Here is our tentative class list. These are subject to change, but it's a pretty good reflection of what the weekend will look like.
Midwest Wild Harvest Festival 2021
Class Schedule (subject to change)
Friday
1:30-3:30 pm
Sam Thayer- Hand Processing Wild Rice Demonstration- This will be taking place all weekend long and required no regisrtation
Linda Black Elk- Edible Medicinals
Leda Meredith-The 2.5 Ways to Pickle Everything (Eagle)
Learn how to safely and deliciously pickle your wild harvests, how to get probiotic health benefits from your pickles even when you’re making a vinegar-based recipe rather than a fermentation, and why you should include seeds, leaves, and fruits — not just veg — in your pickling repertoire.
Chelsea Rowecliff-After the Harvest: How to get the most from your game meats
Orion Aon- Intro to Mushroom Hunting (Shelter)
In this introductory class we will set a foundation for the wonderful hobby of mushroom hunting! This will be a beginner oriented discussion which will cover the basics of mushroom biology, identification, best collection practices, and more. We will also cover the equipment you should have when heading out for a mushroom foray so you can be most prepared to bring home your discoveries! This class will be a great starting point for anyone new to mushroom hunting, and anyone who plans to attend one of the forays on Saturday or Sunday!
Tim Clemens- Plant Hike
Chris Gavin- Making Deer Tallow Soap
Dwight Zitlow- Wild Cordials
4- 5 pm Traditional Wild Rice Harvesting Practices by Robert Shimek- presentation in Cedar
Potluck dinner/Wild Food Cooking Contest from 6:00 to 7:30pm
Keynote presentation: Alan Bergo 8:00pm
"The Foraging Gene"
Saturday
Breakfast 7:30-8:45am
9-11:30 am
Sam Thayer- Hand Processing Wild Rice Demonstration- This will be taking place all weekend long and requires no registration
Leda Meredith-Wild Plant Rescue Recipes (Eagle)
Ellen Zachos-Urban Forging (Nature Center)
Linda Black Elk- Wasná/ pemmican making
Tim Clemens- Plant Hike
Dwight Zietlow- Wild Cordials (Cedar Porch)
Dwight is a wild cordial/vinegar aficionado and had made some of the best cordials and vinegars I have ever tasted. Join Dwight for this fun class and learn how to make your own wild drinks.
Nicholas Gale- Making Rice Knockers ($10 materials fee) (Outside)
Make your own set of knockers to use for harvesting wild rice. These will meet the legal requirements for harvesting wild rice in Wisconsin. There is a $10 materials fee payable to Nicholas.
Chris Gavin- Blicky and Berry Hook Making (Outside)
Robert Shimek- Making a Wild Berry and Corn Dish (Sunshine)
Saturday afternoon
Lunch 11:45-12:45
1-3pm
Leda Meredith- Making a First Aid Kit with Wild Medicinal Plants (Eagle)
From soothing a cough to easing the inflammation of a sty to speeding the healing of a bruise and more, learn which wild plants can provide the most useful first aid for common every ailments.
Ellen Zachos- Truely Edible Flowers
Tim Clemens-Plant Hike
Linda Black Elk- Wasná/ pemmican making
Dwight Zitlow-Wild cordials
3:15-5:15 pm
Leda Meredith- The 2.5 Ways to Pickle Everything (Eagle)
Learn how to safely and deliciously pickle your wild harvests, how to get probiotic health benefits from your pickles even when you’re making a vinegar-based recipe rather than a fermentation, and why you should include seeds, leaves, and fruits — not just veg — in your pickling repertoire.
Dwight Zietlow- Wild Cordials (Nature Center)
Dwight is a wild cordial/vinegar aficionado and had made some of the best cordials and vinegars I have ever tasted. Join Dwight for this fun class and learn how to make your own wild drinks.
Ellen- Truly edible Flowers
Chris Gavin- Pairing Wild Game and Foraged Foods
Sam Thayer- Plant Walk
OR
1-5pm
Sam Thayer- Hand Processing Wild Rice Demonstration
Orion Aon- Mushroom Foray (Shelter)
A good ol' afternoon mushroom foray! During this class we will have a brief introduction before setting out to see what sorts of fungal treasures we can find! We will start our foray as a group, identifying and discussing any interesting mushrooms that we come across, before setting off to explore in small groups. We will finish the class by gathering back together to discuss our finds.
Nicholas Wazeegale- Making a Traditional Wild Rice Winnowing Tray ($15 materials fee)
Make a traditional birch bark winnowing tray with Nicholas. These trays are both practical to use and are a lovely craft to have decorating your home. There is a small materials fee payable to Nicholas for this tray.
Chelsea Rowecliff- Foraging for Beginners
Dinner 5:30-6:30pm
Saturday Evening Presentation 7:30-8:30- Linda Black Elk
Sunday
7:30-10 am
Nicholas Wazeegale- Make Your Own Wild Rice Knockers ($10 materials fee)
Make your own wild rice knockers to use next year. There will be a small materials fee payable directly to Nicholas for this class
Linda Black Elk-Edible Medicinals
Tim Clemens-Plant Hike
Orion Aon- Mushroom Foray (Shelter)
Join Orion for a short morning foray in a different area from the previous day's class! We will have a short introduction and then set out to look for and identify any mushrooms we can find! If there's time, we will end the class by going over some of the more interesting specimens found during the previous day's foray.
