WILD SPRING FORAGE WORKSHOP SERIES

Come to Metchosin Farm and start your journey of ethical foraging!

Workshop #1

SUNDAY, MARCH 12TH, 2023 – 9am-12pm

Early spring is a wonderful time of year to hone your plant and culinary skills with nutrient-dense nettle, chickweed, lemon balm, dandelions and miner’s lettuce. In this intro to sustainable foraging, you will learn and practice principles of the forager-farmer, gathering plants in a way that leaves their populations and yourself healthier and more robust for your having harvested from them. You will learn easy propagation and stewardship techniques, create and enjoy a spring tonic tea, a healthful vinegar and create a probiotic wild sauerkraut.Participants will bring home a selection of Metchosin Farm organic seeds, mason jars filled with your sauerkraut, tea and vinegar creations as well as supplies to make more sauerkraut at home. Practice makes permanent!

Workshop #2

SATURDAY, APRIL 22ND, 2023 – 9am-12pm

In this second of our Farmer-Forager workshop series, you will enjoy a seasonally-inspired harvest and plant ID walk around Metchosin Farm. We will use the gathered plants to make a soothing botanical-infused oil perfect for chapped/dry skin, enjoy a wild greens farm spring salad rich in nutrients and continue learning about plant propagation and stewardship/reciprocity.

Participants will each bring home a botanical oil, propagated plants, and 3 seed packages related to the workshop topic.

Workshop #3

SUNDAY, MAY 28TH, 2023 – 9am-12pm

In this third Forager-Farmer workshop we will explore the gardens and field edges of Metchosin Farm, ID and gather the best of in-season wild plants and learn how to craft these into a healthful shrub (traditional vinegar-based infused syrup).Participants will enjoy a farm-inspired snack and bring home propagated plants, 3 seed packages related to our workshop and their shrub.

Price:

  • $125 each
  • $115 each for 2 sessions
  • $105 each for 3 sessions

Materials to bring: BYOB (Bring Your Own Basket), snips, gloves (nettles!), small chopping board and paring/chopping knives, small and medium metal bowls, spoon and fork, and insulated mug. Fiona will teach you how to sharpen any dull knives! A farm snack is included, with our signature lavender coffee, farm-created herbal tea, and Dan’s famous apple oatmeal cookies.

To Register:

Email info@metchosinfarm.ca including number of participants and desired workshop!

Payment can be made by E-transfer to info@metchosinfarm.ca

Fiona Hamersley Chambers

Fiona Hamersley Chambers is an ethnobotanist whose research focuses on traditional foods and how northwest coast First Peoples managed and co-evolved with their plant resources. Her PhD work on B.C.’s Central Coast, working collaboratively with the Heiltsuk First Nation and supervised by renowned ethnobotanist Dr. Nancy J Turner, investigates how key berry plants were cultivated and owned in ‘gardens’.

Fiona is a long-time organic farmer and commercial seed grower specializing in food plants and soft fruit production. She holds an MA from the University of Victoria (French and Environmental Studies), an MSc from Oxford (Environmental Change and Management), and a Masters in Environmental Design from the University of Calgary. She has authored or co-authored numerous field guides, including Wild Berries of BC and owns and operates Metchosin Farm, a small organic operation on Southern Vancouver Island specializing in heritage and locally-adapted seeds as well as a wide variety of soft fruits.

She was recently featured in The Survivorman TV Show The Wild Havest – a great foraging and culinary journey with Les Stroud and Chef Paul Rogalski – watch the full episodes below!