Wild Food Adventures

Mahogany & Softshell Clam Dig
2026-05-03 08:00 - 11:30 UTC | Siletz Bay Park, 5289 S U.S. 101, Lincoln City, 97367, United States
Lincoln City, Oregon.
$35 – $60 sliding scale, children pay their age, see details.
We will have gobs of fun and gather some of the tastiest, most tender clams you’ll eat. Their shell colors are amazing and worthy of collecting on their own. Mahogany clams are also known as purple varnish clams. Learn how to find, dig, transport, clean, and prepare mahogany and other soft shell clams during one of the lowest tides this year. Learn gathering regulations, limits and the tools used to dig them. The times we meet are dictated by when the tides are low enough to for us to reach the clams. End time is just an estimate.
Quick Links

What to Bring |
Shellfish License |
Where to Meet |
Payment Information |
Registration/Waiver |
Location Map

What to Bring
Each person should bring a 2026 Oregon Recreational Shellfish License – Read about licenses below. A license is mandatory for anyone 12 or older!
Digging Tools:
No digging tools are necessary for these clams except your hands. Small short shovels (not hand trowels) may be useful. If your hands are sensitive, bring gardening gloves that are thin enough to feel small objects but strong enough so they don’t rip while digging in sand.

A current Oregon Shellfish Collecting License
Any remaining registration materials that you need to hand in..
Old wettable tennis shoes
Towel
A change of cloths. Your pants will definitely need to be changed after this. While waders would protect your pants mostly, they are heavy cumbersome and will be hot to wear.

One 3 or 5 gallon pail per person
Daypackpack to hold water and other things you want with you on the beach
Water
A sac lunch
Snacks
Money if you want to buy John’s books ($25-30 each [sliding scale] list price is $28). We accept cash, check, or CC ($1 extra each book for CC fee). Edible Wild Plants, Volumes 1 and 2 are available after each workshop to look at or buy.

Recreational Shellfish Licenses
Recreational Shellfish Licenses are now required for anyone 12 and over to collect shellfish in Oregon. In-state licenses are $10/year, Out of state licenses are $19 for 3 days or $28/year. 3-Day licenses must specify the days you intend to do the collecting. You must carry the License with you during the workshop (in a phone app or a printed copy) or you will only be allowed to watch. If shellfish are found in your possession on the beach and you do not have a license, the fine is $80 and up. Licenses should be purchased “PRIOR” to our events by going to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife web site. DO NOT wait until the last minute! Here is how to do it:
Steps to Getting a Shellfish License
Go to the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife web site Or you may be able to do the whole thing from your phone from their “MyODFW” app. I have not tried the phone app route to pay so the directions here are only how to do it on your computer.
Wait until after January 2 of the workshop year of the workshop you register for.
If you are new, press: “Create an Account Today”
Create a user name & password – Record them since you will use the same account every year when purchasing a license or to open the app.
If you already have a digital account, press: “Verify/Look up your Account”
Follow the prompts.
Once an account is created click, “Purchase From the Catalog”
Type “Annual Shellfish License” in the search bar.
Click “Add” to add it to your cart. Then go to your cart to purchase.
When done, the license will be added to your, “Recreational Portfolio” for the current year. It is good until December 31 of the year you buy it.
Print out or save a pdf copy to your computer.
On your phone go to your APP Store and search for “MyODFW”. Add it to your phone apps. Load in your user name and password and it will display your license. Then if you are ever stopped by the coastal authorities you can just pull up the app.
If you have trouble understanding the process, the licensing office number is: 503-947-6101
For more information:
Call the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife at 800-720-6339 or 503-947-6000.
General Clamming Information: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
Shellfish Regulations & Limits: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
Note: that a license does not allow us the ability to collect shellfish if there is a marine toxin advisory from the Department of Fish & Wildlife, The Department of Health, or the USDA.

Meet us in Lincoln City
Meet us in Siletz Bay Park on Hwy 101 at the south end of Lincoln City. Here is a MAP to the site. The parking is somewhat spread out if you don’t get there early. Park in the Siletz Bay parking areas. Do not park in local business parking lots or you will likely be towed. There is a restroom on site. Be there before 8am. The parking is somewhat spread out if you don’t get there early. Park in the Siletz Bay parking areas or across the bridge where there is a lot more parking. Wait patiently in the park in case we get delayed, get to know the other participants, read a book, change into your beach cloths and shoes. We’ll swing by soon for registration and to proceed on to the workshop site. If you miss us or are late, look down into the bay for a bunch of people on the sand and come to us. Make sure we have your cell phone number if you have one (in case of an emergency)! Program our number 503-775-3828 into your cell phone. But note that cell phone service in the coast range is almost non-existent so anyone, including the instructor, cannot be reached while traveling there. Ocean low tide is estimated to be around 9:12am for this date.
Carpooling from Portland
If you need a ride to the coast, or prefer carpooling or caravanning, give us a call. If carpooling is arranged expect to give $10 to the driver to help pay for fuel.

Pricing Details
Sliding Scale Economics
Due to hard economic times for some, sliding scales are offered to support individual financial circumstances. We ask participants to pay what they feel they can afford within the range offered for each workshop. You decide what to pay using an honest assessment of your individual circumstances. We do not ask anyone to explain their very personal decision. The high end is a very reasonable price for these quality workshops for those who are doing well in this economy. Groups must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Discounts
$5 Discounts are available on our Registration Form for adult family members that attend together, persons identifying as indigenous, full time college students and scout leaders. Children (17 and under) must be accompanied by their parent(s). Children under 7 are free. Children 7 and above pay their age. Classrooms and teachers with students are not eligible for these discounts and must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Refund & Transfer Policies
If you cannot attend a workshop you registered for, and you contact us immediately, or at the latest, the last weekday before the event, you are entitled to a transfer or refund minus a $5 processing fee. If you do not show up the day of a workshop you registered for, you forfeit the full amount paid.

Enrollment Limited! – Advanced registration reserves you a place in the workshop. Walk-ons may be turned away if our size limit is reached. When registering by mail, assume a workshop is open unless you see a “FULL” notice posted above.
Registration
Download the REGISTRATION and WAIVER Forms. Print and fill out these forms and mail them with payment to: Wild Food Adventures, 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR 97215. If there is space and your are a walk-on, bring the forms and payment with you. While you can register many times throughout the year, only a single waiver form is required per person per year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) for all our day events. Multi-day Rendezvous require an additional waiver.

