvesting plants and making medicine on site, connecting deeply with the land and its seasonal gifts.
Together we'll learn how to create an intentional folk herbalim practice: slow, sacred, and rooted in community. You’ll learn how to care for your people—from soothing fevers to easing grief with heart-led, plant-based folk remedies.
This work is emotional. It’s intimate. It’s mythic.
And if that’s what you’ve been craving—welcome home.
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What You’ll Learn & Leave With:
- Hands-on Apothecary Skills — create your own tinctures, salves, oils, and remedies from plants you ethically forage and harvest, building a tangible herbal toolkit you can use for life.
- Bioregional Foraging & Wildcrafting — develop confidence in identifying, gathering, and preparing local plants, with guidance rooted in respect for the land and its ecosystems.
- Seasonal & Ancestral Herbal Practices — work with plants in rhythm with the Wheel of the Year through hands-on herbalism, plant-based folk magic, and earth-honoring celebrations, connecting you to ancestral ways, the land, and the more-than-human world.
- Plant Identification & Safety — gain clear, practical skills to recognize and work with wild plants responsibly in your region.
- Digital Hedge-School Access — revisit teachings anytime through your student portal, packed with recipes, materia medica, seasonal guides, and video tutorials.
- Community & Reciprocal Herbalism — cultivate relationships and practices that center care, shared knowledge, and connection with people and plants alike.
- Embodied Craft Confidence — learn to trust your intuition, your hands, and your knowledge to carry herbal medicine forward with assurance.
- Deep Sense of Belonging — step into your wild, rooted self, grounded in lineage, land, and the living community of folk healers.
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Where/When
- Location: Bainbridge Island & other locations around Kitsap County (in-person foraging and community gatherings) and two foraging trips out to the Cascades.
- Duration: 12 months, beginning at one of the Four Gates. Starting in Lughnasadh 2025, the Hedgefolk Apprenticeship will move into a spiral model — meaning you can join us at four points across the Wheel of the Year:
🌸 Beltane (May)
🌾 Lughnasadh (August)
🍂 Samhain (October)
❄️ Imbolc (February) - Meeting Schedule: Monthly in-person gatherings on the 4th Sunday of the month (unless otherwise noted), from 10am - 2pm with additional online access for discussion and reflection.
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The Heart of the Journey
This isn’t just a course—it’s a return, a remembering that the Earth holds us through every fever, every grief, every restless hour.
We gather in person, hands in the soil, faces open to one another, guided by the seasons, the moon, the plants, and the ancestral threads woven into the roots beneath our feet. We move through the year in slow, sacred rhythm, learning to care for our people with folk herbal tools and heart-led practice—from soothing fevers to easing grief, from knowing what plants to reach for when the body aches to what teas to brew when sorrow sits heavy. Seasonal rituals become part of daily life as we move in step with the cascades of forest, coast, sage steppe, and mountain. You won’t walk alone; here, you will find kinfolk—slightly feral, warm, messy, and laughing—growing beside you, hands dirty and hearts open. With lifetime access to the Student Portal, the learning stretches beyond the year.
Every jar, every lesson, every shared moment is steeped in magic, medicine, and the wild, whispered remembering that we are never separate from the land, the plants, or the more-than-human world.
Ready to register?
Did you know we have a village fund to support you?
We’ve got community-backed scholarships for kindred spirits—email sia@folkandfireshop.com and we’ll get you the details.
FAQ's AND DETAILS
Meeting Dates to Feb 2026
- We typically will meet on the 4th Sunday of the month, unless otherwise noted.
- March 23, 2025
- April 27, 2025
- May 25, 2025
- June 29, 2025
- July 27, 2025
- August 24, 2025
- September 28, 2025
- October 26, 2025
- November 23, 2025
- December 28, 2025
- January 25, 2026
- February 22, 2026
What does the cost cover?
The cost is $1,350 total (plus any applicable tax), and that can be paid in full or split into 9 monthly payments of $150.
It does not include the cost of supplies you'll need through the year (such as alcohol, vinegar, honey, jars, salves). Tuition includes taking you to the plants, foraging together, seasonal celebrations including food and more, plus digital pdfs on the student portal, and the education itself.
Students will be instructed in using non-alcoholic menstruums such as apple cider vinegar or glycerin for tincture. This course does not require the use of alcohol.
What ages is this program for?
We welcome students 18 years and older into the Hedgefolk circle.
Some of the medicine we make (like tinctures) traditionally uses alcohol to draw out the plant’s magic — and while students provide their own ingredients, we want to be super clear:
🧪 If you’re under 21, we ask that you don’t use alcohol in your medicine-making (in accordance with federal and state laws — even forest creatures have to obey some rules).
