Wild Edibles Workshop

Here is the tastiest of our Workshops, centered on our local wild edible plants. Most people are not aware of the number of berry producing plants we have like the Spiny Redberry, Hollyleaf Redberry, Toyon, Sumac and Red Mulberry. There are plenty of other plants like Miners Lettuce, Pineapple Weeds and Mallow that go unnoticed which have edible leaves, tubers and roots, they are equally nutritious, recognizable and during spring grow even more plentiful than your average fruit bearing tree.

Booking

Red Mulberry

(Morus rubra L.) Red Mulberry is native to central and eastern North America, we're lucky it's made its way this far west. I've found several here in my local Southern California wild areas that have taken root and are regularly bearing fruit.

Spiny Redberry

(Rhamnus Crocea) The Spiny Redberry bush bears fruit mid Spring and is a staple food source for many of the local wildlife.The berries taste like a cross between cherry and cinnamon but don't have much flesh to offer, they are quite seedy, sometimes containing up to 4 seeds per berry.

Toyon

(Heteromeles arbutifolia) grows these red "berries" we see here. Although they are SOUR when they are freshly picked they're quite tasty after being dried, it tastes a bit like a low sugar fruit rollup. They were historically eaten dried, ground down to a powder and used to flavor meals or mixed with water to make a refreshing drink.

Acorns

(Quercus berberidifolia) The acorn is a staple food source for many tribes. With proper processing they can be used to make flour and made into "cakes" or added to other meals or stews. They are plentiful from September to December here in Southern California.

Miner's Lettuce

(Claytonia perfoliata) Commonly known as miner's lettuce is a flowering plant with fleshy edible leaves. It is packed with Vitamin C, can be eaten raw, used in salads or even boiled and eaten like spinach.

Aromatic Sumac

High in vitamin C the berries of the Aromatic Sumac can be eaten raw but they are extremely tart. They were traditionally dried and powdered to flavor food or mixed with water to make a beverage similar to lemonade.