Cancellation Due to Nature Or Contaminated Runoff
Due to warming oceans, red tides have become more frequent. For the first time in 30 years (so it is rare) the whole coast was closed for about a month in 2024 to any clamming. If a major closure happens during the date of this event, we would have to cancel it. Any time we have to cancel an event, it is a huge inconvenience to all of us. A cancelled clamming workshop costs Wild Food Adventures up to two thousand dollars in time, advertising, bookkeeping, management, license fees, and refunds. It could also cost you, even if I refund all your money. If you decide to rent nearby lodging at the coast, incur travel or other expenses, or plan with other people, we cannot reimburse you or make up for any change in your plans. If we have to cancel, the only thing you can do is make the best of whatever plans you already made.

Wild Foods of Vancouver Greenways
2026-05-09 09:00 - 12:00 | Salmon Creek Trail, Vancouver, 13851 NW 36th Ave, Vancouver, WA, 98685, United States
Vancouver, WA.
$30 – $60 sliding scale, children pay their age, see details.
Visit one of the many beautiful greenways snaking through Vancouver. Learn plants you pass by everyday. Most of these plants can be found in your own neighborhoods, fields, and local woodlands. See plants like sumac, cherry, rose, saskatoon, black haw, cascara, wild cucumber, nettles and more. Learn identification, use, and processing.
What to Bring
— Prepare for the weather.
— Any remaining registration materials that you need to hand in.
— Comfortable walking, hiking shoes or boots. No flip flops.
— Money if you want to buy John’s books ($25-30 each [sliding scale] list price is $28). We accept cash, check, or CC ($1 extra each book for CC fee). Edible Wild Plants, Volumes 1 and 2 are available after each workshop to look at or buy.
Meeting Location
The NW 36th Ave Entrance to the Salmon Creek Greenway at about 138th St, Vancouver, Washington. Here is a Google map to the Trailhead. Parking is along 36th Ave. Park tightly so everyone can park. If the link doesn’t work, use this made up address: 13851 NW 36th Ave, Vancouver, WA 98685.

Pricing Details
Sliding Scale Economics
Due to hard economic times for some, sliding scales are offered to support individual financial circumstances. We ask participants to pay what they feel they can afford within the range offered for each workshop. You decide what to pay using an honest assessment of your individual circumstances. We do not ask anyone to explain their very personal decision. The high end is a very reasonable price for these quality workshops for those who are doing well in this economy. Groups must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Discounts
$5 Discounts are available on our Registration Form for adult family members that attend together, persons identifying as indigenous, full time college students and scout leaders. Children (17 and under) must be accompanied by their parent(s). Children under 7 are free. Children 7 and above pay their age. Classrooms and teachers with students are not eligible for these discounts and must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Refund & Transfer Policies
If you cannot attend a workshop you registered for, and you contact us immediately, or at the latest, the last weekday before the event, you are entitled to a transfer or refund minus the $5 processing fee. If you do not show up the day of a workshop you registered for, you forfeit the full amount paid.

Enrollment Limited! – Advanced registration reserves you a place in the workshop. Walk-ons may be turned away if our size limit is reached. When registering by mail, assume a workshop is open unless you see a “FULL” notice posted above.
Registration
Download the REGISTRATION and WAIVER Forms. Print and fill out these forms and mail them with payment to: Wild Food Adventures, 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR 97215. If there is space and your are a walk-on, bring the forms and payment with you. While you can register many times throughout the year, only a single waiver form is required per person per year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) for all our day events. Multi-day Rendezvous require an additional waiver.

Wild Fruits of Pacific Northwest Forests - Part 1
2026-05-10 13:00 - 16:00 | Archery Range, SW Kingston Dr, Portland, 97221, United States
Portland, Oregon.
$30 – $60 sliding scale, children pay their age, see details.
Join us to learn about wild fruits and other edible plant parts found in northwest forests. Summer is when many wild fruits are ripe for picking. See and learn about plants like huckleberry, salmonberry, oregon grape, milkweed, elderberry, gooseberry, wild current, salal, thimbleberry, fairybells, saskatoons, Indian plum, among others, as well as some poisonous berry producing plants. We’ll look at fruits and other edible that cross our path. Explore one of the more beautiful forests in Portland’s own back yard. Part 2 will cover different plants and be offered in the fall.
What to Bring
— Prepare for the weather.
— Any remaining registration materials that you need to hand in.
— Comfortable hiking shoes or boots. No flip flops.
— Money if you want to buy John’s books ($25-30 each [sliding scale] list price is $28). We accept cash, check, or CC ($1 extra each book for CC fee). Edible Wild Plants, Volumes 1 and 2 are available after each workshop to look at or buy.
Meeting Site
Location: We are meeting at the parking area on Kingston Drive in SW Portland. Here is a Google Map to the location.

Pricing Details
Sliding Scale Economics
Due to hard economic times for some, sliding scales are offered to support individual financial circumstances. We ask participants to pay what they feel they can afford within the range offered for each workshop. You decide what to pay using an honest assessment of your individual circumstances. We do not ask anyone to explain their very personal decision. The high end is a very reasonable price for these quality workshops for those who are doing well in this economy. Groups must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Discounts
$5 Discounts are available on our Registration Form for adult family members that attend together, persons identifying as indigenous, full time college students and scout leaders. Children (17 and under) must be accompanied by their parent(s). Children under 7 are free. Children 7 and above pay their age. Classrooms and teachers with students are not eligible for these discounts and must contact us for circumstance-specific rates.
Refund & Transfer Policies
If you cannot attend a workshop you registered for, and you contact us immediately, or at the latest, the last weekday before the event, you are entitled to a transfer or refund minus a $5 processing fee. If you do not show up the day of a workshop you registered for, you forfeit the full amount paid.

Enrollment Limited! – Advanced registration reserves you a place in the workshop. Walk-ons may be turned away if our size limit is reached. When registering by mail, assume a workshop is open unless you see a “FULL” notice posted above.
Registration
Download the REGISTRATION and WAIVER Forms. Print and fill out these forms and mail them with payment to: Wild Food Adventures, 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR 97215. If there is space and your are a walk-on, bring the forms and payment with you. While you can register many times throughout the year, only a single waiver form is required per person per year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) for all our day events. Multi-day Rendezvous require an additional waiver.

Jessup Bluff's Fennel Forest
2026-05-16 09:00 - 12:00 | Jessup Bluff, 3105 N Willamette Blvd, Portland, OR, 97217, United States
Portland, Oregon.
$30 – $60 sliding scale, children pay their age, see details.
Visit Portland’s only fennel forest, complete with plenty of salsify, wild carrot, chicory, wild sweet pea, mint, Oregon grape, elderberry, black mustard and much more. See and sample plants you pass by everyday. Most of these plants can be found in your own neighborhoods, fields, and local woodlands. Learn identification, use, and processing. Learn poison oak and poison hemlock.
What to Bring
— Prepare for the weather.
— Comfortable walking, hiking shoes or boots. No flip flops.
— Money if you want to buy John’s books. $25-30 each, sliding scale, (list price is $28) cash or check. Edible Wild Plants, Volumes 1 and/or 2. They will be available after the workshop to look at or buy.
— Any remaining registration materials that you need to hand in.
Meeting Location
Meet at the north entrance to the bluff. Park near the following location HERE.

