Join us at the farm with a qualified naturopath, Melissa Salmon, and farm founder Matt Bakker, to learn all about improving your gut health from the medicinal plants growing around us! This will be a fun and interactive morning learning, exploring and foraging at the farm to discover how to use plants to build your gut health.
What We'll Do:
We'll spend some time learning the basic principles and theory behind gastrointestinal digestion, the gut microbiome, and how the gut and immune system are intrinsically linked. This will be a fun and interactive morning exploring around the farm for common plants that can be used to make gut-friendly meals, gut-building ferments, and gut-soothing teas that improve your gut health and enhance your overall wellbeing and vitality.
Melissa and Matt will share their knowledge of how to work with what is locally available to create ways of building gut health from the plants that you probably already have growing in your garden! This knowledge will then be put into practice during a guided foraging walk around the farm looking for useful vegetables, plants (and even some common weeds!). After this interactive walk, Melissa will showcase how to make lacto-ferments. And after all that fun, we will finish the workshop chatting over a delicious farm-to-table lunch and nibbles!
You will finish the workshop with newfound knowledge, empowerment, and zest for building your gut health for long-term health and vitality. Oh, and don't forget, you'll head home with a belly full of incredible gut building foods from the gut health inspired lunch!
What You'll Get:
Gut health education
Gastrointestinal function handout
Farm forage tour
Live lacto-fermentation demonstration
Take home recipe cards
Farm-to-table gut-health inspired lunch
Knowledge required
Beginner-friendly
No prior skills or knowledge are required
What To Bring:
Sun protection
Water bottle
Closed-toe shoes
Notebook and pen
What To Bring:
Sun protection
Water bottle
Closed-toe shoes
Notebook and pen
Meet The Experts:
Melissa Salmon: Melissa is deeply passionate about helping others and understands the value of having a compassionate and supportive guide on the path to wellness. Having experienced gut issues from an early age and later receiving diagnoses of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia, she brings firsthand insight into the challenges and dedication involved in healing journeys. Her qualifications include a Bachelor of Health Science in Naturopathy (BHScNat), certification as a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT), and a background in psychology (BAPsych). Melissa brings together these areas of expertise to offer specialised programs, personalised appointments, and workshops. Her approach emphasises education and empowerment, supporting individuals as they move toward lasting wellbeing.
Matt Bakker: Matt is the founder of Neighbourhood Farm with the project running into its ninth year. Matt has a background in environmental science and cultural heritage, and natural resource management with over 15 years’ experience in the food and land use sector. His experience emerges from a desire to understand the complexities of our environment and to incorporate regenerative agricultural practices into small scale farming. This is what has led to a focus on creating a sustainable productive urban farm that is directly connected to landscape and local community.
What Others Have Said:
"A great workshop with Melissa and Matt at Neighbourhood Farm. Very informative, and a great balance between understanding and doing. Can't wait to start making my own fermented foods. And the lunch (and company) after the workshop was number one." - Cameron
"The Gut Health Workshop at Neighbourhood Farm was fantastic! The Hosts, Matt and Melissa, were very knowledgeable and provided excellent detail on gut health. Lunch was absolutely delicious; we will definitely be going back for more workshops!" - Jodie
"Awesome workshop! We had lots of really interesting discussion and opportunities to ask questions. I got some great takeaways from Melissa and the other participants. Not to mention we got to share a beautiful lunch - a great value workshop :)" - Grace
So what are you waiting for - book your spot today! See you there!