Foraging School

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 that is growing in your region while deepening your connection with Earth and growing your community. We are elated to be hosting Foraging School in the San Diego area and we welcome you to join us! Our hosts are Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center. Olivewood’s mission is to nourish communities and cultivate a deep connection to the environment through nutrition education, sustainable urban agriculture, collective advocacy, and intergenerational leadership Foraging School Schedule and Content: 10-10:30 Intro to Foraging School 10:30-12 Foraging Walk 12-1 Lunch Break and Community Time 1-3 Foraging Walk 3-5 Class and Q&A 5-6 Community Time Identifying, Harvesting and Preparing Wild Food and Medicine Foraging Walks and Plant Identification Tips to become a successful forager from me, an experienced forager! Including 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 our Plant Relatives and Living in Reciprocity We will likely meet 15 different plants on our Foraging Walks. There is a lot to cover, so many of the topics listed above will only be briefly discussed. We'll dive in as much as we can in the time we have. Accessibility for new foragers: I strive for my work to be accessible and open to all. Foraging School will be accommodating even for those who have never foraged a bite of food in their life. 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 on this mission to plant 1 million fruit and nut trees over the next decade. We welcome all donations with joy and an open heart. As an act of deep reverence and gratitude, we are happy to provide Foraging School at no financial donation to Black and Indigenous folks. Of course, all are welcome to make a donation if desired, but we are truly happy to provide this opportunity for healing and connection. Food: Olivewood Garden's Kitchenistas will have a delicious meal featuring fresh and local ingredients available for purchase for $18. Menu: Lentil soup with garden veggies Potato, Onion Bell Pepper Empanadas with molcajete salsa (No gluten free option for this item) Garden Salad Nopales salad (small taster portion Spa water will be available for everyone, please bring water bottles Register for meal here. If you do not want to participate in the catered meal, we invite you to pack your own lunch and you are also welcome to bring food to share with others. For communal foods, we encourage: -Package free or minimally packaged -Whole foods - unprocessed or minimally processed -No chemical ingredients, preservatives or dyes -Sustainably produced/organic, locally grown, foraged/harvested What to Bring: Food. Water. We encourage reusable dishes, utensils, cups and water bottles. Cloth towels for napkins and tissues. A chair if you have one and would like one or blankets for sitting. If you have them you can bring: hand pruners or scissors, work gloves, small bags for harvesting food. Anything else you need to meet your needs for comfort. We will not provide garbage cans, so plan to pack any trash out with you. Foraging School will be on rain or shine. Pets: We love all animals. We are requesting that no pets be brought to Foraging School. If you have a service animal that you desire to bring, please contact us in advance. Scholarship: We strive for Foraging School to be accessible to all, regardless of financial means. To apply for a scholarship to attend, simply fill out this form. We'll respond within a week. A little about Robin’s relationship to foraging: In 2019, Robin completed a year of growing and foraging 100% of his food and medicine. In 2022, he completed a month of foraging 100% of his food – with no gardens – down to the salt, oil and spices. He began passionately leading plant walks in 2022 and has a wealth of practical advice to share from experience of how you can truly break free from the global, industrial food system and live happily on the abundance of Earth. At the same time as being a highly experienced forager, he remembers what it was like to feel confused and overwhelmed and he is able to meet every new or advanced forager where they are at to be of best service. As of October 9th, 2025, he is immersed in a year of foraging 100% of his food, based in his homeland of Northern Wisconsin and is traveling the nation living by example and sharing his knowledge. He would absolutely LOVE to connect with you at Foraging School, sharing his deep experience and relationship with our plant relatives.