Pricing Details
Sliding Scale Economics
Due to hard economic times for some, sliding scales are offered to support individual financial circumstances. We ask participants to pay what they feel they can afford within the range offered for each workshop. You decide what to pay using an honest assessment of your individual circumstances. We do not ask anyone to explain their very personal decision. The high end is a very reasonable price for these quality workshops for those who are doing well in this economy. Groups must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Discounts
$5 Discounts are available on our Registration Form for adult family members that attend together, persons identifying as indigenous, full time college students and scout leaders. Children (17 and under) must be accompanied by their parent(s). Children under 7 are free. Children 7 and above pay their age. Classrooms and teachers with students are not eligible for these discounts and must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Refund & Transfer Policies
If you cannot attend a workshop you registered for, and you contact us immediately, or at the latest, the last weekday before the event, you are entitled to a transfer or refund minus a $5 processing fee. If you do not show up the day of a workshop you registered for, you forfeit the full amount paid.

Enrollment Limited! – Advanced registration reserves you a place in the workshop. Walk-ons may be turned away if our size limit is reached. When registering by mail, assume a workshop is open unless you see a “FULL” notice posted above.
Registration
Download the REGISTRATION and WAIVER Forms. Print and fill out these forms and mail them with payment to: Wild Food Adventures, 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR 97215. If there is space and your are a walk-on, bring the forms and payment with you. While you can register many times throughout the year, only a single waiver form is required per person per year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) for all our day events. Multi-day Rendezvous require an additional waiver.

Wild Foods of Oregon, in Jasper, OR
2026-05-23 09:00 - 12:00 | Sandy Foundation land, 37466 Jasper Lowel Rd, Jasper, 97438, United States
Eugene, Oregon.
$30 – $60 sliding scale, children pay their age, see details below.
This is the second of three events taught by John Kallas in Eugene, Oregon over Friday, May 22 and Saturday, May 23, 2026. For this hands-on, Saturday morning outdoor event, learn about the edible wild plants found in Oregon and most of North America. Discover wild foods from a variety of different habitats that you might pass by everyday. Learn the many ways they can be used as food, what to avoid, and how to know. Good for beginning to advanced foragers. Enrollment Limited! – Advanced registration reserves you a place in the workshop. Walk-ons may be turned away if our size limit is reached. When registering by mail, assume a workshop is open unless you see a “FULL” notice posted here.
Print the registration form from HERE.
For a poster of all three events, go HERE.
What to Bring
— Prepare for the weather.
— Any remaining registration materials that you need to hand in.
— Comfortable walking, hiking shoes or boots. No flip flops.
— Money if you want to buy John’s books ($25-30 each [sliding scale] list price is $28). We accept cash, check, or credit card (If service is available at the Spencer’s Butte area, $1 extra each book for CC fee). Edible Wild Plants, Volumes 1 and 2 are available after each workshop to look at or buy.
Meeting Site
Meet on Sandy Foundation land, about 2/10ths of a mile North of 37466 Jasper Lowel Rd, Jasper, OR 97438. From downtown Eugene take OR 126 East to Bob Straub Pkwy in Springfield. Continue on to Jasper Rd. The land is on the right. We’ll meet in the dirt lot. For a google map to the exact site, go HERE. This link is more accurate than putting the address into your phone.

Pricing Details
Sliding Scale Economics
Due to hard economic times for some, sliding scales are offered to support individual financial circumstances. We ask participants to pay what they feel they can afford within the range offered for each workshop. You decide what to pay using an honest assessment of your individual circumstances. We do not ask anyone to explain their very personal decision. The high end is a very reasonable price for these quality workshops for those who are doing well in this economy. Groups must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Discounts
$5 Discounts are available on our Registration Form for adult family members that attend together, persons identifying as indigenous, full time college students and scout leaders. Children (17 and under) must be accompanied by their parent(s). Children under 7 are free. Children 7 and above pay their age. No more than 2 children allowed per adult. Classrooms and teachers with students are not eligible for these discounts and must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Refund & Transfer Policies
If you cannot attend a workshop you registered for, and you contact us immediately, or at the latest, the last weekday before the event, you are entitled to a transfer or refund minus a $5 processing fee. If you do not show up the day of a workshop you registered for, you forfeit the full amount paid.

Wild Foods of Northwest Forests, Eugene, OR
2026-05-23 13:30 - 16:30 | Spencers Butte Trailhead, Eugene, 97405, United States
Eugene, Oregon.
$30 – $60 sliding scale, children pay their age, see details below.
This is the third of three events taught by John Kallas in Eugene, Oregon over Friday, May 22 and Saturday, May 23, 2026. For this hands-on Saturday afternoon outdoor event, learn about the edible plants found in pacific northwest forests in late May. Discover wild foods that have passed, the ones available now, and the ones to anticipate as the seasons progress. Learn the many ways they can be used as food, what to avoid, and how to know. Explore one of the more beautiful forests in Eugene’s own backyard. Good for beginning to advanced foragers. This is the last of our three wild food events in the Eugene area for 2026. Many more events continue on in Portland and at the coast. Enrollment Limited! – Advanced registration reserves you a place in the workshop. Walk-ons may be turned away if our size limit is reached. When registering by mail, assume a workshop is open unless you see a “FULL” notice posted here.
Print the registration form from HERE.
For a poster of all three events, go HERE.
What to Bring
— Prepare for the weather.
— Any remaining registration materials that you need to hand in.
— Comfortable walking, hiking shoes or boots. No flip flops.
— Money if you want to buy John’s books ($25-30 each [sliding scale] list price is $28). We accept cash, check, or credit card (If service is available at the Spencer’s Butte area, $1 extra each book for CC fee). Edible Wild Plants, Volumes 1 and 2 are available after each workshop to look at or buy.
Meeting Site
Meet at the Spencer Butte Trailhead parking area off of S Willamette St. From downtown Eugene take Patterson St south, turn right on 24th Ave, turn left on Willamette St and go about 4 more miles. There will be a small green sign to your left marking the entrance to Spencer Butte park. We’ll meet in the parking lot. For a google map to the site, go HERE.