Chelsea Roewcliff- Build Your Own ID Book and Forgaing Tool Kit
Ellen Zachos- Backyard Foraging (Nature Center)
Chris Gavin- Pairing Wild Game and foraged foods
Brunch 10:15-11:15am
Class Schedule (subject to change)
Friday
1:30-3:30 pm
Sam Thayer- Hand Processing Wild Rice Demonstration- This will be taking place all weekend long and required no regisrtation
Linda Black Elk- Edible Medicinals
Leda Meredith-The 2.5 Ways to Pickle Everything (Eagle)
Learn how to safely and deliciously pickle your wild harvests, how to get probiotic health benefits from your pickles even when you’re making a vinegar-based recipe rather than a fermentation, and why you should include seeds, leaves, and fruits — not just veg — in your pickling repertoire.
Chelsea Rowecliff-After the Harvest: How to get the most from your game meats
Orion Aon- Intro to Mushroom Hunting (Shelter)
In this introductory class we will set a foundation for the wonderful hobby of mushroom hunting! This will be a beginner oriented discussion which will cover the basics of mushroom biology, identification, best collection practices, and more. We will also cover the equipment you should have when heading out for a mushroom foray so you can be most prepared to bring home your discoveries! This class will be a great starting point for anyone new to mushroom hunting, and anyone who plans to attend one of the forays on Saturday or Sunday!
Tim Clemens- Plant Hike
Chris Gavin- Making Deer Tallow Soap
Dwight Zitlow- Wild Cordials
4- 5 pm Traditional Wild Rice Harvesting Practices by Robert Shimek- presentation in Cedar
Potluck dinner/Wild Food Cooking Contest from 6:00 to 7:30pm
Keynote presentation: Alan Bergo 8:00pm
"The Foraging Gene"
Saturday
Breakfast 7:30-8:45am
9-11:30 am
Sam Thayer- Hand Processing Wild Rice Demonstration- This will be taking place all weekend long and requires no registration
Leda Meredith-Wild Plant Rescue Recipes (Eagle)
Ellen Zachos-Urban Forging (Nature Center)
Linda Black Elk- Wasná/ pemmican making
Tim Clemens- Plant Hike
Dwight Zietlow- Wild Cordials (Cedar Porch)
Dwight is a wild cordial/vinegar aficionado and had made some of the best cordials and vinegars I have ever tasted. Join Dwight for this fun class and learn how to make your own wild drinks.
Nicholas Gale- Making Rice Knockers ($10 materials fee) (Outside)
Make your own set of knockers to use for harvesting wild rice. These will meet the legal requirements for harvesting wild rice in Wisconsin. There is a $10 materials fee payable to Nicholas.
Chris Gavin- Blicky and Berry Hook Making (Outside)
Robert Shimek- Making a Wild Berry and Corn Dish (Sunshine)
Saturday afternoon
Lunch 11:45-12:45
1-3pm
Leda Meredith- Making a First Aid Kit with Wild Medicinal Plants (Eagle)
From soothing a cough to easing the inflammation of a sty to speeding the healing of a bruise and more, learn which wild plants can provide the most useful first aid for common every ailments.
Ellen Zachos- Truely Edible Flowers
Tim Clemens-Plant Hike
Linda Black Elk- Wasná/ pemmican making
Dwight Zitlow-Wild cordials
3:15-5:15 pm
Leda Meredith- The 2.5 Ways to Pickle Everything (Eagle)
Learn how to safely and deliciously pickle your wild harvests, how to get probiotic health benefits from your pickles even when you’re making a vinegar-based recipe rather than a fermentation, and why you should include seeds, leaves, and fruits — not just veg — in your pickling repertoire.
Dwight Zietlow- Wild Cordials (Nature Center)
Dwight is a wild cordial/vinegar aficionado and had made some of the best cordials and vinegars I have ever tasted. Join Dwight for this fun class and learn how to make your own wild drinks.
Ellen- Truly edible Flowers
Chris Gavin- Pairing Wild Game and Foraged Foods
Sam Thayer- Plant Walk
OR
1-5pm
Sam Thayer- Hand Processing Wild Rice Demonstration
Orion Aon- Mushroom Foray (Shelter)
A good ol' afternoon mushroom foray! During this class we will have a brief introduction before setting out to see what sorts of fungal treasures we can find! We will start our foray as a group, identifying and discussing any interesting mushrooms that we come across, before setting off to explore in small groups. We will finish the class by gathering back together to discuss our finds.
Nicholas Wazeegale- Making a Traditional Wild Rice Winnowing Tray ($15 materials fee)
Make a traditional birch bark winnowing tray with Nicholas. These trays are both practical to use and are a lovely craft to have decorating your home. There is a small materials fee payable to Nicholas for this tray.
Chelsea Rowecliff- Foraging for Beginners
Dinner 5:30-6:30pm
Saturday Evening Presentation 7:30-8:30- Linda Black Elk
Sunday
7:30-10 am
Nicholas Wazeegale- Make Your Own Wild Rice Knockers ($10 materials fee)
Make your own wild rice knockers to use next year. There will be a small materials fee payable directly to Nicholas for this class
Linda Black Elk-Edible Medicinals
Tim Clemens-Plant Hike
Orion Aon- Mushroom Foray (Shelter)
Join Orion for a short morning foray in a different area from the previous day's class! We will have a short introduction and then set out to look for and identify any mushrooms we can find! If there's time, we will end the class by going over some of the more interesting specimens found during the previous day's foray.
Chelsea Roewcliff- Build Your Own ID Book and Forgaing Tool Kit
Ellen Zachos- Backyard Foraging (Nature Center)
Chris Gavin- Pairing Wild Game and foraged foods
Brunch 10:15-11:15am