2025 Madison Herb Fair - Nov. 1
Join us for our 43rd annual Herb Fair on Saturday, November 1, 2025, at Olbrich Gardens in Madison, WI!
We're open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Our theme is Explosion of Flavor.
Olbrich Gardens - 3330 Atwood Ave., Madison, WI
Three speakers, herbal marketplace,
Q & A table, free admission.
Learn about Herbs from our Speakers and Vendors
Our featured speakers will present varied perspectives on growing and using herbs, and the benefits of herbs in our daily lives.
The 2025 Herb Fair Speakers will be:
- 10:30 a.m. Lauren Virnoche of Ecotone Herbs Wild Fermented Beverages
- 12:30 p.m. Linda Conroy of Moonwise Herbs Mushrooms in the Kitchen & Apothecary
- 2:30 p.m. Terry Aitken, “The Garlic Guy” Cultivation, Cooking, Culture, and Science of Garlic
2025 Herb Fair Speaker Information
10:30 a.m. Lauren Virnoche of Ecotone Herbs -Wild Fermented Beverages
Sharing a drink has long been a meaningful gesture of togetherness, and a beverage can be a showcase of interdependent ingredients. Fermenting with wild yeasts is adaptive and collaborative, sometimes messy, often surprising! It offers perspective on our habitat and how we relate to it, ourselves, and each other—connecting through the expression of flavor and transformation. In this presentation, learn to identify sources of wild yeasts and about culturing these agents of change. You can create beverages that capture the dynamic nature of place and our time in it.
Lauren Virnoche farms and forages from the lower Wisconsin River Valley through the Fox River Valley in Illinois. Her business, Ecotone Herbs, offers fresh and dried herbs to herbal artisans, apothecaries, brewers, and distillers in the Midwest. Together, they are committed to building resilience: on the farm with ecologically mindful practices, in community through mutual aid, and in connection with the natural world, which includes us.
12:30 p.m. Linda Conroy of Moonwise Herbs - Mushrooms in the Kitchen & Apothecary
Learn to incorporate mushrooms into your daily life for flavor and wellness. Mycoherbalist Linda Conroy will offer information about both sourcing and cooking with mushrooms. She’ll also share an overview of healing properties of mushrooms and how to prepare them for medicine, including for topical applications.
Linda M. Conroy, MSS, MLSP (Moonwise Herbs) dedicates her life to connecting with the green world. She is a practicing herbalist, providing herbal education, workshops, and apprenticeships, as well as individual consultations and an herb store. Linda holds master’s degrees in social service and in law and social policy. She is a community organizer and founder of the Midwest Women’s Herbal Conference.
2:30 p.m. Terry Aitken, “The Garlic Guy” - Cultivation, Cooking, Culture, and Science of Garlic
Terry will tell us all about growing and using garlic, as well as the history, culture, and science of garlic. Garlic Handout
Terry Aitken is a recently retired pharmaceutical chemist who has been growing various varieties of garlic for more than 20 years.
2025 Madison Herb Fair Vendors
Buy local! Visit our Herb Fair Vendors.
ARTiculations by Bonnie
Bonnie Valley
Wheel-thrown pottery with sculpted details, featuring whimsical herb and plant containers, mugs, teapots, bowls, plates, and illustrated spoon rests, plus enamel earrings.
Bee's Knees
Christine Laing
chris.laing@yahoo.com
Bee's Knees emphasizes pollinator, flower, and garden themed crafts, including: decoupaged glassware, wooden coasters, magnets, jewelry, paper crafts, and garden signs.
Creative Juice
www.facebook.com/creativejuicewi
Wild-crafted aromatic herbs and aftershave, natural incense from tree sap, herbal-scented eye/dream pillows, beaded utensils, artistic fired glass holders with air plants, rock and crystal-topped bottles.
Ecotone Herbs
Lauren Virnoche
Healing foods and herbs cultivated to support both soil health and human connection to nature.
Good Thunder Farms
Karin Silet and Sheri Scott
ksilet@yahoo.com
Offering sustainably cultivated elderflower and elderberry products, harvested with care from our beautiful spot in Ho-Chunk country.