Pricing Details
Sliding Scale Economics
Due to hard economic times for some, sliding scales are offered to support individual financial circumstances. We ask participants to pay what they feel they can afford within the range offered for each workshop. You decide what to pay using an honest assessment of your individual circumstances. We do not ask anyone to explain their very personal decision. The high end is a very reasonable price for these quality workshops for those who are doing well in this economy. Groups must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Discounts
$5 Discounts are available on our Registration Form for adult family members that attend together, persons identifying as indigenous, full time college students and scout leaders. Children (17 and under) must be accompanied by their parent(s). Children under 7 are free. Children 7 and above pay their age. No more than 2 children allowed per adult. Classrooms and teachers with students are not eligible for these discounts and must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Refund & Transfer Policies
If you cannot attend a workshop you registered for, and you contact us immediately, or at the latest, the last weekday before the event, you are entitled to a transfer or refund minus a $5 processing fee. If you do not show up the day of a workshop you registered for, you forfeit the full amount paid.

Pacific Shores Wild Food Rendezvous
2026-05-29 - 2026-06-01 | Basecamp, 882 N Miller St., Rockaway, OR, 97136, United States
Rockaway, Oregon. This 23rd Annual Pacific Shores Rendezvous is an intensive on the role and use of wild harvested seavegetables, shellfish, and coastal edible wild plants in everyday life, recreational foraging, re-connecting with nature, self-reliance and survival.

Go HERE for a video of one of our early Rendezvous.
Rockaway, Oregon.
$445, Early registration discounts are listed below.
A multi-day, hands-on wild food adventure and teach-in, learning natural wonders in the context of current realities. The focus of this event is on the roles sea vegetables, shellfish, and coastal wild foods can play in one’s diet, recreational foraging, self-reliance, and survival. Participants will learn about, use, and gain experience with a variety of wild edibles along with the techniques used to bring them to the table. Everyone attending will share their knowledge, ideas, methods, and wisdom based on their own experiences. Participants arrive and set up on Friday. The program begins Friday evening and ends on Monday noon. Oregon Field Guide, a human interest outdoor regional program covered the Pacific Shores Rendezvous (formerly called Native Shores) in 2005. We are accomplishing even more over a decade later.

Photos: 1 and 4 by Chip Belden

Event Goals
To help participants understand the roles that wild foods can play in recreational foraging, contributing to your everyday diet, self-reliance, and survival; to provide hands on experience with some of the most important shellfish, seavegetables, plants and processes that could be used in those situations; to provide the opportunity for participants to share and learn from each other regarding their cumulative experiences with wild foods; to promote a sustainable harvest mentality with a strong support of protecting and respecting green, coastal and wild places; to directly address the great mass of misinformation found in the popular literature and the internet; and to have fun, make friends, and connect with people who are interested in the same kinds of things.
The Mood We’d Like to Set
We want this to be a fun and educational outdoor experience and adventure. We expect everyone to be friendly, respectful, encouraging of others, and open minded. Leave bad attitudes at home. You are welcome to be a lone wolf or be as social as you feel comfortable – as long as you are respectful to others and do your part to make the event successful. We will be together a lot of the time so take the opportunity to get to know people and make friends.
Instructors

John gathering knotweed. Photo: Robert VanCreveld

Everyone attending will share their knowledge, ideas, methods, and wisdom based on their own experiences. Participant skill levels will range from beginner to advanced. All input will be respected as personal experience to be learned from. The main instructor and moderator is Dr. John Kallas, Director of Wild Food Adventures. Dr. Kallas has a Ph.D. in nutrition and a Masters in education. He is a trained botanist, nature photographer, writer, researcher, and teacher. John has researched edible wild plants since 1970 and taught in colleges, universities, primitive technology conferences, and to the general public since 1978. He has taught and trained thousands of people about wild foods from all over North America, and given hundreds of wild food presentations. Dr. Kallas founded the Wild Food Adventures outdoor school in 1993, edited the Wild Food Adventurer newsletter from 1996 to 2006, and published Volumes 1 and 2 of the Wild Food Adventures Book Series; “Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods from Dirt to Plate” in 2010, and “Edible Wild plants: Wild Foods From Foraging to Feasting” in 2023. Go here to learn more about John.
What is Provided
Training, hands-on experiences, field trips, projects, and wild food discussions will occur throughout the four day event. Camping space is provided. Vehicles are in a separate area from camping. A limited number of rooms are possible in the lodge for an extra charge. You will be responsible for some of your own meals – though much of what we eat will be wild foods gathered by you and other participants.
What to Bring – Here’s a detailed List.

We will be in the same location for four days with access to modern kitchen and bathroom facilities. Beginning on Saturday, breakfasts and dinners will be provided through Monday morning. You are responsible for 2 sack lunches and snacks. Refrigeration for personal items will not be provided. Bring a plate, bowl, drinking cup and utensils for your camp site. Conventional food supplies will be available in town. Wild foods will make up the bulk of our evening meals. We will all improvise recipes to incorporate into our meals.
Outside of your typical camping gear, you should consider following: We will travel daily to several gathering sites. Bringing the harvests back to camp for processing and cooking. To gather shellfish, you are required to have a current Oregon Shellfish Collecting License. This is mandatory! See below for details. It is helpful to bring a small backpack for day trips and a good knife. Prepare for temperatures usually ranging from 40 F to 75 F. Bring clothing for comfort. For coastal forests, bring rugged but layered hiking cloths and comfortable hiking boots.
All seashore clothing should be layered and able to withstand immersion in salt water and protect your body from a fall on sharp rocks. Bring old wetable tennis shoes and very warm layered wool clothing (socks, pants, sweaters). If you do not have much wool, check out thrift stores for old sweaters and pants. Wet suits are generally overkill as most people will only get wet typically up to their knees. Waiders are bulky, heavy and typically hot to wear. Shorts, bare feet, sandals, and light summer cotton clothing are inadequate for our field trips.

A current Oregon Shellfish Collecting License
A clam gun, razor clam shovel, or any narrow-bladed shovel
One 3 or 5 gallon plastic pail
Old wettable tennis shoes or grippy thick soled hiking sandals. No flip flops
Warm layered clothing – you will get wet from the knees down and possibly higher
Scissors in a belted sheath
Good fitting gardening gloves to protect your hands
Two changes of cloths
Small daypack
Water bottle in holster or daypack
Food for sac lunches
Snacks
2 Towels

If you have one, bring either a vacuum release clam gun or a SMALL NARROW garden spade (NEVER a huge farmer’s manure shovel; your goal is to make a quick deep narrow precise hole, not move huge amounts of earth).
An inexpensive spade shovel ($20-$30) is better than a cheap (without vacuum release tubes) clam gun ($25-$80). You can also bring a regular shovel just to try it, if that is all you have or can borrow. Bring whatever is handy. Do not go out and buy a special “clamming” shovel. If you already have one, bring it. It is a good shovel for this. Borrow from a friend if you need to.
Clam guns with a vacuum release valve are by far the best digging option. They are much easier on your back, more efficiently bring up solid shafts of the sand, faster at digging, and are better environmentally for the clam beds. They are also the most expensive, but well worth it if you end up clamming on a regular basis. Far superior to standard clam guns. Stainless Steel Clam Guns with Vacuum release are difficult to find in retail stores even at the coast. All are available online. There are three types of clam guns with vacuum release tubes varying in quality and features. They are the Claminator, the Clam Hawk and the Clam Vac. Prices range from $150 for top of the line to $96. I use the Claminator, since I clam regularly, and it’s design is better suited for digging butter and gaper bay clams then the others. Go here for more information about vacuum release clam guns.

