Classes and Events, 2024
Weekend Classes
This year I am excited to have a new location for our regular weekend classes: Inn Greener Pastures, a local lodge with 300 diverse acres, 6 rooms, a small commercial kitchen, and excellent indoor and outdoor teaching spaces. As in the past, our classes begin with an introductory discussion and short walk 5-8 PM on Friday, run from 9 AM to 6 PM on Saturday, and end at 1 PM on Sunday. We will spend some instructional and food preparation time indoors, but more will be spent in the field, gathering and discussing plants. Most of the classes will be held on-site, although we may carpool to nearby areas to view a greater diversity of species. The cost of weekend classes is $325, which includes lodging or camping, lunch and dinner on Saturday, and lunch on Sunday. Rooms may be shared with one person; or fully private by request (if availability allows). Participants staying off-site are eligible for a $25 discount. Class size is limited to an optimum teaching size of 12-15 students.
There is no online registration for weekend classes. Email [email protected] if you wish to sign up or to check availability or lodging options. Students will be accepted in the order of contact, but those who fail to promptly confirm attendance will lose their priority. We prefer payment by check, but for an additional fee we will process online payments.
This year I am excited to have a new location for our regular weekend classes: Inn Greener Pastures, a local lodge with 300 diverse acres, 6 rooms, a small commercial kitchen, and excellent indoor and outdoor teaching spaces. As in the past, our classes begin with an introductory discussion and short walk 5-8 PM on Friday, run from 9 AM to 6 PM on Saturday, and end at 1 PM on Sunday. We will spend some instructional and food preparation time indoors, but more will be spent in the field, gathering and discussing plants. Most of the classes will be held on-site, although we may carpool to nearby areas to view a greater diversity of species. The cost of weekend classes is $325, which includes lodging or camping, lunch and dinner on Saturday, and lunch on Sunday. Rooms may be shared with one person; or fully private by request (if availability allows). Participants staying off-site are eligible for a $25 discount. Class size is limited to an optimum teaching size of 12-15 students.
There is no online registration for weekend classes. Email [email protected] if you wish to sign up or to check availability or lodging options. Students will be accepted in the order of contact, but those who fail to promptly confirm attendance will lose their priority. We prefer payment by check, but for an additional fee we will process online payments.
Early Summer Foraging--One Day Class. June 1. Lansing, Iowa. $95
Iowisota Nature and Education Center, 2472 IA-26, Lansing, Iowa.
This is an incredible location to teach a foraging class, in the heart of the Driftless Region in the hills along the Mississippi River, which might seriously be the best foraging region left on Earth. Iowisota has 200 acres of forest, brush, and real prairie, from ridge top to valley, with an incredible array of edible plants. Linda and Dennis, our hosts, are excellent stewards of this ecologically rich landscape. The clas runs from 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM. We will be exploring several plant communities and identifying a wide array of edible species, getting to taste many of them in the field. Participants will need to hike about 2 miles total, some of it steep. Lunch included. Overnight camping or lodging is available for an additional fee. To register, go to iowisota.org
Iowisota Nature and Education Center, 2472 IA-26, Lansing, Iowa.
This is an incredible location to teach a foraging class, in the heart of the Driftless Region in the hills along the Mississippi River, which might seriously be the best foraging region left on Earth. Iowisota has 200 acres of forest, brush, and real prairie, from ridge top to valley, with an incredible array of edible plants. Linda and Dennis, our hosts, are excellent stewards of this ecologically rich landscape. The clas runs from 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM. We will be exploring several plant communities and identifying a wide array of edible species, getting to taste many of them in the field. Participants will need to hike about 2 miles total, some of it steep. Lunch included. Overnight camping or lodging is available for an additional fee. To register, go to iowisota.org
Introduction to Foraging and Plant Identification. June 14-16, 2024. $325 SOLD OUT-FULL
Inn Greener Pastures, 2954 Romanowski Lane, Chetek WI 54728.
In this class we will be gathering wild plants in the fields, marshes, swamps, and forests of Northwest Wisconsin, just as in the other foraging weekends. However, we take some extra time to get the participant comfortable with the process of identifying plants. Students are not overloaded with vocabulary or taxonomy—I give you a basic understanding of the most common and useful botanical terms that you will see again and again on your foraging journey. During our time in the field we will use this vocabulary of plants to describe and understand what we see, to help commit all this to memory. You’ll learn to recognize 5-7 common plant families that each contain numerous edible species. After this weekend, you’ll feel ready and confident to go out and identify and use wild plants on your own. Along the way, you’ll learn a whole bunch of great wild foods, and have the opportunity to prepare and try them. While this class is a great place for the beginner to start, it is definitely not limited to beginners. The plants covered in this class slightly overlap those learned in the spring weekend—but when we are collecting the same species, it is usually a different part.
Please see additional info about weekend classes at the top of the page.
There is no online registration for weekend classes, email [email protected] if you wish to sign up.
Inn Greener Pastures, 2954 Romanowski Lane, Chetek WI 54728.