Inspired Alchemy
Aubree Saia
Superfood-infused cacao truffles crafted with organic, raw, and wild-harvested ingredients. Dairy-free, gluten-free, and paleo, each hand-rolled treat blends nourishment and indulgence for radiant living.
Isabella Natural Herb Farm
Jing Yowilda Hinolan
isabellaorganicherbs@gmail.com
https://www.isabellanaturalherbfarm.com/
Offering teas, oils, and salves made from wild-harvested and homegrown herbs. Blends include digestive, calming, and restorative teas, along with sun-dried herbs and natural remedies.
Leafie & Suns
https://leafie-and-suns.beehiiv.com/
Leafie & Suns creates small-batch salts, sugars, and spice blends that bring the garden’s flavor and beauty straight to your table.
Luminous Rose
Maria Henry
https://www.luminousrosebeauty.com/contact
https://www.luminousrosebeauty.com
Small-batch, plant-based, handcrafted skincare. Each formula blends science and soul, using organic ingredients to nourish skin and spirit.
Madison Herb Society
Catnip toys, herbal cookbooks, unique herbal teas, savory herbal blends, lemon-herbed rice, herbal baked goods, wreaths, and our garden- and tea-themed “Vintage Treasures” table.
Magic Moon Productions
Julie Busche
Hello@MagicMoon-Productions.com
https://www.facebook.com/MagicMoonProductionsandProducts/
Pure, natural, organic aromatherapy products created to support the body, mind and spirit.
Mokosh Herbs
Deb Jacobs
Mokosh herbs features tasty herbal tea and spice blends, and healthful tinctures and salves.
Moonwise Herbs
Linda Conroy
rosemarygoddess@moonwiseherbs.com
Offering hand-crafted wares from herbs we grow and wild-harvest. We offer books, extracts, salves, dry herbs, lotions, extracts, infused oils, soap, and more.
Prairie Pearls
Kate McFeeley
Dried herbs, live plants, salves, syrups, and salves produced with locally grown herbs.
Savory Accents
Ted and Joan Ballweg
We are organic chili pepper farmers. We process our home-grown ingredients into seasonings, sauces, dips, spice blends, jams, chutney, and harissa.
Telsaan Tea
Erin Ulrich
We offer a wide variety of loose-leaf tea and herbal tea blends, tea infusers, and rock sugar. We'll answer your questions about how to make tea and choose the right tea infuser.
Unani Herbal & Seven Loaves Sourdough
Salih D.R. Erschen
Honey-based herbal teas. Powdered herbal blends combine with raw honey, gaining the natural benefits of each formula for varied needs.
Undaunted Herbalist
Melody Knudson
theundauntedherbalist@gmail.com
https://theundauntedherbalist.my.canva.site
Certified clinical herbalist offering handcrafted herbal remedies, and wellness products.
Wilderness Toolbox
Richard Lyons
I make gathering, foraging, and walking sticks from my property north of Spring Green, WI. I also study foraging and wild herbs and have logged more than 173 foods only 12.5 acres.
Wildwood Institute
Kathleen Wildwood
kathleen@wildwoodinstitute.com
Herbal education from the four directions of information: herbal traditions, science, intuition, and personal experience, with nature at the center. Also offering high-quality, handmade herbal products.
2025 Madison Herb Fair Publicity
Press kit for the 2025 MADISON HERB FAIR, taking place Saturday, November 1, 2025
Media Contact
Sheila Leary, Madison Herb Society publicist
sheila.leary@icloud.com or 608-444-0926
HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGES can be downloaded at
https://madisonherbsociety.org/annual-herb-fair (If the hyperlink doesn't work, please copy and paste the link.)
CALENDAR LISTING
2025 Madison Herb Fair. Saturday, November 1, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Olbrich Botanical Gardens, 3330 Atwood Ave., Madison. Three speakers, herbal marketplace, Q & A table, free admission. Theme: “EXPLOSION OF FLAVOR.” More information at www.madisonherbsociety.org
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
The 2025 Madison Herb Fair, hosted for the 43rd year by the Madison Herb Society, has the theme “EXPLOSION OF FLAVOR.” The Fair takes place Saturday, November 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Olbrich Botanical Gardens, 3330 Atwood Avenue in Madison. The Herb Fair features three speakers, a Q&A table, and an herbal marketplace where local small businesses will sell herb and spice blends, teas, herb plants, tasty treats, books, body care products, plant-inspired art, herbal remedies, catnip toys, and many gift items. Admission is free. Find more information at www.madisonherbsociety.org
INTERVIEWS
To arrange a print or broadcast interview with one of our speakers or a representative of the Madison Herb Society, please contact MHS publicist Sheila Leary at sheila.leary@icloud.com or 608-444-0926.
