Come to the mountains for a two day camp at Cold Creek Organic Orchard to learn all about foraging acorns. Oak trees provide an important and valuable source of food and medicine as well as many creative and craft uses. We will be learning how to identify different groups of oaks and getting to know the key species that live in Southern California and beyond. But it doesn’t just stop with oaks and their acorns—we’ll also explore the other important species that depend on this abundant and long-lived tree to create habitat, food and a foundation for the local ecosystem. Campsites provided on the farm. Local and wild-inspired meals included.
ACORN MOUNTAIN CAMP / Agenda
10:00 Attendee Arrivals / Introductions 10:30 Interpretive Hike: Tree Identification & Stories / Oak & Acorn Medicine Discussion / Warm Beverages / Collect Acorns 12:00 Lunch 2:00 Acorn Processing Demonstration / Cooking Demo 3:30 Rest & Dinner Prep / Attendees Set up camp 5:30 Dinner 7:00 Campfire (If permitted by forest service)
Day 2
8:30 Breakfast / Hot Beverages 10:00 Natural Dye with Oak Galls & Acorn Shells Hands-On Workshop 12pm Lunch 1:00 Nature Meditation by the creek Pack up & depart by 3pm
October 22-23 10am Saturday 10/22 — 3pm Sunday 10/23 Cold Creek Organic Orchard, San Bernardino Mountains on Hwy 18
$425 per person
To register, please complete the Registration Form and submit your payment via Venmo, Zelle or check. If you need another payment option, please contact me directly jess@jstarwood.com.
Join me for the best of the fall season with a full day event including a plant walk and wild food and drink tasting in Thousand Oaks (Newbury Park). We’ll be exploring what’s happening out in the wild, from the late season fruits, berries, nuts and seeds, and hopefully some mushrooms! We’ll talk about plant and mushroom identification, the foraging lifestyle, best harvesting practices, and how to preserve your harvest. Afterwards, we’ll make a wild food meal with demonstration on how to work with these ingredients, plus we’ll discuss their nutritional and medicinal properties.
$125 per adult, includes all food and drink Children under 10 free Children 10-18 $60
To register, please complete the Registration Form and submit your payment via Venmo, Zelle or check. If you need another payment option, please contact me directly jess@jstarwood.com.
In this full day workshop, Dr. Jim Adams will teach about native medicinal plants on a local trail in the morning, followed by a workshop in the afternoon to learn how to make medicine from these important plants. Jess Starwood will offer a gourmet tasting of local wild foods and beverages for lunch.
Jim Adams has a PhD in Pharmacology and studied with a Chumash Indian Healer for 14 years. In this class, he will teach medicinal plant identification and uses. You will be able to make a powerful pain liniment for your own use. You will be taught how to cure chronic pain. You will also be able to learn the uses of several other plants for other conditions. His book “Healing with medicinal plants of the west” will be available for purchase.
Jess Starwood is an herbalist, forager and plant based chef in the Los Angeles area. She has a Masters of Science degree in Herbal Medicine and training in holistic nutrition and mycology. She offers exclusive multi-course wild food dinners and teaches herbalism and wild food classes and workshops for adults and children.
September 18, 2021 Walnut Creek, CA 10am – 4pm
$100 Payment via Venmo is preferred. Contact us for other available options.
Registration: Please complete the form below and send in your registration fee via Venmo @theforesttable . Your registration is not complete and space reserved until your payment has been received. We look forward to having you!
Join foragers Julie Beeler, Lorelle Sherman and Jess Starwood for an unforgettable weekend in the woods where you will learn plant and mushroom identification, fabric dyeing with foraged plants, and a locally sourced six-course gourmet wild food dinner in celebration of the Summer Solstice. Located in Trout Lake, Washington at the base of Mt. Adams, the area is rich with edible and medicinal plants and fungi that will be collected and used throughout the weekend.
This workshop will take place on occupied territory of Yakama people. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Peacekeepers Society, a nonprofit founded in the mobilization of Yakama Nation ‘tribal trainers and wisdom keepers’ to promote positive social change for Native youth and adults.
