Susan Evans, master gardener and herbalist, instructs students in a variety of gardening topics at many locations throughout the Denver-Metro area. She is also available for lectures and gardening demonstrations for your group, business or organization.

Susan teaches on a wide variety of topics which include:

Cooking Classes: Herbs in the Kitchen, Farm to Table: Seasonal Cooking from the Garden and Farmers Market, Harvesting and Preserving Herbs, Savory Pestos, Tapenades and Herb Blends, Weeknight Meals 101, Sensational Summer Salads, Amazing Appetizers, Soups, Stews and Chowders, Garlic Festival, Preserving the Garden, The Herbal Pantry, Edible Flower Feast, and many more.

Gardening Classes: Herb Gardening 101, Container Herb Gardening, Container Vegetable Gardening, Medicinal, Fragrance and Culinary Gardening, The Sanctuary Garden, The Incredible, Edible Garden, Indoor Fragrance Gardens.

Medicinal Herbs: Herbal Medicine Making, Kitchen Remedies and Home Cures, Soothing Salves and Balms, The Wise Women’s Medicine Chest, Keys to a Healthy Lifestyle, Fortify Your Immune System, Digestive Health, Healthy Aging, Restorative Herbal Teas and Elixers, Herbs for Women and more.

Wild Herb and Edible Plant Walks, your location or a local park.

Crafting with Herbs: Botanical Body Spa, Gifts from the Herb Garden, Gifts from the Pantry, Natural Holiday Decorating, Making Your Own Green Cleaning and Body and Bath Products, Herbal Wreath Making, Botanical Candle Making, Pressed Flower Arts and more.

Class topics can be combined or custom tailored for your interests. Contact Susan @ chrysalisherbs@aol.com for more information.

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Susan teaches at the following locations. For more information or to reserve your spot, please click on the links below:

Botanic Gardens

Golden Parks and Recreation

Lakewood Parks

Thornton Recreation Center

Denver Public Library

Indian Hills  Community Center

A Sanctuary  Center

►January 2010

Winter Soups and Chowders, Lakewood Link, $29 resident, $39 non-resident
Jan 27, Wed 6-8 pm, #110306-01, 303-762-2660
It's time to feast on some warm, savory soups and chowders. These are economical, easy and tasty enough for company, rich in vitamins and fibers, and a one pot meal that freezes well. We'll make Butternut Squash soup with chipotle cream, hearty Italian Riboletta with veggies and beans and Roasted Tomato Bisque with basil pistou. We'll discuss easy ways to throw together a nutritious meal with what you have on hand as we sample our soups with herbed biscuits and a fruit crisp. Recipes and a full dinner included.

Folk Cures & Kitchen Remedies, Englewood Malley Center, 1/30 Sat., 10AM-Noon
Fee: $13, Resident Fee: $10, 11450411 303-783-6805.
For Centuries people have relied on safe, effective remedies handed down through generations. Discover your own traditions as you ease discomfort from sore throats to hair loss with inexpensive ingredients from the garden and kitchen cupboard. Join herbalist Susan Evans as she shares her favorite remedies. Handouts provided.

►February

Vegetarian Winter Soups and Chowders, Denver Botanic Gardens, February 04, Thurs. 6PM—8PM, $39.00 (member) / $44.00 (non member$10 more on day of class.
It’s time to feast on some warming, savory soups and stews. These are economical, easy and tasty enough for company, rich in vitamins and fibers, and a one pot meal that freezes well. We’ll make Butternut Squash soup with Chipotle Cream, hearty Italian Riboletta with veggies and beans and Roasted Tomato Bisque with Basil Pistou. We’ll discuss easy ways to throw together a nutritious meal with what you have on hand as we sample our soups with herbed biscuits and a fruit crisp. Recipes and full dinner included.

Pressed Flower Arts, Denver Botanic Gardens, Sat/ February 06, 10 AM—noon, $39.00 (member) $44.00 (non member), $10 more on day of class.
Can’t wait for spring flowers? Spend an enjoyable morning creating with beautiful pressed flowers. We’ll make gorgeous bookmarks, greeting/Valentine cards and botanical candles to take home. Plan ahead for your spring flower planting as we discuss which flowers provide the best results and how to press them for optimal color, durability and long life.

►March

Botanical Body Spa, March 3, Wed 6:30-8:30 pm, Lakewood Green Mtn. Rec Center,
$29 resident, $39 non-resident, #110201-01, 303-762-2660
Discover how to make your own luxurious, home spa treatments from simple ingredients found in your kitchen and local health food store. We'll make a calendula almond face scrub, a balancing facial toner, an exfoliating honey salt-rub, a firming and cleansing French facial mask and a revitalizing hair rinse. Take home a sample of each. We'll also discuss the amazing amount of body products you can make with fresh ingredients at home. From eye makeup remover to fruit facials, look gorgeous naturally.

