I'm thrilled to be able to present a collaboration with my favorite local naturalist Bruce Vincent. Bruce also happens to be a great photographer so we decided to do a Nature Photography Herb Walk on Sunday, October 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

We'll visit a few scenic locations in Rose Valley where Bruce will cover various subjects such as composition, the quality and quantity of light, fill lighting, using your f-stop properly and more. These topics will improve your photography, no matter what type of camera you have. In fact, even those who just want to take better snapshots with their camera phone will benefit immensely from a few hours with Bruce.

After the walk we'll return to Farmer and the Cook Cafe in Meiners Oaks where we can download participants' photos to a couple of laptops for critique and discussion while we enjoy some great organic food.

You can visit Bruce's website at www.ojainaturalist.com but to register for this event or read more about it, please go to the link in the first paragraph above or just send me an email right now.

Mark your calendars (or better yet, pre-register now) for the only workshop this year with Chumash educator, elder, and Tribal Chair Julie
Tumamait-Stenslie. We'll take an Herb Walk in the morning and then process acorns in the afternoon. Read more here.

As our thank-you to you for opening and reading this newsletter, here is a discount code worth 10% off all items (except Gift Certificates) for the month of October at the Herb Walks Store.

Just click on the Herb Walks logo below to get the code, then copy and paste it when requested at checkout.

Ojai Valley Land Conservancy Nursery Manager Ron Singer will be selling some of the OVLC’s best stock of natives from their own Ojai Meadows Preserve Native Plant Nursery on Saturday, October 11, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. There will be many types of drought tolerant plants for your garden. The plants are grown from locally collected seeds here in the Ojai Valley. He will also be selling native wildflower seed packets.

When I told Ron I was hosting an Herb Walks event with Dr. Jim Adams that same day, he sent this note:

"Special offer just for HerbWalkers: Come in Sunday, October 12,  9-11, buy a plant and receive a bag of mixed California wildflower seeds including tidy tips, goldfields, chinese houses, poppies, lupine, purple and elegant clarkia for free."

How cool is that? Thanks, Ron!

Learn from a renowned professor and researcher on the trail in Ojai

Christopher Nyerges has led wild-food outings and survival hikes for over 40 years. His Guide to Wild Foods and Useful Plants details the medicinal and practical uses of 70 common wild plants, all found in Southern California. A handy A-Z format; keys to leaves, fruits, and seeds; and more than 100 black-and-white photographs and drawings enable readers to identify plants at a glance.

Guide to Wild Foods and Useful Plants is more than a listing of plant types—it teaches how to recognize edible plants and where to find them, their medicinal and nutritional properties, and their growing cycles. It also includes fascinating folklore about plants, personal anecdotes about trips and meals, simple and tasty recipes, and photographs. In addition to common native plants, it includes many so-called "weeds" found in our local urban and suburban landscapes.

How can I afford to sell this for $13.95 instead of the regular price of $18.95? I can't but I'm overstocked on this title so it's got to go. My loss, your gain.