Optional: Bring interesting wild food-related things to share with others in the evenings – books, processing tools, stories, etc. Bring some wild food that you’ve previously prepared, are proud of making, and would like to share with the rest of us. Wild flours, jams, syrups, canned foods, nuts, beans, etc.
Prepare for variable coastal weather! While we hope to go through water at only foot level, depending on Mother Nature, you may have to wade through thigh high water, slog through muck up to your ankles, and climb over hillsides. It is all in a day’s adventure!

Arrival/Departure Times
Arrive anytime after 4:00 p.m. on Friday May 29, 2026 – set up camp/meet other participants. This event’s first activities begin with a program around 7:00 pm Friday. The last activity will end by noon Monday, June 1, 2026.
Recreational Shellfish Licenses
Recreational Shellfish Licenses are now required for anyone 12 and over to collect shellfish in Oregon. In-state licenses are $13/calendar year. Youth (12-17 years old) pay $10. Out of state licenses are $25 for 3 days or $37/year. 3-Day licenses must specify the days you intend to do the collecting. You must carry the License with you during the workshop (in a phone app or a printed copy) or you will only be allowed to watch. If shellfish are found in your possession on the beach and you do not have a license, the fine is $80 and up. Licenses should be purchased “PRIOR” to our events by going to the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife web site. DO NOT wait until the last minute! Here is how to do it:
Steps to Getting a Shellfish License
Go to the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife web site Or you may be able to do the whole thing from your phone from their “MyODFW” app. I have not tried the phone app route to pay so the directions here are only how to do it on your computer.
Wait until after January 2 of the current year.
If you are new, press: “Create an Account Today”
Create a user name & password – Record them since you will use the same account every year when purchasing a license or to open the app.
If you already have a digital account, press: “Verify/Look up your Account”
Follow the prompts.
Once an account is created click, “Purchase From the Catalog”
Type “Annual Shellfish License” in the search bar.
Click “Add” to add it to your cart. Then go to your cart to purchase.
When done, the license will be added to your, “Recreational Portfolio” for 2024. It is good until December 31 of the year you buy it.
Print out or save a pdf copy to your computer.
On your phone go to your APP Store and search for “MyODFW”. Add it to your phone apps. Load in your user name and password and it will display your license. Then if you are ever stopped by the coastal authorities you can just pull up the app.
If you have trouble understanding the process, the licensing office number is: 503-947-6101
For more information:
Call the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife at 800-720-6339 or 503-947-6000.
General Clamming Information: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
Shellfish Regulations & Limits: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
Student Comments:
“It was much better than I expected. Processing the food and making the feast was a precious experience, something I’ll always remember.”
“I feel like a dry sponge where knowledge of the plants and the forest and native cultures are concerned, and Pacific Shores was able to fill that need. Instruction was very clear, which I really appreciate.”
“I’d actually like to attend that Rendezvous for a week! I wish I could have stayed longer. I had a wonderful time, I’m totally satisfied and looking forward to more.” Craig Nielsen

Enrollment Limited! – Advanced registration reserves you a place in the Rendezvous.
Registration Fees
Full Registration: $445 (in US dollars) for the full 4 day event. If you want to support our work you can always pay the full amount regardless of available discounts. If discounts are valuable to you, register before the following dates.

Early Registration Discounts*

Pay on or before…
February 7, 2026, and pay a reduced rate of only: $360
March 23, 2026, and pay a reduced rate of only: $385
April 7, 2026, and pay a reduced rate of only: $405
April 23, 2026, and pay a reduced rate of only: $420
May 15, 2026, and pay a reduced rate of only: $435
May 25, 2026 onward, pay full price of $445

Fees for Children**

Ages: 0 – 6 attend for free
Ages: 7 – 9 pay 14 times their age
Ages: 10 – 13 pay 16 times their age
Ages: 14 – 17 pay 18 times their age
Ages: 18 and above pay adult prices

*These early registration discounts require that you pay in full (received in our office) by these cut off dates.
**Children through and including the age of 17 must be under the supervision and responsibility of a parent or guardian at all times. No more than 2 children per adult attendee. The Pacific Shores Rendezvous, Dr. Kallas, Wild Food Adventures, and anyone associated with them are not, and cannot be responsible for children. There are no child care facilities. That being said, children will find a friendly and inclusive environment.

Further Registration Discounts – ONLY ONE OF THESE CAN APPLY PER PERSON
Previous attendees of this event get an additional $60 discount off any of the cut-off dates above. The following adults (18+) get a $30 discount off any of the cut-off dates above: Full time college students, persons identifying as indigenous, adult family members that register together and the involuntarily unemployed. You cannot combine discounts.
Partial Event Registrations
There are no discounts for partial attendance. One or two day (Saturday + Sunday) attendees pay full price based on registration dates listed above. Due to the progressive/building nature of the planned learning process, it is recommended to attend the full Rendezvous if you possibly can.
Carpooling Contribution
Bring $10.00 to this event for a carpooling contribution. Do not include this with your registration, bring it separately. Volunteer drivers will ferry us to a variety of habitats over the four days of the event.

Lodging
Our basecamp is at the ColonyHouse Lodge, 882 N Miller St, Rockaway, OR 97136. Here is a map to the site. Camping on the grounds or staying in your vehicle is included in your registration. Those wishing to stay in the lodge pay an additional fee. Beds and rooms are limited and assigned on a first come first serve basis, combined with relative need. The lodge offers a few basic rooms with two beds and small desks. Sharing a room is also possible.

Lodge beds come only with bare mattresses, so sleeping bags and/or sheets, blankets, and pillows must be brought by participants. There are no private baths. We are all responsible for cleaning the rooms we use before we leave – there is no room service or staff.
Here are the costs to stay in the lodge for the full event:
Private Room for 3 nights: 2 beds = $180 (add $40 for each person more than the 1st 2)
E-mail us for inquiries.
IMPORTANT: if you live outside of the US… a personal or local bank check will not be accepted. We can only accept a cashier’s check or money order made out in U.S. dollars from a U.S. bank or American Express office. These forms of currency should be payable to “John Kallas”. PayPal may be an option. Call us for details.
Refund Policy
There is no charge if you cancel before we’ve had the time to process your registration. If that is the case, upon your approval, your check will be destroyed and you will have paid nothing. If your registration has been processed, the following schedule is done for an adult registration. This schedule is designed with the following in mind. That the closer to the event, the more up-front investments we make for each participant.