NEWS STORY
Media Contact: Sheila Leary, Madison Herb Society publicist sheila.leary@icloud.com or 608-444-0926.
2025 MADISON HERB FAIR SET FOR NOVEMBER 1
“Explosion of Flavor” is the theme of the 43rd annual Madison Herb Fair sponsored by the Madison Herb Society. It takes place Saturday November 1, 2025, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Olbrich Botanical Gardens, 3330 Atwood Avenue in Madison. Admission is free.
Featured speakers are scheduled throughout the day in the Olbrich Gardens Learning Center.
10:30 a.m. Wild Fermented Beverages with Lauren Virnoche of Ecotone Herbs. Learn about fermenting with wild yeasts to make flavorful and surprising beverages.
12:30 p.m. Mushrooms in the Kitchen & Apothecary with Linda Conroy of Moonwise Herbs. Incorporate mushrooms into your daily life for flavor and wellness.
2:30 p.m. Cultivation, Cooking, Culture, and Science of Garlic with Terry Aitken, “The Garlic Guy”
A herbal marketplace features two rooms of regional small businesses showing their wares, including herb and spice blends; loose-leaf and herbal teas; herb plants; baked goods, jams, syrups, chili pepper products and superfood truffles; wreaths, ceramics, glassware, papercrafts and other plant-inspired art; incense and dream pillows; soaps, aftershave, lotions and other body products; tinctures, salves and herbal remedies; catnip toys and many gift items; and books about herbal uses, gardening, foraging, and cooking.
“Flavor is our focus this year, with featured speakers on garlic, mushrooms, and wild yeast-fermented beverages,” said Joyce Pohl, president of the Madison Herb Society. “In addition, our knowledgeable vendors are happy to share ideas about using herbs for cooking and baking, pet care, personal health and relaxation, gardening, home décor, cleaning and so much more.”
The Madison Herb Society is a non-profit membership organization that promotes education about the culture and use of herbs, including their global history and use for culinary, wellness, horticultural and decorative purposes. Throughout the year, the society sponsors speakers, workshops, field trips, garden tours and themed potluck meals. Interested visitors are invited to become members of the Madison Herb Society at the Fair.
More information about the 2025 Madison Herb Fair and the Madison Herb Society is at www.madisonherbsociety.org.
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Contact
Sheila Leary, Madison Herb Society publicist sheila.leary@icloud.com or 608-444-0926.
Herb Fair Press Kit Photos (section 1)
Herb Fair Vendor Area #1
Herb Fair Vendor Area #1
Herb Fair Vendor Area #1
Meet with Herb Fair vendors and speakers
to learn more about herbs!
Photo by Sheila Leary
Herb Fair Vendor Area #2
Herb Fair Vendor Area #1
Herb Fair Vendor Area #1
From dried herbs to jams, vinegars, herbal essential oils, teas, and more, pick up your favorite herbal products at the Herb Fair.
Photo by Sheila Leary
Herb Fair Volunteers
Herb Fair Vendor Area #1
Herb Fair Volunteers
Meet our friendly MHS volunteers and pick up your favorite Herb Fair products for yourself or to give as gifts for the holidays.
Photo by Carrie B. Wilkey
Cookbooks for Sale
Meet and Speak with Vendors/Speakers
Herb Fair Volunteers
Get your herbal cookbooks at the Herb Fair! Learn about growing, harvesting, and cooking with specific herbs.
Photo by Carrie B. Wilkey
Meet and Speak with Vendors/Speakers
Meet and Speak with Vendors/Speakers
Meet and Speak with Vendors/Speakers
Meet with Herb Fair vendors and speakers
to learn more about herbs!
Photo by Carrie B. Wilkey
Wisconsin Herb Blend
Meet and Speak with Vendors/Speakers
Meet and Speak with Vendors/Speakers
Stock up on our #1 selling product at the Herb Fair - Wisconsin Herb Blend! Add it to meats, fish, vegetables for a salt-free, delicious flavor.