In this class we will be gathering wild plants in the fields, marshes, swamps, and forests of Northwest Wisconsin, just as in the other foraging weekends. However, we take some extra time to get the participant comfortable with the process of identifying plants. Students are not overloaded with vocabulary or taxonomy—I give you a basic understanding of the most common and useful botanical terms that you will see again and again on your foraging journey. During our time in the field we will use this vocabulary of plants to describe and understand what we see, to help commit all this to memory. You’ll learn to recognize 5-7 common plant families that each contain numerous edible species. After this weekend, you’ll feel ready and confident to go out and identify and use wild plants on your own. Along the way, you’ll learn a whole bunch of great wild foods, and have the opportunity to prepare and try them. While this class is a great place for the beginner to start, it is definitely not limited to beginners. The plants covered in this class slightly overlap those learned in the spring weekend—but when we are collecting the same species, it is usually a different part.
Please see additional info about weekend classes at the top of the page.
There is no online registration for weekend classes, email [email protected] if you wish to sign up.
Foraging and Feasting Retreat with Sam Thayer and Alan Bergo. June 28-30, 2024. $500
Inn Greener Pastures, 2954 Romanowski Lane, Chetek WI 54728.
Learn to identify and harvest wild edibles at their optimum quality, then experience them in dishes worthy of the finest table. Sam will be your outdoor guide, and Alan will be your chef for lunch and dinner on Saturday, and lunch on Sunday. You'll get to participate in gathering and prepping some of the produce for each meal, along with a culinary tutorial from Alan.
This retreat follows the outline of the regular weekend foraging classes (see description at the top of the page).
There is no online registration for this retreat. Contact [email protected] to sign up or find out about availability.
Inn Greener Pastures, 2954 Romanowski Lane, Chetek WI 54728.
Learn to identify and harvest wild edibles at their optimum quality, then experience them in dishes worthy of the finest table. Sam will be your outdoor guide, and Alan will be your chef for lunch and dinner on Saturday, and lunch on Sunday. You'll get to participate in gathering and prepping some of the produce for each meal, along with a culinary tutorial from Alan.
This retreat follows the outline of the regular weekend foraging classes (see description at the top of the page).
There is no online registration for this retreat. Contact [email protected] to sign up or find out about availability.
Late Summer Foraging--One Day Class. August 10. Lansing, Iowa. $95
Iowisota Retreat and Education Center, 2472 IA-26, Lansing, Iowa.
This is an incredible location to teach a foraging class, in the heart of the Driftless Region in the hills along the Mississippi River, which might seriously be the best foraging region left on Earth. Iowisota has 200 acres of forest, brush, and real prairie, from ridge top to valley, with an incredible array of edible plants. Linda and Dennis, our hosts, are excellent stewards of this ecologically rich landscape. The clas runs from 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM. We will be exploring several plant communities and identifying a wide array of edible species, getting to taste many of them in the field. Participants will need to hike about 2 miles total, some of it steep. Lunch included. Overnight camping or lodging is available for an additional fee. To register, go to iowisota.org
Iowisota Retreat and Education Center, 2472 IA-26, Lansing, Iowa.
This is an incredible location to teach a foraging class, in the heart of the Driftless Region in the hills along the Mississippi River, which might seriously be the best foraging region left on Earth. Iowisota has 200 acres of forest, brush, and real prairie, from ridge top to valley, with an incredible array of edible plants. Linda and Dennis, our hosts, are excellent stewards of this ecologically rich landscape. The clas runs from 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM. We will be exploring several plant communities and identifying a wide array of edible species, getting to taste many of them in the field. Participants will need to hike about 2 miles total, some of it steep. Lunch included. Overnight camping or lodging is available for an additional fee. To register, go to iowisota.org
Fall Foraging Weekend. October 4-6, 2024. $325 SOLD OUT-FULL
Inn Greener Pastures, 2954 Romanowski Lane, Chetek WI 54728.
Fall is the time for harvesting the seasonal bounty of staple foods such as nuts, seeds, and root vegetabless. In this weekend we focus on these, as well as fruits and berries, and the new flush of autumn woodland greens. We will learn field identification, ecology of the plants, and sustainable harvest practices. After harvest, students will learn methods for processing and storing these foods through hands-on activities. There are too many processing details tolearn them all in one weekend, but students will get the basics of parching, rubbing, and winnowing seeds, and learn at least one method for leaching acorns and making nut milk.
Please see additional info about weekend classes at the top of the page.
There is no online registration for weekend classes, email [email protected] if you wish to sign up.
Inn Greener Pastures, 2954 Romanowski Lane, Chetek WI 54728.
Fall is the time for harvesting the seasonal bounty of staple foods such as nuts, seeds, and root vegetabless. In this weekend we focus on these, as well as fruits and berries, and the new flush of autumn woodland greens. We will learn field identification, ecology of the plants, and sustainable harvest practices. After harvest, students will learn methods for processing and storing these foods through hands-on activities. There are too many processing details tolearn them all in one weekend, but students will get the basics of parching, rubbing, and winnowing seeds, and learn at least one method for leaching acorns and making nut milk.
Please see additional info about weekend classes at the top of the page.
There is no online registration for weekend classes, email [email protected] if you wish to sign up.
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.