Classes and Events, 2026
This year I am excited to announce the opening of the Press House, a combined office, food processing, and classroom space at my property. For the first time in many years I will have a location to fit all of my books and a writing desk! I will have a shop set up for pressing hickory oil. And for the first time ever I will have an indoor teaching and meeting space, as well as bathrooms and showers for students camping overnight. So we will be hosting a few more classes and workshops at the orchard this year. Our regular weekend classes run from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM on Friday evening, 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM on Saturday, and 9:30-12:30 on Sunday. Lunch and dinner are provided on Saturday, incorporating some of the plants collected in the class. For optimal learning, class size is kept to 12-14 people. Limited on-site camping is available.
North Carolina Wild Foods Weekend--50th Annual. April 17-19, 2026. Reidsville NC. This event is a blast every year, but with the big 50th celebration we are going to make this year's event one to remember. Come for the camaraderie, the fun, the nature, the food, and the excellent instructors who will be leading plant walks and talks, including Todd and Doug Elliot, Jesse Akozbek, Jeanne Dunn, Mike Rasnake, and Samuel Thayer. Cost is $175 per person, food and campsite or bunkhouse-style lodging included. To register, contact Carolyn Quinn, [email protected], 910-441-8742.
Ecoculture: Tending Wild Spaces to Create Your Own Gathering Paradise. May 1-3, 2026. Weyerhaeuser, WI. Learn to manage native plant communities for sustainable food abundance that serves people, plants, and wildlife. This class covers how to assess the soil, topography, and existing vegetation of a site to understand its history and what is possible. Then learn how to make that vision a reality by long-term caretaking. We will discuss the specific plans and goals for my property, and observe how these have been implemented. Students will learn basic practical skills like labor-efficient and successful transplanting, thinning, and seeding, the benefits of mulching and disturbance, as well as the time and place for techniques such as burning. This is perfect for those who have a piece of land they are seeking to rejuvenate and care for; we will discuss together every student's project. $280. There is no online registration--email [email protected] for more information or to register.
Spring Gathering (Weekend Class). May 8-10, 2026. Weyerhaeuser, WI. The land is reawakewning and full of lush, delicious green vegetables and edible roots. In this weekend you will learn to identify dozens of species of edible wild plants in fields, forests, and wetlands. We will taste them, and gather many to prepare into fresh dishes. You will also learn about the habitat and ecology of the plants, and how to harvest them sustainably. $280. There is no online registration--email [email protected] for more information or to register.
Introduction to Foraging and Plant ID (Weekend Class). June 12-14, 2026. Weyerhaeuser, WI. This is the ideal weekend for anyone who hesitates to begin foraging due to the fear of misidentifying something. But the skills covered are valuable to even more seasoned gatherers. In this class you learn basic pant identification concepts and terminology to get you comfortable eventually identifying plants on your own. We will also identify, harvest, and eat a number of species that are in season at the time of the class. Responsible, ethical, practical, and safe foraging practices will be discussed. Students will leave recognizing several common edible species, as well as a few of the major plant families used by foragers. $280. There is no online registration--email [email protected] for more information or to register.
Plant Communities and Ecology for Gatherers (Weekend Class). June 26-28, 2026. Weyerhaeuser, WI. This is a new class that I am really excited to be teaching. Uderstanding the larger patterns in the vegetation around us deepens our knowledge of everything happening in Nature. We will be exploring each of the major plant communities of our region, learning how to identify them, which plants dominate them, and what they offer to the wild food gatherer. We will talk about how the vegetation changes over time--predicting the future, and reading the clues in today's vegetation to understand how these sites have changed in the past. Students will learn the geological and historical reasons that each community exists, and the role that disturbance plays in maintaining each plant community. We will be visiting a variety of forest types, including boreal spruce-aspen stands, pine forests and pine-oak barrens, old-growth deciduous forest, dry oak forest, floodplain, and muskeg. We will look at prairie remnants, open bog, deepwater marshes, and vernal ponds. My goal is to change and deepen the way that each participant understands the natural world. $280. There is no online registration--email [email protected] for more information or to register. (Class is now Full)
Summer Gathering (Weekend Class). July 10-12, 2026. Weyerhaeuser, WI. Learn to find the wild bounty of summer in fields, forests, wetlands, and weedy spaces. The long hot days bring on an assortment of berries, greens, shoots, flower buds, and flowers. We'll identify these plants, learn to select the best parts, gather them, and cook meals that incorporate them. $280. There is no online registration--email [email protected] for more information or to register.