Plant Identification and Foraging with Lorelle Sherman
The Pacific Northwest gifts us a bounty of wild foods in the spring and summer months, from roots to shoots, berries, greens, and possibly even mushrooms! We will get intimate with the local landscape by learning to identify, utilize, and sustainably harvest local and seasonal wild ingredients.
Through hands-on experience in the field, you will learn how to identify common native and invasive wild foods that you can confidently harvest on your next outdoor adventure. We will work through basic plant identification, ethical foraging practices, and easy and delicious ways to prepare and preserve your newfound wild ingredients. Group taste-testing and wild tea drinking will bring these local flavors to life. Come prepared for an easy hike and bring cloth, mesh, or paper bags to bring any foraged treats home with you for further flavor exploration.
Six-Course Wild Food Dinner with Jess Starwood
Forager, herbalist and wild food chef Jess Starwood will be serving a hand-crafted gourmet six-course dinner and drinks on Sunday night, celebrating the culmination of the event and the Summer Solstice. We will be enjoying an intimate experience with the local environment through new tastes, textures and wild flavors.
As you dine among the trees, each course tells a story about the land around you and the current season. Little to no processing of foods preserve their natural flavors and allow their unique subtleties shine through. This elegantly presented meal is crafted from locally sourced wild and organically farmed ingredients, completely plant-based and gluten-free.
Wild Plant Dye Workshop with Julie Beeler
Discover the alchemy of natural dyes and explore the bounty of botanical palettes. The serendipity of painting with plants combined with the ancient traditions of natural dyes yields unique and colorful results.
Working with plants that you forage in the wild along with Bloom & Dye’s locally grown flowers, you will gain knowledge and insight all while experimenting with the art of natural color.
We will be exploring a variety of ways to work with natural dyes; creating botanical bundles and prints, and making dye baths to create rich color palettes. Everyone will try their hand at different Japanese shibori traditions. Each participant will receive a variety of different natural fabrics to test and dye along with a linen foraging satchel to experiment with different colors, palettes and patterns. The custom instructional craftbook will allow everyone to continue their exploration at home.
About Your Instructors:
Julie Beeler, artist, designer and educator, grew up with a deep love and curiosity for the natural world. Educating others on how plants, fungi and their colors reflect the beauty of nature is something she is moved to share as a way to inspire care, stewardship and impact. Her work is bound up in the landscape; every thread is infused with botanical energy, as she gently simmers Mother Nature to unlock her colors. Drawing on cultural traditions and ancient natural dye histories each textile object is a record of a place and time, reflecting our relationship to the natural world. She has been recognized with numerous awards throughout her career as a designer of interpretive, editorial, and educational content, that supported cultural vitality with a commitment to preservation and conservation. Instagram @bloomanddye and bloomanddye.com
Jess Starwood, herbalist, forager and chef, creates an innovative yet traditional approach to herbal medicine, wild foods and connecting the community with our local natural environment. She was recognized as one of the most creative chefs in Ventura County by Edible Ojai & Ventura County magazine in December 2019 and has worked with Michelin-starred chefs in Los Angeles, CA to bring nutritious, wild foods to the table. Not only sharing a love for unique and unusual foods, Jess strives to help students cultivate an intimate, sustainable and connected relationship with the land. Instagram @jess.starwood and jstarwood.com
Lorelle Sherman Lorelle is a forest ecologist, naturalist, and wild foods forager who weaves conservation and ecology into her teaching. She has been foraging and teaching for over ten years in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest. Lorelle has a BS in Wildlife Biology and a MS in Forest Ecology. Since arriving in Oregon in 2015, she has worked with government agencies, private timber, and non-profit groups to develop and implement wildlife habitat and vegetation studies from the Oregon Coast to the western Cascades. Throughout her career, she has prioritized environmental education and science communication as a way to help others build meaningful connections with the natural world. Instagram @lorellemorel and lorellemorel.com.
