Golden Light Center

05/28/2026

I had such a great day today visiting Ozark Mountain Ginseng, and learning so much about cultivating forest herbs like ginseng and goldenseal. I saw more ginseng than I ever have in my whole life, including a 75 year plant. I enjoyed learning alongside Ezra Houston of the Midwest Forest Farming Alliance, Wren Haffner of Ozark Mountain Jewel, and Zack Miller of The Nature Conservancy. I'll be writing a story for the local Doniphan paper soon, about how things are going as I start to cultivate some of these plants in my own forest!

05/21/2026

Ozark plant lovers, if you are in the Ava area, there's a wonderful art exhibit coming up with my favorite Ozark nature artist, Mara Bosch. There's a talk by Mara and a showing of her art coming up this Saturday, May 23, 5pm, at the Living Lands Art Collective, Living Lands Art Collective: 106 E Washington Ave, Ava, MO 65608

05/20/2026

I'm really excited to be part of the Ozarks Bioregional Herbal Symposium!

Happy Wednesday everyone! We're here to share another speaker bio. Sasha Daucus of Golden Light Center will be sharing what is sure to be a beautiful talk on bioregional herbalism in the Ozarks.

Sasha Daucus has lived and worked within the culture of Ozark bioregional herbalism since the early 1980s. Her path as an herbalist emerged through years of clinical work, plant study, teaching, and relationships with mentors, healers, and the living landscapes of the Ozarks. In addition to leading herb walks and classes, she currently hosts Earth Listening groups and works with the Missouri Historical Society to record oral histories of influential Ozark herbalists. Her work explores the connections among plants, people, place, and cultural memory.

05/11/2026

Saturday’s herb walk at the Narrows on the Eleven Point was a genuine pleasure. We were grateful for such a beautiful spring day, for the stunning views along the river, and especially for the wonderful group of people who came out to share it with us.

Magic Keller M Keller Herbalist and I had a lovely time sharing the teaching about the rich plant communities in the Ozarks and the plants that inhabit them: native, medicinal, edible, and otherwise. All the shared stories, observations, and conversations along the way made the day come alive. The Narrows was especially beautiful this weekend, full of spring growth and the quiet richness this season brings.

Mostly, though, I just want to say thank you to everyone who came. Your curiosity, attentiveness, and enthusiasm made the day deeply nourishing for me as a teacher and fellow lover of these places and plants. It felt good to spend time together in such a beautiful corner of the Ozarks.

09/25/2025

Upcoming Talk at the Ozark Folk Center Medicinal Herb Seminar 🌿
I’m honored to be speaking at this year’s Wild Herb Hike & Medicinal Herb Seminar at the Ozark Folk Center, October 18–19. My talk is titled:
From Tornado to Forest Garden: A Journey of Healing & Renewal
In this session, I’ll share how the 2024 tornado that struck my woods became an unexpected path into healing, renewal, and visioning new possibilities for the land.
This presentation is rooted in both community support and practical lessons from the land. My hope is that it will spark ideas or others navigating change, whether in the garden, the forest, or in life itself.
📅 Event details and registration:
👉 https://www.ticketleap.events/events/ozarkfolkcenter/wild-herb-hike-medicinal-herb-symposium-2025

09/23/2025

🌲🌱 Forest Farming in the Ozarks - An incredible panel coming to OACC 46! this Saturday, at Hammond Mill Camp, near West Plains, MO🌱🌲
It features some of the most forward-thinking forest farming practitioners in our area.
Meet these amazing LOCAL experts:
🌿 Richard Herman - A true pioneer with the longest-running intentional forest farm in Missouri! 25 years of experience on his 30 acres near Marshfield.
🌿 Nathaniel Graham from Rockbridge practices Korean natural farming and will help us "discover the secret world of microbes with KNF and widen our apertures with how we can partner with them."
🌿 Wren Haffner of Mountain Jewel farm brings wisdom about off-grid living, food forests, adaptation gardening, and natural building with local materials.
🌿 Ezra Houston, forest farming project coordinator at Lincoln University of Missouri, will share about the Midwest Forest Farming Coalition - offering resources, mentorship, workshops, and grants!

Panel moderated by Kelda Lorax, who runs an organic market garden in the Oklahoma Ozarks and teaches permaculture.

This is your chance to learn from the best in our region!

Learn more about the panel and OACC at https://ozarkareacommunitycongress.org/program-and-schedule-oacc-46/

09/23/2025

It's the perfect time to harvest Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), that wonderful immune system stimulant herb. I had a great afternoon out with friends, collecting it to make tincture and tea for the winter.
Boneset is best harvested in the fall in full bloom. It is usually located in wet areas like low spots in fields, gravel bars, or my current favorite place-- in a wet ditch along a dirt road, where I harvested it last week. Be sure to check for the leaves that clasp the stem, as though the stem is 'perforating' the leaf. There are other close look-alikes that aren't healthy for you, and the 'perforated leaf' is the best way to tell that you have the correct plant.

09/22/2025

I'm excited to connect with this organization. They've got some very good info on their website about cultivating rare and endangered medicinal plants. I'm learning a bunch with their support.

We are a network of farmers, landowners, universities, and other organizations with a shared goal of promoting non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and producers in the Midwest…

09/18/2025

In the aftermath of the tornado that changed the face of the woods on my land, I've been exploring the possibility of planting in some endangered wild medicinal herbs. Some of the areas in my woods are actually more accessible and suited to their growth as a result of the changes. I'll be talking about that whole journey this year at the Ozark Folk Center during their Wild Herb Hike & Medicinal Herb Symposium which is taking place Sat, Oct 18th, 2025 - Sun, Oct 19th, 2025. I would love to see you there. Here is more information and a link to register. https://www.ticketleap.events/events/ozarkfolkcenter/wild-herb-hike-medicinal-herb-symposium-2025

07/31/2025

I'm thrilled to be invited to speak at the Ozark Folk Center this fall, along with other of my favorite herbalists, Bo Brown and John Michael Kelley, who's a brilliant young herbalist with huge knowledge about forests, and the wonderful Tina Marie Wilcox and Susan Belsinger. I'm also looking forward to meeting Jane Hawley Stevens.
I'll be talking about my experiences last year when a tornado tore through the forest I’ve tended for decades, and left behind not only physical damage but a sense of deep disruption and loss. I'll share the story of recovering from that loss—personally, ecologically, and in community—and how it led me to explore forest farming with endangered medicinal herbs. Along the way, I discovered new ways to partner with the land, deepen my herbal practice, and form meaningful new connections with others drawn to healing and regeneration. https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/ozarkfolkcenter/wild-herb-hike-medicinal-herb-symposium-2025