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Instructor: Pat Armstrong

There are over 100 trees that you can eat. The Winter Edible Wild Plants course Eat the Trees, will help you identify about 70 of them using bud, leaves, branching, pattern, bark and fruits.

Learn what part of the plant/tree to harvest, when to harvest it, and how to prepare it. The course will be taught using slide lecture, handling specimens, and through observing plants/trees in their natural environment. All students will be preparing a recipe using their new knowledge to share with their class mates.

Class meets 4 Tuesday evenings from 7-9:30 pm at the Clow House (Jan 21, 28 and Feb 4, 11) with one field trip on Saturday, January 25 from 1:30-3:30 pm, and will concentrate on edible trees such as the pines, oaks and walnuts.

You will need a tree identification book. The Morton Arboretum Book Store would be a good place to find books on trees.

• Forest Trees of Illinois, Department of Conservation, Division of Forest Resources
• Trees of Illinois field guide, Stan Tekiela, Adventure Publications, Inc.
• Master Tree Finder and Winter Tree Finder, May Theilgaard Watts, Nature Study Guild Publishers.

Suggested Material:

• A comprehensive recipe book
  • Wild Plant Family Cookbook, Patricia K. Armstrong, available from www.blazing-star.com or Pat has CDs for $10.00 which have the cookbook on it in Kindle format and pdf file.

CLASS REQUIREMENTS:

• Experience in Plant Identification.
• Students should have an inquiring mind and willingness to try new foods
• Students are expected to attend every class: all absences must be made up
• Students are expected to take notes on plants in class and participate in class activities including the field trip regardless of weather
• Students are to prepare at least one wild plant and evaluate it as food
• Students desiring to earn a Edible Wild Plant Certificate will have to pass an exam identifying wild plants

Fee: $150, $600 for the Edible Wild Plant Certificate (includes all 4 courses)