EVENT DETAILS
SATURDAY 10am Welcome & Introductions 11am-4pm Foraging with Lorelle Sherman 6-8pm 6 course Wild Food Dinner with Jess Starwood
SUNDAY 10am-3pm Dye Workshop with Julie Beeler
Lodging is not included in this event. Some great local options:
If you are sick or are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or have been in contact with anyone who is sick/experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, in the 14 days prior to the workshop, please do not attend. Send us an email and we will work out a solution.
We will be following Washington State COVID-19 protocols, guidelines and recommendations at the time of the workshop.
You will need to bring and wear your own mask or face covering.
Please maintain 6ft of physical distance from any other workshop participant who is not in your immediate household at all times.
Dinner will be served out doors with no more than 6 people per table from two households.
The workshop is limited to 12 participants + 3 instructors and will primarily take place outdoors with the exception of some botanical dyeing taking place in our indoor 1,300 sq. ft. studio space.
We will provide all individual tools and set up in personal stations to avoid unnecessary sharing of items.
The studio space will be sanitized both days and will have plenty of soap and hand sanitizer on hand. We will provide disposable gloves for those who wish to use them.
TICKETS
GATHER: Food • Medicine • Dye June 19-20, 2021 Limited to 12 participants. $400/person + $25 materials fee if registered before May 19, 2021 $450/person + $25 materials fee if registered after May 19, 2021
We are currently SOLD OUT
To be added to the wait list, please submit the form below:
Refund Policy No refunds after 7 days prior to the event.
Explore the edible and medicinal abundance of the Sonoran Desert in the springtime. Our journey will cover the entire foraging process, from desert to table. We will explore the surrounding foothills, canyons and flowing creeks to identify the local wild edible and medicinal plants, learn sustainable and ethical harvesting practices, preparation, preservation, cooking and plating techniques. All plant-based, organic meals and supplies included. We’ll hike through the forests of saguaros, gather wild foods and learn how to properly process them. Returning to camp, we’ll collectively cook a foraged dinner over the campfire. Rest under the rural desert moon-less sky for stargazing and sit around the campfire to share stories. Bring an instrument if you play one! The following day we’ll learn about desert medicines to craft our own healing remedies to take back home.
March 11-13, 2022 Central Arizona, exact location to be announced
Friday: Arrival Set up camp, orientation and introductions Campfire and wild food dinner
Saturday: Wild Foods Wild inspired breakfast Plant hike, ecology & natural history of the Sonoran desert Foraging techniques and ethical practices Picnic lunch on the trail Traditional desert food processing Return to camp, process and prepare foods for collaborative dinner Campfire and desert stories
Sunday: Medicine Wild inspired breakfast Explore and learn identification of medicinal desert plants Extraction techniques Wild food lunch Crafting our own medicines from local wild desert plants Herbal happy hour Departures
Registration: $525 Eligible for a 12% student discount for those enrolled in The Wild Path program.
Payment via Venmo (@ theforesttable) is preferred. Your spot is secured once payment is received. For other payment options, please contact me jess@jstarwood.com
Join me, Jess Starwood, in February to learn how to make your own herbal medicine!
Making Medicine: Herbal Workshop with Jess Starwood of Sunraven Apothecary
February 18th, 1:00pm-3:30pm
Bodysattva Center
1414 East Thousand Oaks Blvd. Suite 211
Thousand Oaks CA, 91362
Crafting your own herbal medicines at home saves money and helps you directly connect with your health while also allowing for your own personal approach and customization. In this engaging workshop, you will learn how to make different kinds of herbal medicine including tinctures and extracts, syrups, infused and essential oils, hydrosols, salves, and how to formulate your own tea blends. You will learn the medicinal properties of herbs, the best method of application and a variety of extraction processes. Materials and ingredients will be provided to create your own medicinal extract and tea blend.
Cost: $45 when you pre-register before Feb 15th, $55 at the door
(Price includes provided herbs and materials)
Space is very limited, only 15 spots available!
TICKETS: To pre-register, please send PayPal payment to sunravenherbs@gmail.com to save your spot. Or use the link below.
Jess Starwood 