Connection to the land and the many beings of the land, both seen and unseen, is at the core of my work. The plants have guided me on my path and I am in awe of them daily.

Nothing pleases me more than sharing the magic and medicine of plants with my other favorite beings- humans. I love teaching about easy and engaging ways to incorporate plants into your daily life through the kitchen or medicine cabinet.

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My Roots:

I'm AC Stauble. I grew up in the North East, USA in Rhode Island and Connecticut, with a joyful curiosity of the natural world. I gardened and crafted evergreen wreaths with my mom. Dad took me on hikes and taught me how to walk on logs over streams. My brothers and I would play outside all day, but by my mothers' two fingered, whistle- which is as loud as a hawks cry, we would scurry in for dinner, baths, books, and bed. We grew up equal parts feral and cultivated. I was in tune with the rhythm of the wind, and waves and spoke to the animals and trees.

 

As I grew, I drifted away from the natural world a bit. I didn't really come back to plants in a real way until my early twenties. I graduated from University of Connecticut in 2009 with a major in political science, and minors in women's studies, and human rights. Classes were kind of an afterthought compared to my involvement in the activist community at UCONN. I focused on drug policy reform, and raising awareness and involvement on the campus of social justice issues and violence against women.

 

Then I moved to the Hudson Valley, NY to start a cafe in an eclectic college town. The Slash Root Tech Collective was rather eclectic itself. We served up Fair Trade, Organic Coffee and Computer Repair and Web Development. It was a collectively run, community space promoting open source software, technological empowerment and community. I wanted to stock the shelves with local, herbal teas which lead me to the plant people, which lead me to the plants, which have arguable saved me life.

 

I have had asthma since I was a babe. When I was a teen I thought for sure I'd be on steroids for the rest of my life. The leaf of the mullein plant as a tea was the first real game changer for me. It immediately helped me breathe easier. I thought, "Herbs work sometimes!" I kept exploring and found Lobelia tincture can be as helpful for me as my fast acting inhaler (which I still usually have one around). I was hooked. I started trying Mugwort for dreams. I shared Rose Elixer and Kava Kava tea at Slash Root with the crew when late night web design projects were wearing us thin with great results! I had to learn more about herbs.

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There came a point when I realized that my favorite day of the week was when I got to leave the cafe to go pick up the farm share and pick herbs at a near by farm. I decided it may be time to trade in the keyboard and espresso maker for a spade and boots.

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After a few months of traveling around the US in 2012, I settled back in New Paltz, NY to live and work at the Tweefontein Herb Farm as the art director and community organizer. In 2013 I became the General Manager of the farm overseeing growing, production, events, markets, and the books. I quickly learned just how much I didn't know about plants, which set me on the life long path of continuous learning about the wonders of plant medicine.

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In 2016 I set off in my mini-school bus, the Butter Bus, to travel full time, exploring the US and Canada with a changing cast of characters on board. The bus was my mobile apothecary and I served up gallons of free tea and herbal first aid on the road. I settled in Ithaca, NY for a year to study clinical Western herbalism at the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine and apprentice during the winter months with my teacher 7Song at the Ithaca Free Clinic. I lived and worked at Weathertop Herb Farm in central NY for 2 years, traveling a lot while based there.

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In November of 2019 my life long dream of having a farm of my own came true. I purchased 7 acres with a home and barns in central NY on Haudenosaunee lands, specifically Oneida Nation. I homestead with my sweetheart Isaac, pup Ollie, cat Minuit and several ducks and geese. We call it Cohosh Creek Herb Farm. Much more on that to come.

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We launched a weekly podcast in October of 2020 called the Plant Cunning Podcast which can be found on various podcast listening apps and websites including Spotify & Anchor.fm. We explore the intersection of plants, fungi, magic, farming, homesteading, and more while we interview some of the greatest movers and shakers of our time to gain insight and inspiration from them. Interviewing my peers and mentors each week has been such a joy and I am proud of how the podcast has been turning out. Take a listen!
 

In 2021 I became employed  by Maple Creative a small tech firm that works with educators, herbalists and social change makers to build meaningful websites and launch programs. I help with online community organizing, community building, affiliate management, email campaigns for clients, online event hosting, web design, copy editing and some basic graphic design. Who knew those skills developed when I was 21 years old at Slash Root Tech Cafe would come back around to support me and my herbal community. :) Thanks for reading til the end.

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