Family Foraging Course, Penistone (S36)

Come on a fantastic family foraging experience at Springvale Community Gardens in Penistone (near Sheffield), with James Hill – The Forager Within – on Wednesday 20th August at 10:00 AM (finishing 12:30 PM).

We will enjoy a two and a half-hour walk (covering no more than 1 to 1.5 miles) around the wild areas of the gardens and surrounding woodland. James will stop regularly to point out and discuss the many edible goodies we will find along the way. Although the main focus will be foraging from the point of view of wild food, he will also occasionally touch upon non-food uses such as medicinal and “bushcraft” uses. Where possible, we’ll be tasting some of the things we find during the walk.

Cost

£15 per person, with under 16’s free up to a maximum of three children per family who must be accompanied with their parent(s). Note this event is specifically for families.

The session will include:

• A brief introduction to James and foraging in general.
• Finding and discussing around 15 – 20 species common across the UK that have food uses.
• How to identify the species we come across.
• Information about toxic species to avoid.
• Foraging laws and principles to ensure you forage legally, safely and responsibly.
• Trying a couple of pre-prepared wild food-based samples!
• A follow-up email to participants with a summary of the species we found and other useful information such as my recommended books for further reading.

Log in to nature

Humans have been foraging as a way to survive for hundreds of thousands of years. Before farming, this was how we survived – finding what nature provided in harmony with the seasons and the land. This period before farming forms over 95 per cent of our existence as a species, so to our brains and bodies, foraging is incredibly natural – this is one of the reasons it feels so good!

Foraging is one of the best ways to disconnect from our busy modern lives of emails, social media and technology, and reconnect with nature and our ancestral roots. During this session we will log off from the modern world and log in to nature!

Meeting point and parking

Meet around the entrance to Springvale Community Garden, Penistone, S36 6HH. There is on-site parking. Feel free to call James on 07712 213470 if any issues on the day.