Late Summer Gathering (Weekend Class). August 14-16, 2026. Weyerhaeuser, WI. In addition to a diverse mixture of greens, flowers, flower buds, and berries, the great ripening of the end of the season begins now, including such iconic wild foods as chokecherry, hazelnut, and wild plums. In this class we will learn to locate, identify, harvest, and use the variety of in-season fruits, nuts, and vegetables. $280. There is no online registration--email [email protected] for more information or to register.
Manoomin Processing Weekend (Not a Class). September 25-27, 2026. Weyerhaeuser, WI. Harvesting wild rice is less than half the work of ricing; processing takes more time, more skill, and more specialized equipment. I set up this weekend to help people learn the entire skill-set for wild ricing, so as not to be dependent on a processor. During this weekend I will be processing some of my own wild rice by parching, dancing, and winnowing. I will have two extra barrels available for dancing, extra winnowing equipment, and a kettle will be available for use most of the time (I'll see about getting a second kettle so tht one is always available.) This will be an opportunity to see and participate in traditional wild rice processing. It will also be a chance to meet other rice harvesters and see harvesting equipment. Camping on-site will be available, and since manoomin processing is a dusty, dirty process, there will be showers available to clean up afterward. This is not a class and there is no cost, but participants will need to pre-register so that I know who's coming, and when, and so that I can limit the group to a manageable size. email [email protected] if you are interested. (Participants are not expected to be here for the whole weekend.)
Fall Gathering Weekend Class. October 2-4, 2026. Weyerhaeuser, Wisconsin
The year's big wild harvest is upon us. There is so much to gather that it's hard to fit it all in one weekend. In this class you will be learning to identify, locate, gather, and prepare a variety of root vegetables, greens, nuts, fruits, and seeds. We will meet Friday at 5 PM to get acquainted, and have a brief excursion to gather a few wild vegetables that will go into our Saturday meals. Saturday morning we start at 9:00 AM and we'll be learning, gathering, sorting, cracking, cleaning, and chopping until dinner at 6:30 PM. We'll crack and shell a few kinds of nuts and make at least one kind of nut milk. Sunday morning we will take a field trip to look at some wetland vegetables, and possibly explore a wild cranberry bog. Lunch and Dinner on Saturday are provided, and will include some of the plants that we gather and process in the class. The class will be held mostly at our property. Lodging is not provided, but limited camping on-site is available (inquire if interested). $280. There is no online registration--email [email protected] if interested.
The year's big wild harvest is upon us. There is so much to gather that it's hard to fit it all in one weekend. In this class you will be learning to identify, locate, gather, and prepare a variety of root vegetables, greens, nuts, fruits, and seeds. We will meet Friday at 5 PM to get acquainted, and have a brief excursion to gather a few wild vegetables that will go into our Saturday meals. Saturday morning we start at 9:00 AM and we'll be learning, gathering, sorting, cracking, cleaning, and chopping until dinner at 6:30 PM. We'll crack and shell a few kinds of nuts and make at least one kind of nut milk. Sunday morning we will take a field trip to look at some wetland vegetables, and possibly explore a wild cranberry bog. Lunch and Dinner on Saturday are provided, and will include some of the plants that we gather and process in the class. The class will be held mostly at our property. Lodging is not provided, but limited camping on-site is available (inquire if interested). $280. There is no online registration--email [email protected] if interested.
Refund policy: A refund can be issued up to 30 days before the class date with a $50 service fee; afterward, a 75% refund will be issued only upon filling your space in the class. No refunds the week of class.