WILD PLANTS — FORAGING BY THE SEASON: SUMMER

SUMMER 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.
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 gone. 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, nightshades, and the ceonothus berries which are used for soap. In late September you should find that most of the prickly pear fruits are maturing. 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.
It’s been hot and dry, but there are actually still many wild plants that are in season, and can be collected. We’ll explore these one by one. Remember, even the wild plants have their season, and some only begin to sprout out in the summer. Though the summer is not as lush as the greens that appear after the winter rains, there are still plants that can be collected for soup, salad, deserts, and drinks. You’ll see these plants and learn how to prepare them, and you’ll get a perspective of foraging through the seasons. Join us for the class and the conversation that follows.
LOCATION: We will explore a foothill canyon in the Angeles National Forest. Details sent upon registration.

More Details Here: https://www.schoolofself-reliance.com/event/summer-foraging/