Rita Roquette
Artist . Herbalist . Educator
I was born in Porto, Portugal in the Summer of 1987.
I was very fortunate to grow up between the city and the countryside and my earliest memories are of smells, shapes of plants, and the time I spent in rural northern Portugal.
​
After studying architecture, I ended up graduating in Art and Communication, with a postgraduate degree in Editorial Design, and from early on I focused on botany as a favourite theme for my work.
​
In 2011, I've planted my first Edible Forest Garden and built a small strawbale and cob on a beautiful riverbank. I´ve alternated this modest life with annual trips to the United States, where I studied as a professional herbalist at the East West School of Herbalism and entered the world of herbal medicine, both formally and informally, in that northern american territory of immense natural value. The native language had already met the rebirth of herbal medicine decades ago, so there was a real professionalization and wealth of knowledge I could benefit from.
​
In 2012, I started Bloom Sativum as a way to collect and register stories, recipes, tools, and crafts that naturally evolved as a base to provide firsthand experiences with wild cooking, medicinal applications, and crafts using wild plants. There was very little offer in this field in Portugal at the time, and it was very enriching to dedicate myself to this cause over these years.
I've written and illustrated some books like the Artisanal Guide for Wild Walking and the Spontaneous Recipes Cookbook, quite often I self publish notebooks about the plant world. I co-organize volunteering and forest study tours with Reflorestar Serra de Arga and contribute to environmental education activities for young children. As I love to join graphic design with the potencialities of the spaces I offer consultancy in the field of Agroecology and Landscaping.
I currently live with my husband and son in the farm of Paço de Lanheses and this is where I've started CRIA, an agroecological plant nursery and we welcome guests and volunteers here at home all year round.
​
Feel free to join us!