All but $20 is returned if a refund is requested between Jan 1 & May 1, 2026.
All but $30 is returned if a refund is requested on or before May 12, 2026.
All but $100 is returned if a refund is requested on or before May 19, 2026.
No money is returned if a refund is requested the day before the start of this event or there after.

If there is a group registration, the above amounts apply to just one of the group’s registrants, adding $5 per additional registrant to process the withdrawls.

Registration
Download the REGISTRATION/WAIVER Forms. Print and fill out necessary forms and mail them with payment to John Kallas.
Note: Due to the nature of these workshops in natural habitats that are out of our control, we cannot accommodate certain special needs.
Cancellation Due to Nature Or Contaminated Runoff
Due to warming oceans, red tides have become more frequent. For the first time in 30 years (so it is rare) the whole coast was closed for about a month in 2024 to any clamming. If a major closure happens during the dates of this event, we would have to cancel it. Any time we have to cancel an event, it is a huge inconvenience to all of us. A cancelled Rendezvous costs Wild Food Adventures four to five thousand dollars in time, advertising, bookkeeping, management, rental fees, and refunds. It could also cost you, even if I refund all your money. If you decide to rent nearby lodging at the coast, incur travel or other expenses, or plan with other people, we can not reimburse you or make up for any change in your plans. If we have to cancel, the only thing you can do is make the best of whatever plans you already made.

Sea Vegetables and Other Seashore Edibles of the Pacific Coast
2026-06-13 05:40 - 09:00 | Parking area south of Lumbermans Memorial Park, 206 American Ave, Garabaldi, OR, 97118, United States
Garibaldi, Oregon.
$35 – $60 sliding scale, children pay their age, see details.
Dr. Kallas will lead an expedition to the Pacific coast where participants will learn about, identify, and gather samples of wild sea vegetables and seashore edibles during low tide. Find sea vegetables including nori, kombu, sea lettuce, fucus, alaria, laminaria, and more. This event requires climbing up and down some large and potentially slippery rocks to get to the beach, so mobility is an issue. *End time is just an estimate.
Meeting Site
We’ll meet in the parking area across the street from Lumberman’s Memorial Park, just south of the large restroom. Here is a MAP to the intersection adjacent to the restroom and its parking area. Turning south onto Garabaldi’s 3rd street gets you to American Avenue, which gets you to Lumberman’s Park. We’ll meet under the canopy. Be there by 5:40am. From there we will move on to the sea vegetable bed. While waiting, go into the restroom and empty your bladder prior to our arrival (force yourself – it’s the last chance you will have for almost 3 hours). Wait patiently in the parking area in case we get delayed, get to know the other participants, read a book, change into your beach cloths and shoes. We’ll swing by soon to pick you up and proceed on to the workshop site. You must be there when we arrive or you will miss us. Make sure we have your cell phone number if you have one (in case of an emergency)! Program our number 503-775-3828 into your cell phone. But note that cell phone service in the coast mountain range is almost non-existent so anyone, including the instructor, cannot be reached while traveling there. Low tide is estimated to be around 6:36am.
What to Bring

A strong opaque white plastic grocery-style bag with a handle, which you could hang from your belt using a carabiner
Scissors, preferably in a belted sheath
Old wettable tennis shoes. DO NOT wear sandals or flip flops!
Raingear, if rain is likely
Warm layered insulated clothing – you may get wet up to your calves
Any remaining registration materials that you need to hand in.

A day pack for water and anything you want to carry with you on the beach
For the travel home: a towel, a change of cloths, a cooler for the food
No permit is required for the amount of seavegetables we will be gathering
Money if you want to buy John’s books ($25-30 each [sliding scale] list price is $28). We accept cash, check, or CC ($1 extra each book for CC fee). Edible Wild Plants, Volumes 1 and 2 are available after each workshop to look at or buy.

Whatever you wear, it must protect your knees, shins, and hands. No sandals, flip-flops, or soft-soled water socks unless you love bleeding feet, ankles, and shins! Prepare for variable coastal weather!

Pricing Details
Sliding Scale Economics
Due to hard economic times for some, sliding scales are offered to support individual financial circumstances. We ask participants to pay what they feel they can afford within the range offered for each workshop. You decide what to pay using an honest assessment of your individual circumstances. We do not ask anyone to explain their very personal decision. The high end is a very reasonable price for these quality workshops for those who are doing well in this economy. Groups must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Discounts
$5 Discounts are available on our Registration Form for adult family members that attend together, persons identifying as indigenous, full time college students and scout leaders. Children (17 and under) must be accompanied by their parent(s). Children under 7 are free. Children 7 and above pay their age. Classrooms and teachers with students are not eligible for these discounts and must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Refund & Transfer Policies
If you cannot attend a workshop you registered for, and you contact us immediately, or at the latest, the last weekday before the event, you are entitled to a transfer or refund minus a $5 processing fee. If you do not show up the day of a workshop you registered for, you forfeit the full amount paid.

Enrollment Limited! – Advanced registration reserves you a place in the workshop. Walk-ons may be turned away if our size limit is reached. When registering by mail, assume a workshop is open unless you see a “FULL” notice posted above.
Registration
Download the REGISTRATION and WAIVER Forms. Print and fill out these forms and mail them with payment to: Wild Food Adventures, 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR 97215. If there is space and your are a walk-on, bring the forms and payment with you. While you can register many times throughout the year, only a single waiver form is required per person per year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) for all our day events. Multi-day Rendezvous require an additional waiver.

Cancellation Due to Nature Or Contaminated Runoff
While we have never yet had to cancel due to natural or man-made contamination of the area, such as thing is possible. Coastal lightening would also be dangerous. Rain or wind alone will not stop us. Since these things are outside of our control, sometimes they are inconvenient. For instance if you rent a place at the coast or have made special plans to bring yourself to this workshop, we cannot reimburse you for costs you have incurred. You will have to make the best of whatever you have arranged. Also note that it costs Wild Food Adventures about two thousand dollars in time, advertising, communications, bookkeeping, management, and refunds should a cancellation occur.

