To honor all of the incredible time each instructor puts into sharing their knowledge and stories, we are asking all attendees to RSVP. This is due to the limited space for the class, and to ensure there are enough supplies for everyone.
Our 2026 Family Foodways series at Keep Growing Detroit continues with a celebration of culture and food in our diaspora.
Take your herbs from the garden to the pantry—and beyond! In this hands-on Family Foodways Preservation Class, participants will explore simple, practical ways to preserve food-grade herbs by drying.
Learn how to harvest and prepare herbs for drying, choose the best drying method for different types of herbs, and properly store them to help preserve their flavor, aroma, and beneficial properties. Whether you're working with herbs from your own garden, the farmers market, or your neighborhood grower, these skills can help you enjoy the harvest long after the growing season ends.
We’ll also go beyond preservation and explore ways to put your dried herbs to use. Participants will learn the basics of creating herbal tea blends, infused oils, and other simple apothecary staples, with opportunities to take home examples made during the class.
Perfect for beginners as well as experienced gardeners and food preservers, this workshop will give you practical skills for turning fresh herbs into useful pantry and apothecary staples—from soil to shelf.
Meet the Instructor: Geoffrey "Geo" Edwards
Geoffrey “Geo” Edwards is an educator and health practitioner integrating plant medicine, creative arts, and holistic therapies. He is owner of Grain & Pestle, a market and healing arts garden based in Highland Park Michigan.
Geo’s herb and gardening practice has multiple influences that includes Black Southern farming, Maroon herbal traditions, and Classical Chinese Medicine. He is a guest lecturer in colleges, universities, and community herbalism schools nationally. Geo is licensed and practices acupuncture in the Detroit Metro area and facilitates classes & workshops on numerous topics including essentials of herbal medicine, acupuncture, and therapeutic art making.
Join us as we share recipes, memories, and cultural traditions that remind us how food connects generations and keeps our roots growing deep. Thank you for your interest and participation in the Family Foodways classes with Keep Growing Detroit.