Events for Foragers
Nature Wonder Wild Food Weekend, Cairo, WV, September 20-22, 2024
This is the oldest annual wild food celebration of its kind in the U.S. (55 years). Each year there is a featured speaker, cooking contest, plant identification hikes, and a Wild Food Banquet where you can taste an amazing variety of animals and plants. The event is held at beautiful North Bend State Park, which has miles of hiking trails, varied hardwood forests, and steep hills. There are streams, ponds, and a reservoir within the park. For more information, contact the WV Division of Natural Resources.
NC Wild Food Weekend, April
www.facebook.com/NC-Wildfood-Weekend-1677837669152559/
This is another outstanding wild food event and the second oldest (to the WV event) in the US. An awesome event with generally over 100 people sharing their love of wild foods. Each year there is a keynote speaker as well as several experts leading hikes and cooking groups. A highlight of the weekend is the Wild Feast on Saturday, where an incredible smorgasbord of carefully prepared dishes are offered.
Lake Superior Traditional Ways Gathering, Odanah, WI, August
http://traditionalways.org
This event offers a variety of workshops on such skills as basketry, hide tanning, bow making, archery, canoe building, pottery, and yes, edible wild plants. This gathering is held at a spectacular site on the south Shore of Lake Superior, with miles of undeveloped beach in either direction.
Wild Food Instructors
Adam Haritan, Pittsburgh, PA
https://learnyourland.com/
Teaching classes about wild edibles and mushrooms in the Pittsburgh, PA area. He also has some excellent online courses.
Alan Muskat, NC
www.notastelikehome.org
Christopher Nyerges, CA
www.christophernyerges.com
Christopher has been foraging for decades in southern California and is extremely knowledgeable. He regularly leads wild food and survival outings in the Los Angeles area.
Francois Couplan, Switzerland
www.couplan.com
Probably Europe’s leading expert on edible wild plants, Francois has dedicated himself to researching and teaching the topic.
Green Dean, FL
http://www.eattheweeds.com
Teaches some classes about wild edibles.
Ila Hatter
www.wildcrafting.com
Ila leads foraging and nature hikes in the southern Appalachians.
John Kallas, Wild Food Adventures, Portland, Oregon
www.wildfoodadventures.com
John is a top-notch foraging instructor and one of the leading authorities on edible wild plants in North America. He offers a variety of workshops and classes listed on his site.
Linda Conroy, Stoughton, WI
www.moonwiseherbs.com
Offering wild edible classes and apprenticeship programs in SE and SW Wisconsin as well as Sea Weed Foraging Programs in Seattle, WA
Mark Vorderbruggen, TX
www.facebook.com/ForagingTexas/?__mref=message_bubble
Author of the Idiot's Guide to Foraging. Offers classes about wild edibles.
Sam Thayer, Weyerhaeuser, WI
www.foragersharvest.com
Author of The Forager’s Harvest, Nature’s Garden, Incredible Wild Edibles, and Sam Thayer's Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Visit his website to see what classes he is teaching this year.
Robin Harford, Devon, UK
www.eatweeds.co.uk
Robin’s blog and website recount his foraging experiences, recipes, thoughts, some book reviews, and links to other resources. He also offers foraging classes, which you can click to from this site or go to directly at www.foragingcourses.com. He seems like a very knowledgeable and like-minded fellow.
Russ Cohen, MA
http://users.rcn.com/eatwild/sched.htm
Russ leads edible plant walks in CT and MA.
Vickie Shufer, Virginia Beach
www.ecoimages-us.com
Vickie is a wild food expert with many years of foraging experience. Accompany her on a hike to experience her infectious enthusiasm.
“Wildman” Steve Brill, New York City
www.wildmanstevebrill.com
Wildman Brill leads mostly shorter foraging excursions in and around New York.
Other Institutions and Organizations Offering Wild Food Classes or Workshops
Desert Harvesters, Tucson, AZ
www.desertharvesters.org
Desert Harvesters promotes the use of locally native food sources in the Sonoran Desert, offering workshops and holding community events, and planting native food-producing trees in and around Tucson.
