Start Your Foraging Journey
Join me in foraging as we connect food and land
For me foraging is not only fun but it’s also what I would consider to be a spiritual practice. It connects me to nature in a way that goes beyond surface level observation. It literally keeps me grounded in an attention-fractured world and gives me a deep sense of belonging to my local landscape. It connects me to my ancestors and the displaced indigenous peoples who once possessed intimate knowledge of this land to a degree that would be lost on most people today.
Upon reading a book called “The Tracker” by renowned naturalist Tom Brown as a teenager, I discovered a passion for nature and the wilderness that would continue to parallel and compliment my musical journey. Attending courses at Brown’s Wilderness Survival School, my journey and my exploration of nature and foraging came together. In 2007, spent a year dedicated to the arts of “primitive living skills” at Hawk Circle wilderness center in Cherry Valley, NY where I strengthened and honed my commitment and belief in foraging.
Harvesting plants, processing them into nutritions meals, making usable utilitarian items out of them, procuring medicines from them has been my doorway a dynamic nature connection in a way that hiking and camping alone could not give me. Everyday I look forward to eating something that is near, if not impossible to find in any grocery store. The lifestyle of a modern forager is one of seeking adventure, thrift, minimilism, the unknown and optimal health.
I’m looking forward to sharing my knowledge and passion with you whether on YouTube, through group or individual foraging classes. I invite you to explore the woods with me.
EVENTS
FORAGING Workshops
A Focus on the sustainable collection of wild edible plants and mushrooms, as a way of helping grow a lifelong love of the outdoors.
If you’ve ever daydreamed about “living off of the land” but never felt super confident about how to approach that kind of skill, self-exploration into foraging. Better yet, if you have someone with experience to show you what you can eat and what you can make out of the wild landscape, then you would be off to a great start!
So get your bug gear, rain gear, and notebooks ready for the fascinating exploration into the world of wild plants. You’ll eat, you’ll learn and for sure, you will take home some kind of project to keep you inspired. And of course, I’ll share my foraging library with you so you can roll down the right path of all the expert foragers that have hard-won this knowledge. You will not be bored. I promise!
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Wild Edible Plant “Walk & Talks”
Theme: One of the most common questions newbies ask experienced foragers out in the field is, “Can I eat this?” Whether it’s the Wood Nettle and Common Milkweed shoots poking up out of the rich spring soil or the earthy Black Walnuts and sweet tart Autumn Olive berries available for the fall harvest, these walks will get you inspired to get out there in your local wild places and get foraging!
Group size: 15 max
Age 12 and older ( under 12 needs an adult present)
Time Frame: Usually held on weekends. Duration is typically 1-2 hours.
Instruction covered: This is a general “walk and talk” where observers will walk with Sean through a given area, observing the area wild edible and utilitarian aspects of the local flora. Sean will be discussing some of the ethnobotanical (indigenous uses of plants) history of the area plants as well as their practical use in terms of identification, harvest and preparation of these plants.
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Group Foraging Experience
Theme: It’s one thing to be able to safely identify wild food plants such as the spinach-like, Amaranth — conspicuously growing amongst common garden plants or the sweet aromatic pecan-like nuts of the Shagbark Hickory tree but it’s another thing to know what to do with these in the kitchen! This workshop will show you what to do with harvest.
Group Size: 15 max, 10 participants or under is ideal
Time Frame: Range is anywhere from 2-6 hours depending on the scope of content and activities covered. Usually held on either Saturday or Sunday day time.
Logistics: This workshop could be ideal for nature centers, museums, schools, community garden programs, outdoor education facilities or private groups seeking this kind of experiential instruction. This course is ideally structured with 2 components: Field observations and discussion followed by time spent harvesting and preparing wild plants for a shared meal.
Instruction covered: Safe identification, Toxic “look-a-likes”, Ethics and sustainability, legality, Foraging tools, Where to forage, Books and references, Processing and cooking techniques
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COUPLE'S RETREAT
Group size: 2 participants
Theme: If you have someone in your life who you want to share in this exciting endeavor with and learn together about all the exciting delicacies available to you in nature’s grocery store, this workshop might be for you! We might gather some early summer mushrooms like fruity aromatic Chanterells or process Red Oak acorns into nutritious flour. We’ll certainly be foraging various plants for our evening meal and potentially incorporating some local farm-raised food as well!
Time Frame: usually held over a weekend. Early Saturday morning - Sunday Afternoon (weekday or weekend time slots can be negotiated)
Logistics: All lodging site and meals cost will be included in cost in tuition fee. The retreat will be held in various locations tailored to the needs of the guests and agreed upon ahead of time. Lodging will most likely consist of tent camping or site-depending, cabin camping.
Instruction covered: Same as “group foraging experience” but with substantially more time and space for detailed, one on one instruction and more time to explore applications and uses of plants.
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RENT-A-FORAGER
Solo Instruction
Time Frame: Flexible
Logistics: This is what it sounds like. The instruction is specifically tailored to the needs of the participants and will include any or all of the areas of instruction listed in the “group” classes. Location is flexible and can be negotiated.
Consulting
Time Frame: Flexible
Logistics: This is what it sounds like. The instruction is specifically tailored to the needs of the participants and will include any or all of the areas of instruction listed in the “group” classes. Location is flexible and can be negotiated.
Virtual Instruction
Time Frame: Flexible
Logistics: A surprising amount of instruction related to foraging can be taught virtually for those who cannot attend a workshop in person. All topics mentioned in group or solo instruction are potentially covered in virtual instruction. Generally conducted over Zoom. Hourly rates available.
