USTYA

being an only child, growing up i spent a lot of time alone outside in the garden and exploring the woods. my mother taught me which wild plants we could forage from the garden, and my father and i would take long walks looking for wildflowers in the forests of the lower hudson valley and catskills, ny. when it came time to leave home, i moved upriver and settled near and eventually on the shawangunk ridge, where i planted many gardens and took my time studying the plants i had been so fascinated with my entire life. i learned much about tending gardens from master gardener virginia luppino. when i moved onto the farm (clove valley csa in high falls, ny) my work with the plants deepened, and instead of being just a passion, they took on a central role in my life. i studied herbalism with local herbalist dina falconi and oregon herbalist heather nic an fhleisdeir, as well as plant spirit healing with pam montgomery. i now care for several gardens for people in the area, coach people on..