Earthwork Programs, Williamsburg, Massachusetts
www.earthworkprograms.com
Offers classes on edible wild plants taught by Frank Grindrod, an enthusiastic and knowledgeable wilderness skills and nature educator, and a great guy, too.
Medicine Bow/ Mark Warren, Dahlonega, GA
www.medicinebow.net
Offers classes in botany and edible wild plants.
Delta Institute of Natural History/ Arthur Haines, Bowdoin, ME
www.arthurhaines.com
Botany and foraging classes taught by Arthur Haines, an extraordinarily knowledgeable person about wild edibles and plants in general.
Maine Primitive Skills School
www.primitiveskills.com
Offers a variety of foraging and plant classes, some taught by Arthur Haines.
Hawk Circle, Cherry Valley, NY
www.hawkcircle.com
Offers a variety of primitive skills classes, including a few focusing on wild edibles
Earth School, Asheville, NC
www.lovetheearth.com
Offers edible wild plant workshops and classes.
Wilderness Awareness School, WA
www.wildernessawarenesss.org
Has long offered wild edible plant weekends.
Earthwalk Northwest, Issaquah, WA
www.earthwalknorthwest.com
Offers a variety of workshops related to edible wild plants, as well as wild dinners.
Foraging Blogs
Abe Lloyd, Victoria, BC, Canada
http://arcadianabe.blogspot.com
A lifelong student of nature and wild plants, Abe has a master’s degree in ethnobiology and has been intensively studying wild foods for the last decade. This blog chronicles his thoughts and explorations, accompanied by vivid photographs. Abe’s blog is somewhat unique because he’s not only interested in gathering ands eating the plants, but also is a serious student of botany and ethnoecology.
Fergus Drennan (Fergus the forager), UK
Extremely knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and witty. Read about his long-term experiences living on all wild food.
Erica Marciniec/Davis
http://wildfoodgirl.com
Erica hails from Colorado and claims to be a foraging neophyte but if that’s true she hides it well. In her posts she asks and answers good questions and reveals the process of learning through both doing and researching. Check this one out.
Kevin Feinstein (Feralkevin)
http://feralkevin.com
Has a happenin’ blog and also offers some plant walks/workshops in the San Francisco Bay area.
Langdon Cook
http://fat-of-the-land.blogspot.com
Langdon shares his foraging and culinary adventures. Fun reading, and a well-organized blog.
Botany Sites
USDA NRCS Plants Database
http://plants.usda.gov
Database for all plants known to grow wild in North America. Multiple images for most species, plus descriptions and data about ecology, uses, etc. Shows occurrence by state with links to many state distribution maps, plus links to many other sites for further information.
Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/eflora
A very good site for plants of the Pacific Northwest and BC, with range maps, images for many plants, descriptions, and ecological information.
Calflora: Information on wild California plants
http://calflora.org
Information about wild plants known from California. Often has good photos. Distribution maps within California. Very little additional information about each plant.
Connecticut Botanical Society
http://ct-botanical-society.org
Does not cover all species in the region but has good photos for most of those covered.
Missouri Plants
http://www.missouriplants.com
This is the best internet site I’ve seen for plant identification. Although it does not have all Missouri species, it does have over 1,000 of them. Each is typically accompanied by a thorough technical description and several good color photographs, plus some valuable ecological and natural history information.
University Of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Freckmann Herbarium
Virtual Flora of Wisconsin
Detailed range maps and specimen information for Wisconsin plants, usually accompanied by images. Offers field botany courses with Dr. Emmet Judziewicz, who is a first-rate botanist and author of the excellent guide Wildflowers of Wisconsin and the Great Lakes Region
Wisconsin State Herbarium, UW Madison
http://www.botany.wisc.edu/wisflora
Range maps and specimen information for Wisconsin plants, often accompanied by images and ecological information.
Other Wild Food Links
Edible Madison
ediblemadison.com/events
Has a calendar of different food (many of them wild) events or classes happening in southern Wisconsin.