Spring Spa Mini Escape Celebrate spring!
The answer to the winter doldrums. Take a day away for pampering, fun, new friends and great food.
Denver Botanic Gardens, March 06, Sat.,10 AM—2 PM
$78.00 (member) / $85.00 (non member) , $10 more on day of workshop.
Fabulous Facials: Has winter dryness left your skin feeling like a leather handbag? Discover fresh fruit and veggie facials that will exfoliate, smooth and repair your skin for pennies.
Soothing Salves and Balms: Make and take home a healing body balm for those rough & flaky heels, elbows, lips and cuticles.
Sensible Weight Loss: Tank tops, swimwear and shorts, OH MY! Cardboard food and crash diets don’t work. We’ll discuss a simple, healthy and effective plan to lose weight and keep it off.
Spring Tonics: Revitalize with herbs that provide a variety of beneficial nutrients to clean and detoxify, improve energy and sharpen mental clarity. Make your own spring elixir and tea to take home from a buffet of tonic herbs.
Spring Menu: Enjoy a delicious vegetarian lunch featuring seasonal foods. Feast on artichokes with lemon butter and herb aioli, baby greens with berries, candied walnuts and goat cheese, a scrumptious soup of wild spring greens, leeks and new potatoes. Indulge in a sweet for dessert. Beverages provided.
All materials, lunch, handouts for each segment, recipes, take home salve, elixir and tonic tea included.

Incredible, Edible Garden, Golden Parks and Rec., March 16, 6:30-8:30PM,
Res. $20, NR $23. #17031, 303-384-8100.
Experience the thrill of having a garden full of edible fruits, flowers, herbs and veggies, where ingredients for sensational summer fare can be found right outside the back door. Join herbalist and garden consultant Susan Evans and learn how to create a lovely, productive garden that combines vegetables, edible flowers and fragrant herbs in a tapestry of beauty and utility. We’ll cover elements of design, specific varieties for taste and fragrance, and discuss maintenance and harvesting. Discover the best varieties for easy care. Enough of the petunias and marigolds already, have a garden you can really use! Detailed handouts provided.

The Cooks Herb Garden: The Magnificent Seven,
Denver Botanic Gardens, March 18, Thurs. 6 PM—8 PM,
$39.00 (member) / $44.00 (non member), $10 more on the day of class.
Discover the numerous health and taste benefits of your own herb garden. We’ll cover growing, harvesting and culinary uses of 7 of the most popular culinary herbs including marjoram, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, chives and basil. We’ll make an all purpose, garden seasoning blend, and have a delicious, gourmet herbal lunch/dinner. Take home an herb blend and an extensive handout with recipes and growing instructions.

Incredible, Edible Landscape, Lakewood Green Mtn. Rec. Center, Mar 31 Wed
6:30-8:30PM, $19 resident, $29 non-resident, 303-762-2660.
Plan now to experience the thrill of having a yard full of edible and fragrant, fruits, flowers, herbs and veggies, where most of your summer food staples can be found right outside the back door. We'll discuss the easiest to grow varieties for Colorado, seasonal planting, ways to use them and the best gardening techniques. Extensive handouts included.

►April

The French Potager Garden, Englewood Malley Center, April 8, Thurs., 6:30-8:30PM,
$10 Res., $12, NR, #21450411, 303-783-6805.
Do you think all vegetable gardens should be hidden behind the shed? Come learn how to create a lovely, productive garden that combines vegetables, edible flowers and fragrant herbs in a tapestry of beauty and utility. Element of design, specific varieties for fragrance and taste, maintenance and harvesting are covered. Expand your gardening horizons! Detailed handouts included.

Container Herb Gardens – 2 locations

Green Mountain Rec Center, Apr 14 Wed 6:30-8:30PM, $35 resident, $45 non-resident, #110302-01, 303-987-5423.
Denver Botanic Gardens, April 15, Thurs. 6:30-8:30 PM, $42.00 member $47.00 NM,
$10 more on day of class.
This is a fun, hands-on class for those with limited space who still want to enjoy the aromatic and culinary benefits of herbs. These are perfect for patios and balconies. You will design and plant your own container herb garden to take home and learn the care and uses of the herbs. Materials and handouts included.

Backyard Bounty/Herb Walk, Golden Parks and Rec., April 20, 6:30-8pm, Res. $20, NR $23.
#17035, 303-384-8100.
Explore a treasure trove of wild herbs, medicinal plants and edible weeds common to every backyard. Learn to make nutritious teas, a tasty salad from lamb's quarters, how to stop bleeding with yarrow and much more. Discover the amazing plants you've been stepping on all these years. Handout included.