Native Culinary Herbs

Online Gardening Course

Do you love growing useful, tasty herbs--

and also wish your garden was home to more native plants?

Native Culinary Herbs will help you grow flavorful, nourishing food while supporting your local ecosystem with native species.

With a mix of short videos and written lessons, this course takes you from seed to plate (or frosty beverage!) with 20+ native culinary herbs.

Native Culinary Herbs is best suited to gardens in temperate climates east of the Rocky Mountains in North America.

In this course, you will:

Acquire the knowledge and skills you need to plant thriving native species in your herb garden.

You’ll learn about each plant’s preferred growing conditions, and you’ll get step-by-step guidance with seed starting and propagation.
For some herbs, there are a few native species in the genus. View range maps to see which species are locally native where you live.
Learn specific benefits these species offer to local ecosystems and wildlife.

Answer questions like:
Which herbs do native bees turn to for nectar and pollen?
Which are favorites of hummingbirds and butterflies?
Which benefit neighboring garden plants with nutrient accumulation and pest deterrence?
Learn where to obtain plants and seeds you want to grow.

Receive a spreadsheet of nurseries and seed companies specializing in native plant propagation—plus which species they carry from the course. The list will be updated each year.
The 2024 spreadsheet is mostly composed of NY State businesses. We’ll expand the list to include more (non-NY State) businesses over time!
Prepare simple, tasty recipes that enhance your meals.

Recipes include sides and main dishes, a spice blend, culinary herbal salts and sugar, mocktails and cocktails, salads and salad dressing, herbal syrup, digestive bitters, and more.
Most recipes are gluten-free, dairy-free, and meat-free. Recipes that feature these ingredients offer variations for folks avoiding these foods.
Support the WNY Native Plant Collaborative.

5% of every enrollment goes to the Collaborative’s operating and educational costs.
Learn more about this community organization:

WNY Native Plant Collaborative

Once you enroll:

You’ll have access for the life of the course—a minimum of five years from your registration.

Enjoy all course updates at no additional cost.

This includes new lessons, videos, and expanded nursery spreadsheets.

Meet your Instructors:

Sarah Sorci

Lead Instructor
Sarah Sorci (she/her) is an herbal educator, writer, and therapeutic gardening facilitator based in Western New York.
She offers educational resources for folks seeking empowerment, environmental sustainability, and ancestry connection by way of the plant world.
Learn more about Sarah here.
Ken Parker

Guest Instructor
Ken is a passionate Indigenous horticulturalist and member of the Seneca Nation of Indians. A New York State Certified Nursery Landscape Professional (CNLP) and a Green Infrastructure Program Trainer, Ken has spent much of his life devoted to growing, installing, teaching and promoting indigenous plants of North America.
Learn more about Ken here.