Nature Wonder Wild Food Weekend, Cairo, WV, September 20-22, 2024
This is the oldest annual wild food celebration of its kind in the U.S. (55 years). Each year there is a featured speaker, cooking contest, plant identification hikes, and a Wild Food Banquet where you can taste an amazing variety of animals and plants. The event is held at beautiful North Bend State Park, which has miles of hiking trails, varied hardwood forests, and steep hills. There are streams, ponds, and a reservoir within the park. For more information, contact the WV Division of Natural Resources.
NC Wild Food Weekend, April
www.facebook.com/NC-Wildfood-Weekend-1677837669152559/
This is another outstanding wild food event and the second oldest (to the WV event) in the US. An awesome event with generally over 100 people sharing their love of wild foods. Each year there is a keynote speaker as well as several experts leading hikes and cooking groups. A highlight of the weekend is the Wild Feast on Saturday, where an incredible smorgasbord of carefully prepared dishes are offered.
Lake Superior Traditional Ways Gathering, Odanah, WI, August
http://traditionalways.org
This event offers a variety of workshops on such skills as basketry, hide tanning, bow making, archery, canoe building, pottery, and yes, edible wild plants. This gathering is held at a spectacular site on the south Shore of Lake Superior, with miles of undeveloped beach in either direction.
Wild Food Instructors
Adam Haritan, Pittsburgh, PA
https://learnyourland.com/
Teaching classes about wild edibles and mushrooms in the Pittsburgh, PA area. He also has some excellent online courses.
Alan Muskat, NC
www.notastelikehome.org
Christopher Nyerges, CA
www.christophernyerges.com
Christopher has been foraging for decades in southern California and is extremely knowledgeable. He regularly leads wild food and survival outings in the Los Angeles area.
Francois Couplan, Switzerland
www.couplan.com
Probably Europe’s leading expert on edible wild plants, Francois has dedicated himself to researching and teaching the topic.
Green Dean, FL
http://www.eattheweeds.com
Teaches some classes about wild edibles.
Ila Hatter
www.wildcrafting.com
Ila leads foraging and nature hikes in the southern Appalachians.
John Kallas, Wild Food Adventures, Portland, Oregon
www.wildfoodadventures.com
John is a top-notch foraging instructor and one of the leading authorities on edible wild plants in North America. He offers a variety of workshops and classes listed on his site.
Linda Conroy, Stoughton, WI
www.moonwiseherbs.com
Offering wild edible classes and apprenticeship programs in SE and SW Wisconsin as well as Sea Weed Foraging Programs in Seattle, WA
Mark Vorderbruggen, TX
www.facebook.com/ForagingTexas/?__mref=message_bubble
Author of the Idiot's Guide to Foraging. Offers classes about wild edibles.
Sam Thayer, Weyerhaeuser, WI
www.foragersharvest.com
Author of The Forager’s Harvest, Nature’s Garden, Incredible Wild Edibles, and Sam Thayer's Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Visit his website to see what classes he is teaching this year.
Robin Harford, Devon, UK
www.eatweeds.co.uk
Robin’s blog and website recount his foraging experiences, recipes, thoughts, some book reviews, and links to other resources. He also offers foraging classes, which you can click to from this site or go to directly at www.foragingcourses.com. He seems like a very knowledgeable and like-minded fellow.
Russ Cohen, MA
http://users.rcn.com/eatwild/sched.htm
Russ leads edible plant walks in CT and MA.
Vickie Shufer, Virginia Beach
www.ecoimages-us.com
Vickie is a wild food expert with many years of foraging experience. Accompany her on a hike to experience her infectious enthusiasm.
“Wildman” Steve Brill, New York City
www.wildmanstevebrill.com
Wildman Brill leads mostly shorter foraging excursions in and around New York.
Other Institutions and Organizations Offering Wild Food Classes or Workshops
Desert Harvesters, Tucson, AZ
www.desertharvesters.org
Desert Harvesters promotes the use of locally native food sources in the Sonoran Desert, offering workshops and holding community events, and planting native food-producing trees in and around Tucson.