🍎 But fear not! We’ve got your back with full support for non-alcoholic alternatives like apple cider vinegar or sweet, sticky glycerin. They work beautifully, and you’ll still get all the plant power.
🌿 If you’re under 18 and already feeling the tug of the hedgerow — we see you and we love that spark. While we don’t currently offer youth cohorts, we hope to create something for younger herbalists in the future. So keep tending that curiosity… your time is coming.
Safety, Medical Advice & Accessibility
We’re all about sharing herbal wisdom and deepening your connection to the land — but it’s important to know this program is educational only, not a replacement for professional medical care. You participate at your own risk, and we encourage consulting your healthcare provider before using herbal remedies.
While we create a safe and supportive space for learning and foraging, nature is unpredictable, and some risks are part of the journey. By joining, you accept responsibility for your own well-being and agree that Folk & Fire Apothecary is not liable for injuries or health outcomes related to your participation.
If you have health concerns, allergies, or are pregnant or nursing, please consult your healthcare provider before enrolling or using herbal remedies.
Accessibility & Physical Demands
Our apprenticeship includes outdoor classes and foraging walks that can cover uneven terrain and several miles. While we warmly welcome all who wish to learn and grow with us, please be aware that the program requires a certain level of physical mobility and stamina.
We are committed to making reasonable accommodations whenever possible — if you have specific needs or concerns about accessibility, please reach out before enrolling so we can discuss how to best support your participation.
Safety and comfort are top priorities, and clear communication helps us create the best experience for everyone.
Inclusion & Respect
Folk & Fire Apothecary is a proudly inclusive community. We expect all participants to honor and respect each other with kindness and openness. Everyone is welcome here, exactly as they are.
Refund & Cancellation Policy
Refund & Cancellation Policy
We’re a very small business, and every tuition payment directly supports the teaching, materials, and magic of this program. Your enrollment reserves a spot in a limited-capacity course and helps us prepare offerings with intention and care. Because of this, we are unable to offer refunds for tuition payments unless there is a serious personal or family emergency — and even then, any refunds are offered on a case-by-case basis and are not guaranteed. We are not able to issue refunds for missed classes, scheduling conflicts, or changes in availability.
If a refund is granted and you have paid in full, $150 will be retained to help cover the cost of materials, admin time, and seasonal preparations already made on your behalf.
We appreciate your understanding as we strive to keep our small program sustainable while remaining responsive to individual needs.
Payment Plans
Choosing a payment plan is a commitment to the full duration and cost of the program. It is not a month-to-month membership and cannot be canceled partway through. As stated above, it will be considered on a case by case basis.
In the rare case that an early withdrawal is approved due to a qualifying emergency, you will be responsible for all payments up to the time of withdrawal, plus one final month, ($150) will be retained.
We ask that you only enroll if you feel confident in your ability to complete the full program. If you run into a hardship, please reach out — we are committed to working with you with care and clarity.
Digital Access & Agreement
Upon withdrawal, access to our student portal, online content, and any future course updates will end. We recommend downloading any relevant materials you've received before your final date of participation.
By enrolling in this program, you agree to this refund and cancellation policy.
What is the Program Commitment?
The commitment to this program is once a month gatherings in person, spread out over the course of a year. We typically will meet on the 4th Sunday of the month, unless otherwise noted. In addition to the in person gatherings, you can expect to invest an extra hour or two a week into yourself and your craft.
This is a full year commitment, no exceptions, regardless of what Gate you join.
Our work together is deep and immersive, with the curriculum tailored specifically for the apprentices in each group and the collective energy of the group.
What are the Seasonal Gates?
We use a Gate system to welcome new apprentices into the program four times a year, aligned with the seasons.
Each Gate is tied to a seasonal turning:
🌸 Beltane (May)
🔥 Lughnasadh ( August)
🍂 Samhain (October/early November)
❄️ Imbolc (February)
When you register, your learning will begin at the next open gate.
For example, if you register in July, you’ll begin with the Lughnasadh Gate in August. So August will be the first class.
No matter when you start, you’ll receive a full year of in-person learning, and the curriculum is designed to meet you right where you are—so you’re never behind. After your first full year, you’ll have the option to continue deepening your practice with ongoing community events, advanced workshops, and continued access to the Student Portal. Many apprentices choose to stay connected as part of our kinfolk community and keep growing with the land.
Is this a Wicca based course?
Nope!
This apprenticeship pulls from bioregional folk herbalism, Druidry, and Celtic practices (of which I have studied and been initiated into).