Mussels, Barnacles and Coastal Wild Foods
2026-06-14 06:10 - 09:30 | Hug Point State Recreation Site, Beach Access Rd, Arch Cape, 97102
Arcadia Beach, Oregon.
$35 – $60 sliding scale, children pay their age, see details.
Arcadia Beach, Arch Cape, Oregon. Learn how to find, harvest, transport, clean, and prepare Oregon mussels, barnacles, and other edible wild plants during one of the lowest tides in 2026. Learn gathering regulations, limits and the modern tools used to gather them. We will cover some sea vegetables but only collect them if abundant and in season. The times we meet are dictated by when the tides are low enough to for us to reach the mussels. End time is just an estimate.
What to Bring
Each person should bring a 2026 Oregon Recreational Shellfish License – Read about licenses below. A license is mandatory for anyone 12 or older! You can print a paper version and have one downloaded to your phone via the MyODFW app.

A current Oregon Shellfish Collecting License
One 3 or 5 gallon collecting pail per person for mussels. You might also bring a carabiner to attach the bucket handle to your belt
If this workshop is between March 1 and June 15, bring a white reusable plastic grocery bag (the kind with handles) for collecting sea vegetables. After the date, sea vegetable collecting is not allowed.
Old wettable pants and wettable footwear (old tennis shoes or rugged waterproof sandals. Warm layered wetable synthetic or wool clothing – you will get wet, possibly up to your thighs, typically up to your knees. Thigh waders could work. Chest waders are overkill.

Any remaining registration materials that you need to hand in
Gardening gloves. Get the best fitting gloves (not too loose, not to tight) to protect your hands from cuts
Long strong scissors in a holster (preferred) or a long knife in a holster
A day pack with water, snacks, extra layers for warmth
A towel and change of cloths for your return trip home
Money if you want to buy John’s books ($25-30 each [sliding scale] list price is $28). We accept cash, check, or CC ($1 extra each book for CC fee). Edible Wild Plants, Volumes 1 and 2 are available after each workshop to look at or buy.

Recreational Shellfish Licenses
Recreational Shellfish Licenses are now required for anyone 12 and over to collect shellfish in Oregon. In-state licenses are $13/year for adults, $10 for those 12-17 years olds. Out of state licenses are $25 for 3 days or $37/year. 3-Day licenses must specify the days you intend to do the collecting. You must carry the License with you during the workshop (in a phone app or a printed copy) or you will only be allowed to watch. If shellfish are found in your possession on the beach and you do not have a license, the fine is $80 and up. Licenses should be purchased “PRIOR” to our events by going to the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife web site. DO NOT wait until the last minute! Here is how to do it:
Steps to Getting a Shellfish License
Go to the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife web site Or you may be able to do the whole thing from your phone from their “MyODFW” app. I have not tried the phone app route to pay so the directions here are only how to do it on your computer.
Wait until after January 2 of the current year.
If you are new, press: “Create an Account Today”
Create a user name & password – Record them since you will use the same account every year when purchasing a license or to open the app.
If you already have a digital account, press: “Verify/Look up your Account”
Follow the prompts.
Once an account is created click, “Purchase From the Catalog”
Type “Annual Shellfish License” in the search bar.
Click “Add” to add it to your cart. Then go to your cart to purchase.
When done, the license will be added to your, “Recreational Portfolio” for the current year. It is good until December 31 of the year you buy it.
Print out or save a pdf copy to your computer.
On your phone go to your APP Store and search for “MyODFW”. Add it to your phone apps. Load in your user name and password and it will display your license. Then if you are ever stopped by the coastal authorities you can just pull up the app.
If you have trouble understanding the process, the licensing office number is: 503-947-6101
For more information:
Call the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife at 800-720-6339 or 503-947-6000.
General Clamming Information: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
Shellfish Regulations & Limits: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
Note: that a license does not allow us the ability to collect shellfish if there is a marine toxin advisory from the Department of Fish & Wildlife, The Department of Health, or the USDA.

Meet us at Arcadia Beach
Meet us at Arcadia Beach State Recreation Area parking lot – SEE MAP.: Be there before 6:10am and wait patiently. Go to the restroom and empty your bladder prior to our arrival (force yourself – it’s the last chance you will have for almost 2 hours, though bathrooms are only a 10 min walk away). Wait patiently in the parking lot in case we get delayed, get to know the other participants, read a book, change into your beach cloths and shoes. We’ll swing by soon to confirm registrations and proceed on to the beach. If you are late go down to the beach and look for us. Make sure we have your cell phone number if you have one (in case of an emergency)! Program our number 503-775-3828 into your cell phone. Cell coverage is bad in the coast range and spotty along the coast. Low tide is estimated to be at around 7:25am.
Carpooling from Portland
If you need a ride to the coast, or prefer carpooling or caravanning, give us a call or e-mail to see if it can be arranged. This must be arranged ahead of time. Expect to pay $10 to the driver to help pay for fuel.

Pricing Details
Sliding Scale Economics
Due to hard economic times for some, sliding scales are offered to support individual financial circumstances. We ask participants to pay what they feel they can afford within the range offered for each workshop. You decide what to pay using an honest assessment of your individual circumstances. We do not ask anyone to explain their very personal decision. The high end is a very reasonable price for these quality workshops for those who are doing well in this economy. Groups must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Discounts
$5 Discounts are available on our Registration Form for adult family members that attend together, persons identifying as indigenous, full time college students and scout leaders. Children (17 and under) must be accompanied by their parent(s). Children under 7 are free. Children 7 and above pay their age. Classrooms and teachers with students are not eligible for these discounts and must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Refund & Transfer Policies
If you cannot attend a workshop you registered for, and you contact us immediately, or at the latest, the last weekday before the event, you are entitled to a transfer or refund minus a $5 processing fee. If you do not show up the day of a workshop you registered for, you forfeit the full amount paid.

Enrollment Limited! – Advanced registration reserves you a place in the workshop. Walk-ons may be turned away if our size limit is reached. When registering by mail, assume a workshop is open unless you see a “FULL” notice posted above.
Registration
Download the REGISTRATION and WAIVER Forms. Print and fill out these forms and mail them with payment to: Wild Food Adventures, 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR 97215. If there is space and your are a walk-on, bring the forms and payment with you. While you can register many times throughout the year, only a single waiver form is required per person per year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) for all our day events. Multi-day Rendezvous require an additional waiver.

Cancellation Due to Nature Or Contaminated Runoff
Due to warming oceans, red tides have become more frequent. For the first time in 30 years (so it is rare) the whole coast was closed for about a month in 2024 to any clamming. If a major closure happens during the date of this event, we would have to cancel it. Any time we have to cancel an event, it is a huge inconvenience to all of us. A cancelled clamming workshop costs Wild Food Adventures up to two thousand dollars in time, advertising, bookkeeping, management, license fees, and refunds. It could also cost you, even if I refund all your money. If you decide to rent nearby lodging at the coast, incur travel or other expenses, or plan with other people, we cannot reimburse you or make up for any change in your plans. If we have to cancel, the only thing you can do is make the best of whatever plans you already made.

