This is an exciting time of year as there's still a few 'Summer' plants in bloom such as Fat Hen, Self Heal, Dandelion, Fennel, Nasturtium etc, but also many Wet Season plants are popping up such as Chickweed, Onion Weed, Miners Lettuce, Purple Dead Nettle. We'll cover as many of these wild weeds as we can in this session.
Step into nature to discover a world full of wild, edible plants. Focusing on abundant, delicious & nutritious edible weeds & commonly found plants, you’ll leave this workshop eager to forage in your own backyard & neighborhood.
We’ll take a wander around my gardens to find, identify, taste & discuss edible plants growing freely & abundantly. You will learn:
~ the basic principles of sustainable & ethical foraging & wild harvesting
~ the botanical names of plants as well as their multiple common names
~ how to confidently identify 10-20 wild plants, with lots of details about lookalikes & toxic plants to avoid
~ nutritional & medicinal properties of each plant, including how to prepare simple healing remedies at home
~ how to prepare each plant for maximum nutrition & flavor, we’ll discuss simple recipes & tips for cooking each plant
~ the folklore & hisotry of each plant, how our ancestors foraged for & ate what we now call ‘weeds’. Many of these fascinating & often funny stories help us to connect with the plants, our ancestors and allow us to remember each plant better.
You’ll leave feeling empowered with the knowledge needed to build better local food resilience & food security. You can skip going to the supermarket after this workshop, instead gathering your own wild greens for dinner.
We’ll start with a cup of herbal tea, and end the session by enjoying a wildly delicious snack made with seasonally available wild ingredients. This varies with the seasons but could include a wild salad, weedy pesto, pickled greens, a herb infused butter etc.
You might like to download my Foraging Guides before/after the workshop to keep for future reference. Click on 'Foraging Guides' for more info & to purchase.
Class sizes are limited to allow lots of space for your questions, so book early to avoid missing out. After booking you’ll be sent an email with exact location & further details for the workshop.
Please note that no refunds will be given for change of mind or your own calendar conflicts. If the workshop needs to be postponed due to (terrible) weather, we'll work together to find a new date.
Obviously if you're unwell on the day, please don't come.
Read the amazing reviews below or on facebook @homegrownbotanica
A little bit about my garden:
I've lived in this property/on this land for over 6 years, and from the day I arrived I've been planting cuttings, seeds & plants: fruit, vege, medicinal herbs, wildflowers, spring bulbs etc. Lately I've given more space to the wild weeds that spring up, creating quite a magical garden space, overflowing with food, beauty & wonder.
We recently built a composting toilet, added a caravan sleepout, and regularly enjoy nights around the firepit.
I'm a strong believer that it's possible to grow a LOT of your own food on a small urban plot, without moving to the middle of nowhere, away from your community and relying on petrol to get around. My garden is a great wee insight into what is possible in a small urban space (we're on 1/3 acre in Raumati South).
Step into this magical wonderland with me, as we wander around discussing all the edible weeds which you are very likely have growing in your own backyard or local neighborhood.
AustraliaWellington foraging workshop
I was pleased to experience this, learning new things from Felicity's extensive knowledge, telling and showing us how to identify and use weeds that could be found in the garden, encouraging us to taste them. I remember the 'mushroomy' and suprisingly good flavour of a seed head of long plantain leaves. She also gave us a warming cup of kawakawa tea at the start, and finished with a salad foraged from weeds in the Innermost Gardens. I recommend this! A helpful email arrived later with a lot of handy resources.
New ZealandForaging Workshop
A rainy day didn't deter the group from having a wonderful two hours in Felicity's garden tasting and identifying common, edible weeds. I now feel confident that I can safely identify a range of tasty and nutritious weeds in my own garden to use in cooking. Very exciting. Felicity answered all our questions and after the workshop sent a range of very helpful information to all the attendees.
New ZealandEdible weeds workshop
I loved this workshop. I would highly recommend to everyone - young and old. Felicity provided us with a delicious kawakawa tea on arrival and at the end we enjoyed a green salad using the weeds we'd just talked about. I now find myself identifying all the edible weeds on my daily walks, it's so much fun! Embrace the nutritious/ medicinal weeds that mother nature has provided us, it's free
New ZealandFull of knowledge
Highly recommend Felicity's workshop! Have already been telling friends to sign up to one. I walked in not knowing a thing about what I can and can't forage for and now I can identify 8 plants and some edible flowers, what properties they have, how to use in food and their medicinal properties too. Felicity is full of knowledge and clearly lives as she teaches, with respect to the land, kindness and mindfulness. She even prepared some salad using the plants we looked at, a infused oil for the dressing and a chick weed pesto and of course some tea. Worth every cent :) Thanks Felicity!
New ZealandExcellent guide on edible weeds
Felicity was a knowledgeable guide on how to find, collect, and eat 'weeds'. Most valuable to me was the key identifying features so we could be sure what we were gathering was the real deal, and what was the most likely things they could be confused with. It was helpful to hear the stories about the plants to help the knowledge stick. There was a scrumptious salad to eat at the end, and I could feel my body crying 'I can feel this doing me good!' as I ate. So good! Felicity has a lovely way about her that made all of the participants comfortable about asking questions. Recommend attending if you feel you need some hand-holding to feel brave enough to eat something not from the garden or shop. I'm hoping she'll do another with different plants so I can expand my knowledge.