Earthwork Programs, Williamsburg, Massachusetts
www.earthworkprograms.com
Offers classes on edible wild plants taught by Frank Grindrod, an enthusiastic and knowledgeable wilderness skills and nature educator, and a great guy, too.
Medicine Bow/ Mark Warren, Dahlonega, GA
www.medicinebow.net
Offers classes in botany and edible wild plants.
Delta Institute of Natural History/ Arthur Haines, Bowdoin, ME
www.arthurhaines.com
Botany and foraging classes taught by Arthur Haines, an extraordinarily knowledgeable person about wild edibles and plants in general.
Maine Primitive Skills School
www.primitiveskills.com
Offers a variety of foraging and plant classes, some taught by Arthur Haines.
Hawk Circle, Cherry Valley, NY
www.hawkcircle.com
Offers a variety of primitive skills classes, including a few focusing on wild edibles
Earth School, Asheville, NC
www.lovetheearth.com
Offers edible wild plant workshops and classes.
Wilderness Awareness School, WA
www.wildernessawarenesss.org
Has long offered wild edible plant weekends.
Earthwalk Northwest, Issaquah, WA
www.earthwalknorthwest.com
Offers a variety of workshops related to edible wild plants, as well as wild dinners.
Foraging Blogs
Abe Lloyd, Victoria, BC, Canada
http://arcadianabe.blogspot.com
A lifelong student of nature and wild plants, Abe has a master’s degree in ethnobiology and has been intensively studying wild foods for the last decade. This blog chronicles his thoughts and explorations, accompanied by vivid photographs. Abe’s blog is somewhat unique because he’s not only interested in gathering ands eating the plants, but also is a serious student of botany and ethnoecology.
Fergus Drennan (Fergus the forager), UK
Extremely knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and witty. Read about his long-term experiences living on all wild food.
Erica Marciniec/Davis
http://wildfoodgirl.com
Erica hails from Colorado and claims to be a foraging neophyte but if that’s true she hides it well. In her posts she asks and answers good questions and reveals the process of learning through both doing and researching. Check this one out.
Kevin Feinstein (Feralkevin)
http://feralkevin.com
Has a happenin’ blog and also offers some plant walks/workshops in the San Francisco Bay area.
Langdon Cook
http://fat-of-the-land.blogspot.com
Langdon shares his foraging and culinary adventures. Fun reading, and a well-organized blog.
Botany Sites
USDA NRCS Plants Database
http://plants.usda.gov
Database for all plants known to grow wild in North America. Multiple images for most species, plus descriptions and data about ecology, uses, etc. Shows occurrence by state with links to many state distribution maps, plus links to many other sites for further information.
Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/eflora
A very good site for plants of the Pacific Northwest and BC, with range maps, images for many plants, descriptions, and ecological information.
Calflora: Information on wild California plants
http://calflora.org
Information about wild plants known from California. Often has good photos. Distribution maps within California. Very little additional information about each plant.
Connecticut Botanical Society
http://ct-botanical-society.org
Does not cover all species in the region but has good photos for most of those covered.
Missouri Plants
http://www.missouriplants.com
This is the best internet site I’ve seen for plant identification. Although it does not have all Missouri species, it does have over 1,000 of them. Each is typically accompanied by a thorough technical description and several good color photographs, plus some valuable ecological and natural history information.
University Of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Freckmann Herbarium
Virtual Flora of Wisconsin
Detailed range maps and specimen information for Wisconsin plants, usually accompanied by images. Offers field botany courses with Dr. Emmet Judziewicz, who is a first-rate botanist and author of the excellent guide Wildflowers of Wisconsin and the Great Lakes Region
Wisconsin State Herbarium, UW Madison
http://www.botany.wisc.edu/wisflora
Range maps and specimen information for Wisconsin plants, often accompanied by images and ecological information.
Other Wild Food Links
Edible Madison
ediblemadison.com/events
Has a calendar of different food (many of them wild) events or classes happening in southern Wisconsin.