From Scraps to Treasures: Natural dyeing using kitchen scraps
Did you know your kitchen scraps hold a hidden palette of rich, natural color? Join our Herbalist-in-Residence for a hands-on workshop exploring the ancient art of natural dyeing — no synthetic chemicals required.
In this beginner-friendly session, you'll discover how everyday food scraps like onion peels, pomegranate rinds, and avocado pits can be transformed into stunning, earth-toned dyes in shades of gold, blush, and warm amber. You'll learn how a mordant works to help color-bond permanently to fiber, then try your hand at dyeing your own piece of cotton cloth to take home as a one-of-a-kind keepsake.
Whether you're a curious beginner or a seasoned crafter, this workshop invites you to slow down, connect with natural materials, and see your compost bin in a whole new light.
What to expect: A guided, approachable introduction to natural dyeing with time for hands-on practice, Q&A with our herbalist, and a dyed fabric swatch to keep.
What to bring: An apron or clothes you don't mind getting colorful!
🍃 About Our 2026 Spring/Summer Herbalist-in-Residence | Talyce Ketura
Talyce Ketura (they/she) is a queer, gender-fluid, mixed afro-Caribbean village auntie, writer, herbalist, farmer and traditional birth attendant of nearly a decade. They are the founder of Àtúnbí Wellness, a multi faceted platform that provides education, holistic consultations and reproductive healthcare rooted in Black feminist praxis. Through their community work, they are devoted to curating and anchoring spaces for collective healing, and to supporting the thresholds of birth, death, loss & belonging. You can discover more of their work at www.atunbi-wellness.com
🍃 About Herbalist-in-Residence Program
Our Herbalist-in-Residence program features a community herbalist for 3 months in our Downtown Community Apothecary & Pharmacy. During their residency period they provide open hour consults one day a week in addition to bi-weekly hands on workshops to the community. These hands-on learning containers are meant to provide both intentional knowledge exchange between local herbalists and community members, where each learner leaves with new skills and medicines to take home. These sessions range from:
🌿 Tinctures
🌿 Salves
🌿 Herbal Tea Blends
🌿 Fire Ciders
and more!
🤲🏾 About the Space
Freedom Community Clinic's Downtown Community Apothecary & Pharmacy is a donation based resource for for our community to drop in to learn, pick up medicines for themselves or loved ones, make tinctures and tea blends, rest, co-work and more. From seasoned and trained herbalist to those just stepping into their practice, our space welcomes you. We are located near Downtown Oakland.
In all our offerings, we prioritize Black, Brown, Indigenous and Immigrant community members and ask that allies be mindful of the space and resources they take up when visiting and signing up for offerings.
🫂 Accessibility
Our space wheelchair accessible and located near MacArthur Bart Station for those taking public transportation.
We are not a scent-free space and will have incense burning in the space with windows open.
We honor autonomy and have face masks available to folks who need it and will have air filters in the space as well.
We are a no shoes or shoe cover facility and have both slides in multiple sizes and shoe covers available.
Questions / Concerns?
Reach out to our Apothecary Manager Dan ([email protected]) or Director of Creative Media & Programming ([email protected])