Wild Food and Self-Reliance Discovery

4.9•138 ratings

Pasadena, CA, US

1,142 members · Public group

What we’re about

This is a group for everyone who feels we've lost touch with our roots -- feeling lost that most urban dwellers no longer know how to grow and preserve food, find food, etc. We'll meet and discuss, and do hands-on workshops to get back to our fundamental skills of self-reliance. This is all about modern empowerment -- looking to the past to find meaning in the future. This is an opportunity to network with like-minded people and learn what they are doing, and to learn and practice new skills each time we meet.

Upcoming events

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Thu, Nov 20 · 12:00 PM PST
MIDDAY GOURD WORKSHOP — a Bushcraft skill!
Location not specified yet
To attend, register HERE

Thursday, November 20, Noon to 2P
LEARN THE ART OF CREATING A CUP, BOWL, PLATE, OR SCOOP FROM THE HARD-SHELLED ORNAMENTAL GOURD

In this mid-day class, you will take a dried gourd and learn all the steps to turning it into a beautiful and functional plate, or bowl, or canteen, or even a scoop.
We’ll bring the tools you need, but if you have saws, files or rasps, bring them.

It’s not that hard to make a good functional gourd. We used to each make one before a week at Dirttime, and then if we cut it just right, we’d have a dish, and a bowl. Bushcraft skills? Survival Skill? Whatever you call it, it’s a great skill, and a great opportunity to meet with like-minded people.
$45 ($30 students/seniors)
location: 5835 Burwood Ave., Highland Park, cA 90042 — we will meet at the top of the hill…
1 attendee
Sat, Nov 22 · 10:00 AM PST
THANKSGIVING SEASON — WILD FOOD COOKING WORKSHOP
Hahamonga Watershed County Park (formerly Oak Grove), 4550 Oak Grove Dr, La canada, CA, US
To attend and for exact location, register HERE

Join us as we do a short walk to forage wild foods that are in season, and learn how to recognize what is available now.
We’ll then gather and prepare the various wild foods, along with some that we have brought. You will work together to create a salad, a soup, an egg dish, pancakes, tea, and some sort of desert items. We’ll have mushrooms if we find any.
It’s worth noting that when the first peoples of Hahamongna lived here, they relied on the plant and animal life for their sustenance. You will just be getting a small taste of what that would have been like. And it is worth noting that the majority of the wild foods that are available today are mostly European invasive plants, plants that the first peoples would not have had.
Bring your notebook and camera, and bring your water and bowl. This is not a spectator sport, so be prepared to process greens, make the fire, and cook.
$65 ($45 for seniors and students)
5 attendees
Sat, Nov 29 · 10:00 AM PST
BASIC NATURAL NAVIGATION, AND ORIENTATION
Hahamonga Watershed County Park (formerly Oak Grove), 4550 Oak Grove Dr, La canada, CA, US
To attend and for exact location, register HERE

What are some of the tried-and-proven methods for navigation that people have used for centuries?
We’ll begin with observations of the terrain — shadows, looking at trees, moisture, feeling rocks, insect signs, etc.
We’ll learn how to use the stars, the sun, the moon, for navigation, including how to read the natural terrain. These are skills that our grandparents took for granted, but as we rely more and more on technologies, we have forgotten these very basic skills.
Yes, you’ll also learn the basics of how to read a map, how to use a compass, how to align the map with a compass, and ways to navigate the terrain with these tools.
Since this is a two-hour lunchtime class, we will cover the most basic skills.
We’ll do exercises to test your new skills. Bring a notebook.
Location sent with registration
$65 (Students and seniors, $45)
This class can be applied towards Bushcraft Certificate
3 attendees
Sat, Dec 6 · 10:00 AM PST
FORAGING WALK — WILD FOOD OUTING
Hahamonga Watershed County Park (formerly Oak Grove), 4550 Oak Grove Dr, La canada, CA, US
To attend and for exact location, register HERE

Saturday, December 6 1, 10 a.m.
WILD FOOD FORAGING AND ETHNO-BOTANICAL WALK
Join us for our outing where we explore the edible, medicinal, and other useful qualities of many of the plants found in the environment with many introduced plants. Both natives and non-natives will be seen. This will be leisurely and you will get a chance to taste some of the plants.
We will introduce a few basics of systematic plant identification, and ways you can take your own records. We’ll also bring up another important point: Many of the wild plants that we see — and especially the non-natives — can be easily cultivated in your own yard for ease of harvesting. Also, we’ll tell you about some of the local native plant nurseries where you can obtain native plants — such as toyon, ceonothus, oak trees, mulefat, elder, etc — and grow them in your own yards, which is an ideal situation.
Wear comfortable footwear and bring water. Bring a bowl for eating.
This class can be credited towards the Ethno-botany certificate.
Directions sent upon registration.
$65 (Seniors and students $45).
2 attendees