Photo by Carrie Wilkey
Herb Fair Press Kit Photos (section 2)
Dried Herbs Available
Come to the MHS Herb Fair!
Come to the MHS Herb Fair!
Restock your pantry or pick up some dried herbs for holiday gifts at the Madison Herb Society's 42nd Annual Herb Fair at Olbrich Gardens on Saturday, November 2, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Photo by Carrie B. Wilkey
Come to the MHS Herb Fair!
Come to the MHS Herb Fair!
Come to the MHS Herb Fair!
Interested in herbs? Check out the Madison Herb Society's 42nd Annual Herb Fair at Olbrich Gardens on Saturday, November 2, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Photo by Sheila Leary
Cookbooks for Sale #2
Come to the MHS Herb Fair!
Cookbooks for Sale #2
Get your herbal cookbooks at the Herb Fair! Learn about growing, harvesting, and cooking with specific herbs. The herb cookbooks make wonderful holiday gifts - great as stocking stuffers.
Photo by Carrie B. Wilkey
2024 - 42nd Madison Herb Fair - Nov. 2
Join us in person at this year's Herb Fair at Olbrich Gardens in Madison, WI!
November 2, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Our theme is Cultivating Herbal Wonder.
Olbrich Gardens - 3330 Atwood Ave., Madison, WI
Three speakers, herbal marketplace,
Q & A table, free admission.
Learn about Herbs from our Speakers and Vendors
Our featured speakers will present varied perspectives on Cultivating Herbal Wonder.
The 2024 Herb Fair Speakers will be:
Jane Hawley Stevens - Four Elements Herbals
Kyle Denton - Tippecanoe Herbs
Chef Kevin Appleton - Vom Fass
2024 Herb Fair Speaker Information
10:30 a.m. - Jane Hawley Stevens -A Progressive View of Traditional Gardening by the Moon
Astrology began as a tool and system of agriculture. In our mechanized world, we overlook wisdom gained through the ages. I have incorporated Moon phases with a focus on the elemental influences of Fire, Earth, Air, and Water for over 30 years. This has brought rhythm, design, and timely methods to my organic herb farming practice. See how to tap into this ancient knowledge. Timing for agriculture is written in the sky with planetary movements, the original calendar, as plants are the original medicine.
Jane Hawley Stevens began specializing in herbs in 1981.
She founded her business in 1987. Four Elements Organic Herbals is based on plants grown in her cultivated fields, Chakra Garden, prairie, and woodlands on her farm in the pristine Baraboo Bluffs.
12:30 p.m. - Kyle Denton - Medicine of the World Tree
Medicine of the World Tree – a cosmological journey of medicine
and myth, from the forest floor to the canopy of various
cultural central trees.
Kyle Denton is a community herbalist and medicine maker with a deep appreciation for the virtues of nature and its healing properties.
Tippecanoe Herbs is a small family business founded in 2015 by herbalist Kyle Denton and his wife Serena Marinelli - we are community herbalists.
We create herbal medicine in small batches with herbs that we harvest locally, that we can acquire from local farms,
and from organic sources.
We educate through our herbal program and separate classes, workshops, herb walks and events.
Sharing our knowledge of herbal medicine is our passion.
We offer our blended formulas in person at farmer's markets, at our brick and mortar shop, at events, and online.
2:30 p.m. Chef Kevin Appleton - Culinary Uses of Herbs: Practical Tips and Creative Ideas
How do herbs, spices and aromatics contribute to flavor? Perceptions of herbs/flavor vary and evolve individually and evolve across cultures. We will discuss how to use herbs harmoniously within a dish,
when to add during cooking process and practical strategies and
tips for cooking with herbs and knowing when dried vs fresh,
whole vs. ground and how various chopping methods of fresh herbs yield different results.
Chef Kevin Appleton currently teaches cooking classes at Vom Fass Madison DelecTable. He has always had a passion for teaching and sharing his love of cooking with others.
After many years of experience in the culinary industry, he became a culinary instructor at Robert Morris College in Chicago. He began teaching in the Culinary Program at Madison College from 2009-2017. From 2016 to 2019, Chef Kevin became the Food and Beverage Program Director for Madison College Continuing Education.
