FAQ

What is a CSH?

Maybe the acronym CSA rings a bell? CSA stands for community supported agriculture. It’s a partnership between a farmer and customer, wherein the customer pays for their own share of the farmer’s harvest in advance. This system allows the farmer to invest in the materials they need to get the season started and, eventually, grow food, flowers, herbs or raise livestock for the customer!

A CSH isn’t all that different from a CSA! In this partnership, the member pays in advance for a share of each season’s good medicine. The money you pay up-front allows me to grow, gather and source the highest quality medicinal herbs, and use them to make products that will nourish you - mind, body and spirit.

How do I sign up?

To enroll in the CSH, simply fill out the sign-up sheet under the “Subscribe” tab at the top of the page. Here, you'll share with me some contact information, pick-up or delivery preference, and any essential info I need to know about your personal health needs.

Please note: pick-up is only available in the Champaign-Urbana area. A pick-up location is TBA. Delivery is also available to those in the Champaign-Urbana area (bike-powered whenever possible). And delivery by post is available to those in the U.S.

After you submit your sign-up sheet, I will contact you personally about payment. I’ll also send a CSH agreement so that expectations are clear. Once you're enrolled, you'll receive seasonal boxes filled with seasonal, small-batch, local and organic herbal products!

What's a sliding scale?

It's important to me to make the CSH as accessible as possible. A sliding scale is a system in which the price of a good or service changes as a result of other conditions. Most often this means those with a higher income pay more, those with a lower income pay less. By paying what you can afford, you help other people do the very same.

When do I get my boxes?

Each CSH box will be ready for your reception about four weeks after the turn of each season, be it an equinox, or a solstice. This is so I will have time to harvest and process the wild and cultivated plants that grace us at the start of each season. Tentative ship and pick-up dates are:

Spring: April 17, 2018

Summer: July 19, 2018

Fall: October 20, 2018

Winter: January 18, 2019

Please note: these dates are flexible. Rest assured, you’ll receive your seasonal box on or around these dates!

What will I get in my CSH box?

The contents of each CSH box will be intentionally crafted to address the body’s varied needs throughout the seasons, and to honor the plants that are present and abundant in my bioregion.

For example:

Spring: tonic teas, tinctures and body oils to wake up the body from its wintry rest

Summer: salves and balms to soothe sunburned skin and mosquito bites, cooling teas

Fall: finishing salts and infused honeys, steams and elixirs to keep the immune system strong

Winter: dry broth blends and teas for warming the body, oils and salves for dry skin

Each box will include 5-7 Talk Wild Herbs products, including a bar of small-batch, handmade soap from Old Town Flowers. Boxes will also carry zines (little booklets) with information about seasonal self-care, plant profiles, DIY medicine-making guides, poems and stories, art, recipes, and more!

Some products I might make: salve, balm, infused vinegar, infused honey, syrup, infused salt, tea, tincture, bath soaks, body oil, cream, elixir, broth blends, smudge sticks, seed packets, DIY kits, and more.

How many people does a box serve?

Box and product sizes are appropriate for use by 1-2 people.

What if I only want the (insert season) box, and not the others?

Unfortunately, I am not able to offer individual boxes at this time. However, there is a chance that I will be offering certain CSH components for purchase separately throughout the year. It is likely that these Talk Wild products will be available for purchase at local (Champaign-Urbana) retailers in 2018. So, basically, stay tuned!

What if I can't afford to pay for all of the boxes at once?

I am not offering a payment plan at this time. BUT the sliding scale is in place to make the CSH subscription more accessible. If you cannot purchase your share before January 1st, there is still plenty of time to save up and enroll at the price that best works for you. Registration closes March 15, 2018.

What if I don’t know how to use a certain product?

Fear not! Each product will come with a instructions for use, and a complete ingredient list.

What if I get something in my box, and I don’t like it?

The mystery of the box is part of its beauty. Unfortunately, individual components of each box are not refundable or eligible for exchange. If you find you don’t like or use something from your box, please pass it on to a friend, family member or co-worker. It could be just what they need!

How do you decide what to make for each season?

Each season brings a familiar rhythm - not just outside our bodies, but inside, too. Our needs oscillate with the Earth’s persistent shift. So, I first listen to the changes of our bodies during each season. What do they need?

From there, I look to see what plants are thriving and abundant around me. Perhaps it’s something I grew at home or at Delight Flower Farm. Maybe it's an organically grown plant sourced from a another local farmer, or trusted distributer. Or maybe it’s something I can safely and respectfully forage from a familiar place.

My intention is to listen to both the plants and the people around me to craft seasonal products with intuition and integrity.

Where do you source your ingredients? Is everything organic?

Plant material will be grown or wildcrafted in the Champaign-Urbana area, unless otherwise noted. Organic and fair-trade ingredients and recycled packaging will be used whenever possible.