Upcoming Classes
Throughout the year, we offer seasonal classes including mushroom, plant, seaweed, mussels, and nut foraging, mushroom cultivation, fermentation, lectures from thought leaders, and more. We will only bring you to locations where foraging is allowed, and unlike some programs, we always have permission to be there, so you are never at risk.
Our classes are popular and sell out quickly! If you see a class pop up that you’re excited about, we encourage you to sign up right away. Classes are small to encourage community building and maximize learning. The average group size is 10-25 people. All of our classes are online or within a 3-hour drive or less from the San Francisco Bay Area, the perfect weekend adventure.
Sign up by yourself or with a friend. If you’d like to arrange for a private program for your family and friends, or a school or corporate group, please contact us. Have an idea for a class you’d like to take or teach? Let us know.
Mussel Foraging (Sonoma Coast near Bodega Bay)
Join us for a mussel foraging adventure near Bodega Bay, California led by Ricardo Romero Gianoli
Wild Feast: A Cooking Class + Dinner with Chef Chad Hyatt (Berkeley)
This class is FULL!
Join us for a fun, delicious, and fully participatory wild food cooking class with entertaining chef, Chad Hyatt, author of The Mushroom Hunter’s Kitchen.
Under chef Chad's guiding hand, we will work our way through 5 or 6 dishes, focused on seasonal ingredients. We will put together a complete meal together, from appetizer through dessert. The class will culminate in a shared dinner. Come hungry!
Class is limited to 15 spots and will sell out quickly!
Wild Plants & Mushrooms of the Sierra Foothills (Nevada City)
Led by expert naturalist Thea Chesney, this program covers spring plants and mushrooms in the Sierra foothills region. With the elevation, the ecology changes from California's winter coastal sea-level flora and funga. We will cover tree, plant, and mushroom identification, symbiotic forest partnerships, poisonous and edible trees, plants, and mushrooms.
Medicinal & Edible Native Plants of the Bay Area
What if the land around you wasn’t just scenery, but a living apothecary and pantry, rich with nourishment and healing?
Join herbalist, botanist, and educator Lia Leibman for a guided walk through the Bay Area’s diverse plant landscape.
Mussel Foraging (Sonoma Coast near Bodega Bay)
Join us for a mussel foraging adventure near Bodega Bay, California led by Dinna Davis.
Psilocybe Mushrooms of CA & the World (Berkeley)
This talk is FULL! Come to the talk on Mar 26th on medicinal mushrooms, or add yourself to the waltlist.
Do psilocybe (psychoactive) mushrooms grow naturally in the wild in California? Yes, they do! Learn where and how to find them and also hear about groundbreaking global research on new discoveries in psilocybe mushrooms. Great for beginners and advanced myco-enthusiasts alike. Tacos will be served!
Morels, Porcini & Beyond: Understanding Sierra Burn Zone Ecology
Led by expert naturalist Thea Chesney, we not only look for morels and spring porcini, but also learn to understand the ecology and layers of new life forming beneath our feet that ultimately lead to the regrowth and resilience of the forest after fire.
Seaweed Foraging (Sonoma Coast)
8 Class Dates, mornings at low tide
6/14, 6/15, 7/12, 7/13 led by Ricardo Romero Gianoli
6/28, 6/29, 7/26, 7/27 led by Autumn Summers
What You'll Learn
Learn how to identify, use, and sustainably harvest the bountiful seaweeds. Harvest up to 10 lbs of seaweed to take home and enjoy.
From ancient times to the present, seaweeds have been used by coastal people all over the world to nourish themselves and their gardens, as well as for health issues. The Sonoma coast is incredibly rich in seaweeds that can be used as food and medicine.
Functional & Medicinal Mushrooms Talk + Tacos (Berkeley)
Join us in Berkeley for a special talk + tacos about functional & medicinal mushrooms such as lions mane, chaga, mushroom coffee, and more! Do they really work? Ryath will answer this as well as talk about how you can make your own!
This is a small space and will sell out quickly, so make sure to get tickets right away!
Mussel Foraging & Feast (Sonoma Coast near Bodega Bay)
This class is FULL! Please join the 4/27 program.
Tu B'Shevat - A Celebration of Trees & Fungi
In honor of Tu B’Shevat, the Jewish New Year for Trees, we will celebrate the interrelationships of trees, humanity, fungi and the unseen world. Learn how blessings, angels, and a Jewish approach to ethical harvesting can deepen our connection to the natural world as we amble through the forest. All ages and spiritual backgrounds welcome. This guided walk will be in Berkeley, CA in Tilden Park. With all the rain we've had, the forest is bursting with life. It's a great time for an adventure!
Edible & Medicinal Plant Walk
Led by Autumn Summers, this program focuses on edible and medicinal spring plants in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area region. As we encounter them, we will also cover tree, plant, and mushroom identification, symbiotic forest partnerships, poisonous and edible trees, plants, and mushrooms, as well as forest safety.
It's possible we can find miner's lettuce, mustard, radish, chickweed, spring alliums, cleavers, and a lot more! We'll also cover wild berries, although they won't have fruit on them just yet. But you'll still learn how to know their leaves for later in the season! You will leave with foundational skills to be able to go out foraging on your own. The program also includes community building and a tasting at the end. This is an experiential hands-on half-day program that starts at 1pm.
Fungi Friday with Mycologist Christian Schwarz + Tacos
Join us for an exciting evening talk plus optional tacos with leading mycologist Christian Schwarz!
Making Scents of Fungi, from Stench to Perfume
If you've ever gone on a walk with an old-time mushroom picker, you've probably noticed that they often lift mushrooms to their noses as soon as they pick them. Besides being intriguing, alluring, and surprising, the aromas of fungi can be extremely important clues for identification. Come take an olfactory tiptoe through the world of fungi! We'll talk about the anatomy, philosophy, and even the politics of olfaction! Who knows where our conversation might lead us...
We will do our best to get some specimens for a fun experiential smell-a-thon that will help you get deeper into your senses, hone your identification skills, grow your myco-olfactory vocab beyond “it smells earthy”, or “it smells mushroomy” and of course be better equipped to answer “Can I eat that?”
Winter Mushroom Foraging Classes
Learn to safely forage for gourmet wild mushrooms!
Join one or more of these dates on the Sonoma coast with our knowledgeable and friendly teaching team on Jan 25, 26 or Feb 1, 2, 8, 9.
Intro to Wildcrafted Fermentation with Bestselling Author Pascal Bauder
Recorded webinar class
Learn about lacto fermentation and how to integrate wild ingredients such as edible plants, wild grains, roots, mushrooms, and more.
Taco Tuesday with Noah Siegel
Join us for a special evening with leading mycologist Noah Siegel! Learn helpful foraging tips and enjoy an optional taco dinner.
Dyeing With Wild Mushrooms with Wilder Herbertson
Learn how to make beautiful colors with mushrooms!
Making Tasty Treats with Acorns & Bay Nuts with Autumn Summers (FULL)
Learn how to process acorns and bay nuts into tasty treats.