There, he designed and ran the West Side Continuing Education Kitchen, developed the Craft Brewing Program, and a Wine Appreciation program.
Chef Kevin’s wife, Jeanette, is an avid gardener and every year
they grow an herb garden along with several other local edible
plants and trees.
2024 Madison Herb Fair Vendors - SOLD OUT
Buy local! Visit our Herb Fair Vendors.
ARTiculations by Bonnie
Bonnie Valley
Wheel-thrown and hand-sculpted ceramics, as well as torch-fired enamel earrings, with herb and plant designs.
Chiccory Arts & Herbs
Judith and Steven Durley
jmdurley@hughes.net | JustOnebyJudith on Etsy
Featuring an eclectic mix of jams, hand soothers, catnip mousies, and the world's best socks. Christmas gifts for nature lovers.
Creative Juice
www.facebook.com/creativejuicewi
Wild-crafted aromatic herbs and aftershave, natural incense from tree sap, herbal-scented eye/dream pillows, beaded utensils, artistic fired glass holders with air plants, rock and crystal-topped bottles.
Elizabeth Ann Teeter
Small art for small spaces. Offering blank cards with my original watercolors of herbs and vegetables, and tabletop tiny easels with canvas floral paintings.
Four Elements Herbals
Jane Stevens
We are a farm-to-function organic company that creates award-winning creams, liniments, soaps, and delicious herbal teas–among our many other organic products.
Herban Artisans
Shannon Renne
Featuring herbal lotions, salves and plants-related crafts made from our herb garden, and teas.
Inspired Alchemy
Aubree Saia
Our gourmet truffles are organic, raw, dairy free, paleo, and gluten free. This flavor art is infused with superfoods and superherbs. We also have a line of CBD truffles. Stop by for a tasting adventure! All ingredients are organic or wild harvested, raw, gluten-free, and paleo.
Madison Herb Society
Catnip toys, herbal cookbooks, unique herbal teas, savory herbal blends, lemon-herbed rice, herbal baked goods, wreaths, and our garden- and tea-themed “trash and treasure” table.
Mokosh Herbs
Deb Jacobs
Mokosh herbs features tasty herbal tea and spice blends, and healthful tinctures and salves.
Moonwise Herbs
Linda Conroy
rosemarygoddess@moonwiseherbs.com
Offering hand-crafted wares from herbs we grow and wild-harvest. We offer books, extracts, salves, dry herbs, lotions, extracts, infused oils, soap, and more.
Nature of Healing
Rosanne Lindsay
Offers naturopathic and herbalism books, services, and products such as tinctures to create custom protocols for self-healing.
Prairie Pearls
Kate McFeeley
Dried herbs, live plants, salves, syrups, and salves produced with locally grown herbs.
Rhubarb Botanicals
Emma Barber
We are a farm-based herbal apothecary in eastern Iowa. We grow herbs and flowers organically to craft our medicinal products that include herbal teas, tinctures, salves and topical remedies, cocktail bitters, and culinary spice blends.
Savory Accents
Ted and Joan Ballweg
We are organic chili pepper farmers. We process our home-grown ingredients into seasonings, sauces, dips, spice blends, jams, chutney, and harissa.
Telsaan Tea
Erin Ulrich
We offer a wide variety of loose-leaf tea and herbal tea blends, tea infusers, and rock sugar. We'll answer your questions about how to make tea and choose the right tea infuser.
Tippecanoe Herbs
Kyle Denton
We create herbal medicine in small batches with herbs that we harvest locally, that we can acquire from local farms, and from organic sources.
Unani Herbal
Salih D.R. Erschen
Honey-based herbal teas. Powdered herbal blends combine with raw honey, gaining the natural benefits of each formula for varied needs.
Wildwood Institute
Kathleen Wildwood
kathleen@wildwoodinstitute.com
Herbal education from the four directions of information: herbal traditions, science, intuition, and personal experience, with nature at the center. Also offering high-quality, handmade herbal products.
Wilderness Toolbox
Richard Lyons
I make gathering, foraging, walking sticks from my property north of Spring Green, WI. I also study foraging and wild herbs, and have logged more than 173 foods only 12.5 acres.