Wild Food and Self-Reliance Discovery

To attend and for exact location, Register HERE

We’ll walk into the Upper Arroyo, north of JPL, and explore the chaparral and riparian plants, and you will see the highly versatile yucca plant.
From the Windsor exit of the 210 freeway, drive north on Windsor until Ventura, where you will veer to the left, but continue driving north. The hill descends slightly, and then it opens to the large parking area east of Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Drive as far north into the JPL East Lot, where we will meet.
We will explore the watershed and see native and non native plants, and learn about the edible, medicinal, and other useful qualities of the plants.
We will walk along water, and you will see mostly the native plants. A great opportunity to see this unique environment.
Carry your Water, and bring a camera.

To attend, register HERE

Thursday, Noon, December 18, 2023
Candle-making is one of the pioneer arts that goes back in time. Not exactly Bushcraft, but a Pioneer Self-Reliance skill. It’s how people lit their homes in the days before electricity.

You will learn the 3 methods of making your own candles: rolling, dipping, and molds.
You will take at least a few candles home that you made.
This is a great skill to teach children, and there is also the possibility of creating a product you can sell at craft faire, or barter with your neighbors.

As a bonus, you will also learn how to make a very simple slush lamp, used for millenia to light the night.
Hahamongna Watershed Park.

To attend and for exact location, register HERE

WINTER FORAGING IN the West: What are the seasonal greens, nuts, seeds, berries, roots, etc. that are available now?
This series of Seasonal Foraging occurs once per season, where 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. See web site for details.
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.
WINTER
This is the time when we begin to get our rains, and we can begin to see the hillsides and valleys greening-up. Learn to identify young seedlings and sprouts, and which are already edible. Learn to identify those locations where you can come back to later. Some fruits that occur in early spring, and we’ll discover those. This would also be the time to collect cuttings for sprouting, so you can grow these plants at your own home. Mushrooms are beginning now.
LOCATION: We will explore a foothill canyon in the Angeles National Forest. Details sent upon registration.