Are you yearning to connect more deeply with Earth? To learn how to harvest the foods and medicines that are growing freely and abundantly all around you? To find your community of like-minded people and break free from the rat race of consumerism? Foraging School is an opportunity to learn how to identify, harvest and enjoy the abundance of food and medicine growing in your region, while deepening your connection with Earth and growing your community.
The hosts are Tryon Life Community Farm. TLC is a seven-acre land project and non-profit event center, surrounded by the beautiful forest of Tryon Creek State Park. The farm provides students of all ages with opportunities to connect with the natural world and with each other, creating a true sense of place and community.
Participants will park at a nearby location (TBD) and be shuttled to the farm. TLC Farm is currently improving accessibility and is not yet ADA-compliant.
- Identifying, harvesting and preparing wild food and medicine
- Foraging walks and plant identification tips to become a successful forager from an experienced forager.
- Including a discussion of toxic plants
- Identifying plants to avoid and lookalikes
- Timing the harvest and identifying when plants are edible
- Sustainability and ethics of foraging
- Food processing and preservation
- Discussing the basics of foraging equipment — drying, freezing, canning and cold storage
- Tips for efficiency so you can actually break free from the grocery store
- How and where to safely forage, including discussions on pesticides, industrial pollutants, car exhaust, urban foraging, etc.
- Deepening your connection with Earth and plant relatives and living in reciprocity
There is a lot to cover, so many of the topics listed above will be discussed only briefly. Foraging School will accommodate even those who have never foraged for a single bite of food in their lives. In fact, those are the people who stand to gain the most.
Suggested Donation: $75-$150 per adult.
This is a fundraiser for the 1 Million Community Fruit Trees Initiative. Your support will help with this mission to plant 1 million fruit and nut trees over the next decade. Donations are welcome with joy and an open heart. As an act of deep reverence and gratitude, the Foraging School is available at no financial cost to Black and Indigenous folks. Of course, all are welcome to make a donation if desired.
Food:
You are invited to make this a potluck and to bring food to share with others. For communal foods, bring:
- Package-free or minimally packaged
- Whole foods – unprocessed or minimally processed
- No chemical ingredients, preservatives or dyes
- Sustainably produced/organic, locally grown, foraged/harvested
Foraging School is accessible to all, regardless of financial means. To apply for a scholarship to attend, simply fill out this form. You’ll get a response within a week.