SEASONAL FORAGING — WILD FOOD AND USEFUL PLANTS BY THE SEASON

SEASONAL FORAGING

Saturday, June 15, 10 a.m.

This series of  field trips occurs one per season, so you can learn to see nature through the seasons, from a forager’s perspective.

The essence of this class is to develop seasonal knowledge and observational skills: How to look, where to look, what to look for.  Plus, we will also focus on responsible and sustainable gathering methods, including collection of seeds and cuttings so you can grow plants in your own backyard.

You’ll learn how to identify and collect foods, medicines, soaps, fire-materials, and other useful parts of plants.  You’ll learn to think like foragers of the past, who had to have an intimate knowledge of the seasons, and foresight for the future.  (For example, sometimes you do NO foraging in an area if the plant or seed is not abundant.)

Join us each quarter for an insightful walk into a wild area, with a focus on interpreting what’s available that season.  Each session will include demonstrations, hands-on practice, and sampling of the seasonal foods, such as salad, soup, biscuit, or tea.  Each session includes a list of what is normally available in that season.

SUMMER

In this period, there usually has not been rain for awhile, so the environment is a bit drier.  Most of the early spring vegetation is mature. However, there are some greens that develop a bit later and are typically found in summer, such as purslane, and lamb’s quarter.  This is also the time for many of the fruits to be collected, such as wild cherries, manzanitas, and the ceonothus berries which are used for soap.  The acorns are starting to mature.   You’ll learn what’s in season in this traditional “harvest” time, and how to collect sustainably, and responsibly.

Location sent out with registration.

Applies to our Ethnobotany certificate