926BS-F: Foraging For Incredible Edibles with Brenda Smith

Wild Foraging

Level: Beginner to Intermediate
$40 (includes refreshments)

GENERAL INFORMATION AND POLICIES

This workshop is an introduction to foraging for wild foods, which will include hands-on experiences. After meeting at the Art School we will travel by carpool to a nearby location that has both open areas (like a lawn or field,) hedgerow edges, and wooded areas (perhaps a boggy or stream area if available.)  You will be provided with a list of wild plants that are likely to be found in this area—and the hunt begins.  The instructor will lead the way to finding the plants, pointing out important details about the plants for positive identification, note if there any look-alikes or parts of the plants that are not edible, and then supervise the participants’ own search for plants, with plenty of opportunity to “check it out” to be sure you have the right plant.  There will be time to make notes on the sheet provided about the plants’ health benefits and to talk about how the various plants can be used (eaten raw, methods of cooking, as a tea, etc.) We will then return to the Art School where we will enjoy salad or cooked greens from our foraging, a wild food dessert and a tasty herbal tea.  More handouts on the details of the plants we found and recipes for cooking will be provided for you to take with you on your own foraging hunt.

Wild plant foods we are likely to find in the fall: Rosehips, wild onion, clover, sumac, self-heal, dock, hickory nuts, black walnuts, and many more.

Why bother to search for wild foods when it is so much easier to just go to the grocery store to buy them?  They are free of chemicals (unless the area where you forage is pesticide sprayed), they go straight from your gathering bag to the table with no storage or traveling time, they grow where they want to so they are getting the optimal nutrients from their environment, which makes them more full of nutrients for us, walks in the outdoors do us so much good, and — they are free!

STUDENT MATERIALS LIST:  A gathering bag  or basket that is easy for you to carry, a small notebook and pen or pencil for additional notes, your phone or a camera to take a photo of the wild edibles, and a bottle of water.  Wearing boots or other water-resistant sturdy footwear is suggested.  A rain jacket is also recommended.

Students are required to sign a waiver ( see below) the day of class

Foraging Walk Liability Waiver Form

I hereby agree that Florence Thomas Art School, Brenda Smith, and/or landowner are not responsible for any mishaps or accidents that may occur during the foraging walk on this property.

I hereby agree that I may not file a lawsuit or medical claim against Brenda Smith, Florence Thomas Art School, any of its employees, or the landowner, in the event of accident, injury, or death.

We thank you for your cooperation and hope you enjoy your foraging experience.

I am a retired English teacher who has been foraging for wild foods for forty years and studying herbalism for the past seven hears.  There is always more to learn!  I have led foraging workshops with interested adults, high school classes, middle school classes, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, and homeschoolers.  And, I have not lost a participant yet!