Head over to “Shop” to purchase a sliding scale ticket
When: Saturday March 8th, 2025 1-4PM
Where: Mars Hill, NC near downtown / Address will be sent to your email before class
Cost: $25-$55 Suggested Donation
We will be on a nutty ride together in this class. Learn the ins & outs of one of the oldest traditions of food acquisition - acorn processing. You will obtain a clear understanding of all the steps involved in this somewhat complex & incredibly rewarding process. Plus you can process & taste an ancient food which is basically impossible to buy. If you’re wondering which plant food consistently produces some of the richest calories on the landscape, look no further - Oaks are where it’s at!
This class will be even more hands-on that previous classes. We will cover advanced and ancient ways of leaching the tannins from acorn and cover modern and old ways of creating acorn flour. We will also learn the different types of oaks and how this plays into your harvest, storage and leaching process. Every class ends with a celebration of Oaks in the form of acorn foods!
Whether you’re new to acorns or very experienced, you’re guaranteed to learn a lot. Bring a notebook, an extra hammer or cracking tools if you have them, curiosity and a hunger for acorns. Children under 12 are welcome for a $10-$20 suggested donation.
Meristem Magic: foraging shoot Vegetables
There’s a wondrous world awaiting that many have never explored and where few dare to tread. For a short period of time during Spring, we have the opportunity to partake in vegetable fare unlike anything else - meristematic shoot vegetables. Think asparagus, perhaps the only shoot veggie anyone knows, but there’s so many more that go unnoticed and they’re very freakin’ good!
Why shoot vegetables? Well, if you know anything about recent developments in human optimization, you may have heard of stem cell therapy, a supposed miracle treatment for all kinds of ailments. It’s so effective it’s actually illegal in the states. That’s way beyond the scope of what I’m proposing here, BUT plants rapidly produce stem cells too during their meristematic growth phase and we can eat them and enjoy their health benefits.
They’re much tastier than they may sound. We will dive into this aspect of foraging in a very serious way and learn some of the most common and overlooked meristems in our region. I’m pumped to share this new class! There’s a good chance we will explore some wild edibles that aren’t meristems too, but the bulk of class will be shoot veggie identification, gathering, cooking and eating. As always, class concludes with sampling some of the delicious foods we have gathered along with other special treats.
When: Saturday April 19th, 2025 (Saturday May 3rd will be a weather make-up date if need be)
Where: Floating Leaf Farm in Mars Hill, NC. Exact location sent after ticket purchase.
Cost: $40 / Visit the Shop to buy a ticket
