Wild Foraging Course

Use foraged plants that you harvest yourself and have wellness-promoting properties

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WILD FORAGING COURSE
near Crowsnest Pass

We have opened up the optional foraging hikes to everyone; however, we highly recommend that they course is taken as it teaches proper identification of plants, best practices, and gives you the educational tools to forage on your own.

Get ready to mix up new recipes in the kitchen! Use foraged plants that you harvest yourself and have wellness-promoting properties, and walk away inspired to pursue your foraging activities independently and safely.

The Wild Foraging Course will introduce the novice to the basics of plant identification, foraging for food and medicinal plants in the montane and foothills fescue natural subregions of southern Alberta. The course will include the benefits of foraging, usage of basic medicinal plants, poisonous plants, ethics and sustainability of collecting plants, the nuts and bolts of harvesting and preserving, safety, berry collecting and lastly a how-to guide on how to use the foraged goods that include recipes and uses. The course will help foster confidence in foraging and facilitate holistic health towards a sustainable, economical, self-directed, safe, well-informed way of life that includes foraging and utilizing local resources upon completion of the course.

This course will be over two weekends, and have optional foraging outings. The first weekend is in the spring where the information will be taught in a classroom and outside. You will then have the summer to forage, and you can join the experts on hikes throughout the summer. The second weekend will be in the fall and we will reconvene to learn more about how to process your foraged plants, work together to make teas, go over your questions, and have a final wild foraging frenzy.

2024 DATES

4 DAYS OVER 2 WEEKENDS

WEEKEND 1
Pre-foraging season to get started & gain knowledge 
MAY 18-19

WEEKEND 2
Post-foraging season to process and learn
SEPTEMBER 28-29

** OPTIONAL FORAGING HIKES **

** Open to everyone **

JUNE 15, 2024
JULY 13, 2024
AUGUST 24, 2024

Book Course
Book June 15
Book July 13
Book Aug 24

$575
per person

(4-day course)

Includes course book, simple hand lens, invasive plants field guide, two knowledgeable instructors, small group sizes to maximize learning.

$135
per person/hike

Receive 10% off optional hikes if you book at the same time as booking your course. Simply add the foraging hike day upon checkout.

(** optional foraging hike)

Foraging hikes include professional guide, knowledgeable instructors, safety gear, and more.

Prices do not include taxes.

Prepare for your trip!

Packing for your trip
After you book your trip, check your email for a booking confirmation. If you didn't get it, then something went wrong and you can email us. In the booking confirmation we send out information on how to prepare for your trip and a link to our Visitor Guide to help with planning.

In the confirmation email, you will also receive a list of items to bring for the course with some recommendations to help you. If you have questions after reading this list, or just questions in general, ask us. This is why we are here! We will reach out to you the week leading up to your course, but we do not reach out unless we have a specific update about your course.

The day of your course
An email is sent out at least a week before your trip and we will confirm the location and what to bring. Ensure you read this email and respond if you have questions.

Highlights of this tour
  • Invaluable knowledge from local experts
  • Learn how to sustainably forage in the wild

  • Feel confident in foraging plants

  • Learn how to process and make different recipes for food and tea

  • Learn how to find these plants in nature, where to look, and what to look for

  • Meeting like-minded people to build a foraging-community

INCLUDED

✔Course workbook

✔ Simple hand lens

✔ Invasive Plants Field guide

✔ Safety Equipment (carried by guide: bear spray, first aid kit, satellite communication device, repair kit, guide tarp, maps)

✔ Professional Guide (read the biography to learn more about the foraging guide)

✔ Naturalist (read the biography to learn more about the naturalist)

✔ Small group sizes to maximize on learning

NOT INCLUDED

Transportation to trailheads

Outdoor gear and personal items (a recommended gear list will be sent out upon registration)

Foraging tools (a recommended tools list will be sent out upon registration)

Accommodations (if needed)

Lunches or food during courses and hikes

Cancellation insurance

Gratuity

What to Expect:

Little or no herbal experience is needed for a glimpse into the world of foraging, and foraging will spark an enthusiasm for a lifelong path of learning. By the end of the Wild Foraging Course, you will understand the ways in which the herbal approach can support radiant wellness, and you will feel more comfortable and excited about collecting, making and using your own teas and berries with your foraged goods. Practical, easy to follow recipes and guides will be included in the course.

Weekend 1 (Spring)

Day 1. We will meet in the classroom and start to learn. Topics on day 1 will include introduction to foraging, foraging safety, ethical considerations, regulations and legal considerations. You will likely be in the class for the morning. In the afternoon, the plant identification course will start and will primarily be outdoors and include hands-on learning. You will want to come prepared to be outside rain or shine.

Day 2. On this day, we will introduce a plant identification list, look-alike plants, and also toxic and poisonous plants in our region. This will be in the classroom. In the afternoon, we will head outside to go over foraging techniques and tools. We will ensure we have time to come back to the classroom to go over collecting and drying, and some recipes.

** Optional Foraging Hikes **

These hikes will focus on the plant list we give out on Day 2. We will forage together. The exact locations will be determined closer to the date and be sent out to registered participants.

Weekend 2 (Fall)

Day 3. This day will be focused on a workshop day going over everyone’s collections. We will also bring in a guest speaker this day.

Day 4. We will have another guest speaker this day. We will finish the day with recipe sharing and a potluck.

Location: 

Weekend 1 (Day 1 and 2): Crowsnest Pass, Alberta

** Optional foraging hikes: TBD based on conditions, some locations maybe on private property and around 1hr drive from Crowsnest Pass.

Weekend 2 (Day 3 and 4): Crowsnest Pass, Alberta

Meeting Location: The exact location of the Wild Foraging Course will be sent out closer to the date of the course. You can expect that the indoor portion will be in either Coleman or Blairmore, Crowsnest Pass and the outdoor portions will be a short drive away.

** On the optional foraging and hiking trips, these locations will be specific to how the plants are growing that year. Your instructors will be scouting out locations throughout the summer so that you can utilize your time outdoors. These locations will be shared with you closer to the date. Expect locations to be up to an hour drive from Crowsnest Pass.

Tentative Times:

Weekend 1 & 2: 9AM to 4PM, with a lunch break

** Optional foraging hikes: 9AM to 4PM (outside and on trail)

Physical Difficulty Rating: For the ** optional foraging hikes, the difficulty is rated as intermediate. You will have long days, be carrying everything to forage and what you forage, and some elevation will be expected. The course over the weekend will require some walking and bending over or kneeling down, however, it will not be strenuous.

CANCELLATION POLICY
ADDITIONAL INFO
To keep the price affordable, we decided to have a minimum of 8 people on this course and on the foraging hikes. We must meet our minimums to run the course and trips.

Book an upcoming course now!

BOOK THE FORAGING COURSE AND HIKES AT THE SAME TIME AND RECEIVE 10% OFF THE HIKES.

Select a date on the calendar to book your course, or contact us to book a private course.

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"Wildflower tour in Waterton. I had booked this tour and it was fantastic! Our guide Heather took us on an adventure into the beauty of wildflowers we encountered on our walk. She helped us understand the rare ecosystem of Waterton and the types of plants that call Waterton home. This tour was about slowing down and exploring at your own pace all the beauty Waterton has to offer. I highly recommend this tour with Uplift Adventures!!!!"
stephanie
TRIP ADVISOR