Miz Trish
(she/they)
I am a forest farmer specializing in culinary and medicinal herbs and native plants.
My Roots
As an only child of divorced parents, my early life was spent in the company of my elders. Flora and fauna in and around my four different homes became my playmates; my imagination was fed from the books I loved to read and the stories my grandparents would share as I aided them, discovering in myself a knack for growing and tending. Their gifts of spicy vinegars and honey with herbs instilled in me an appreciation for nature’s variety.
Getting Dirty
As an adult, I came back to plants – first in Namibia during my time with the Peace Corps, then with the Sequatchie Valley Institute in Tennessee. Learning to grow, propagate, save seed, and compost took me back to time spent in the dirt, watching my elders coax life from the soil. When I create ferments, vinegars and tinctures, I recall the flower essences of my youth and can all but feel the hug or pat on the back from my grandparents.
Coming Home
As I worked for Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture in 2013, building a program that taught over 500 low-income families to grow and utilize gardens with limited space and resources, little did I know Maya Creek would go from a [cool idea? distant dream? lol i dunno] to being a full-time labor of love just a few short years later. Now I can finally nurture my love of healthy foods and my esteem for our planet, providing a bounteous harvest of community.
Ongoing Education
For as long as I can remember, I have combined hands-on learning with formal instruction to form an ever-evolving understanding of the world around us. In the Peace Corps, I worked as an education consultant to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. At Sequatchie Valley, I took classes on water and solar power as well as herbal medicines and healing foods. In time, I progressed to hosting authors, leading workshops, and teaching my own classes. During my time with CCUA, in addition to gardening with my clients, I was tapped to host workshops and speaking engagements. Topics ranged widely, including meal planning on a budget, composting, fermenting and canning/preserving, organic pest control, cob and natural building, mushroom log inoculation, chainsaw safety, and more.
After moving to Maya Creek, I continued to enhance my skills through classes offered by Wild Abundance, Dancing Rabbit, Team Rubicon, and the University of Missouri extension office. More recently, I have joined the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine to enable me to continue diversifying my offerings of herbal products and plants.
My Work
I am a food activist; increasing access to nourishing foods has been a passion of mine. To that end, I have provided meals for large crowds and have a Safe Food Handler card. I’ve participated in organizing for community gardens and continue to expand my community via both in person and online connections.
My Patreon enables me to provide information and coaching on permaculture, natural building, and all of the other projects we embark upon at Maya Creek. In return, my supporters have provided invaluable assistance so we can build and host on the land.
I love helping people connect, learn and grow. My tinctures, ferments and healing balms are all created with an eye toward enhancing the natural partnership between us and our environment. Please contact me with any questions you may have. I look forward to continuing this journey with you.
Sylva Lining 