GingerRoot Wild Food Rendezvous
2026-06-19 - 2026-06-22 | Silverton Grange, 201 Division Street, Silverton, OR, 97381, United States
Silverton, Oregon. This 23rd Annual GingerRoot Rendezvous is an intensive on the role and use of edible wild plants in everyday life, recreational foraging, re-connecting with nature, self-reliance, and survival.
Silverton, Oregon.
$445, Early registration discounts are listed below.
A multi-day, hands-on wild food adventure and teach-in, learning natural wonders in the context of current realities. We have access to forest wilderness, woodlands, swamps, grasslands, farmland, fallow fields, rivers, lakes, and more. We travel to a variety of habitats learning about and gathering plants. Gain a realistic vision and practical experience on the roles that wild foods play in diet, recreational foraging, self-reliance, and survival. We’ll cover how wild foods can be incorporated into the everyday diet of those looking for a more simple, sustainable way of living and expanding their nutritive options. We’ll cover how the people from all over the world made a living off the land as well as the roles wild foods can play in modern life. Technical details are below. See a short video explaining the overall plan and what we are trying to accomplish here.

Foods gathered. Photo by Jeff Lawton.

Event Goals

John teaching about elderbow. Photo by Starr Wilson.

To help participants understand the roles that wild foods can play in recreation, adding foods to the everyday diet, self-reliance and survival; to provide hands on experience with some of the most important plants and processes that could be used in those situations; to provide the opportunity for participants to share and learn from each other regarding their cumulative experiences with wild foods; to promote a sustainable harvest mentality with a strong support of protecting and respecting green and wild places; to directly address the great mass of misinformation found in the popular literature and the internet; and to have fun, make friends, and connect with people who are interested in the same kinds of things.
The Mood We’d Like to Set
We want this to be a fun and educational outdoor experience and adventure. We expect everyone to be friendly, respectful, encouraging of others, and open minded. Leave bad attitudes at home. You are welcome to be a lone wolf or be as social as you feel comfortable – as long as you are respectful to others and do your part to make the event successful. We will be together a lot of the time so take the opportunity to get to know people and make friends.
Instructors
Everyone attending will share their knowledge, ideas, methods, and wisdom based on their own experiences. Participant skill levels will range from beginner to advanced. All input will be respected as personal experience to be learned from. The main instructor and moderator is Dr. John Kallas, Director of Wild Food Adventures. Dr. Kallas has a Ph.D. in nutrition and a Masters in education. He is a trained botanist, nature photographer, writer, researcher, and teacher. John has researched edible wild plants since 1970 and taught in colleges, universities, outdoor skill conferences, and to the general public since 1978. He has taught and trained thousands of people in wild foods from all over North America, and given hundreds of wild food presentations to a variety of groups. Dr. Kallas founded the Wild Food Adventures outdoor school in 1993, edited the Wild Food Adventurer newsletter from 1996 to 2006, and published Volumes 1 and 2 of the Wild Food Adventures Book Series; “Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods from Dirt to Plate” in 2010, and “Edible Wild plants: Wild Foods From Foraging to Feasting” in 2023. Go here to learn more about John.
Accommodations and Food
Our base camp is located in picturesque Silverton Oregon. The area is in the foothills of the Cascade mountain range and part of the fertile Willamette valley. Characterized by rolling hills, fertile soils and a diversity of habitats, this area is ideal for the GingerRoot. About an hours drive from both Portland and Corvallis, our location is very accessible, but tucked away from the outside world. We have access to forest wilderness, woodlands, swamps, grasslands, farmland, fallow fields, rivers, lakes, and more. We travel to a variety of habitats learning about and gathering plants. Participants stay in their own tents. At the core of our basecamp is the Silverton Grange which offers us a large professional kitchen, indoor meeting space, and modern bathroom facilities. Parking is separate but close to our encampment. There are no hook-ups for RVs or trailers. Wherever practical / sustainable, wild foods will be the basis of our common meals. Participants have the option of staying in a local bed and breakfast or hotel but you must provide your own transportation to and from GingerRoot. Silverton, our quaint historic host city comes complete with the normal amenities; a hospital, supermarkets, food purveyers, and tourist attractions. The downtown, is only a 10 minutes drive away. Salem is a 30 minute drive.

The Goals of the Event
Unless you stay off site, you will be bringing your own tent and camping equipment. Food: We will provide simple breakfasts for Saturday and Sunday. Together, we will make wild food dinners for Saturday and Sunday, as well as Monday breakfast from the foods we gather during the Rendezvous. You will be responsible for providing your own food on Friday, sack lunches for Saturday and Sunday and all the snack food you want to eat for four days. Refrigeration may not be available, so plan accordingly. Bring a cooler if you know you’ll want one. Conventional food supplies will be available in Silverton. We will have access to a modern kitchen for Rendezvous meals as well as basic breakfast and lunch preparation.
If you have a special diet or food restrictions bring the foods you feel you need. Not only for your personal meals, but wild meals we make in common. Part of some of the dishes we make will include conventional flour, sugar, eggs, milk, etc. If you cannot eat these items for health or philosophical reasons, bring alternatives for yourself. You can choose to incorporate the wild foods we gather into your own dishes, in parallel with us, that satisfy a raw lifestyle, veganism, etc.
What to Bring
We will be in the same location for four days with access to modern kitchen and bathroom facilities. Beginning on Saturday, breakfasts and dinners will be provided through Monday morning. You are responsible for 2 sack lunches and snacks. Refrigeration for personal items will not be provided. Bring your favorite coffee mug and a water bottle you can carry with you. Conventional food supplies will be available in town. Wild foods will make up the bulk of our evening meals. During the event we will construct/improvise a potluck from the wild foods we gather. So come prepared thinking about plant-based, plant-rich potluck recipes, and bring (or shop in Silverton for) any specialty ingredients required as you will be preparing it to share family style with the group. Don’t worry, this is easier than you think, and you will receive plenty of guidance.
Outside of your typical camping gear if you are camping you should consider following: Prepare for temperatures usually ranging from 50°F to 94°F. Bring clothing for comfort around camp. For inland forests, bring rugged but layered hiking cloths and hiking boots. In some cases we may be wading through mud or ankle deep water so an old pair of tennis shoes you don’t care about might be useful. A checklist of what to bring can be downloaded here:

Tent
Sleeping bag
Sleep Pad
Flashlight or lamp
Backpack
Scissors – preferably in a knife sheath

Alarm Clock
Wide brimmed shade hat
Hiking boots or walking shoes
Warm layered wool clothing – you may get wet or cold
Bring 3 changes of cloths
Sunscreen
Bug Repellent

Note pads and pencils
Toiletries
Pack of moist towelettes / baby wipes
2 Towels
Personal favorite coffee or tea mugs
Portable water bottle with holster
Food for sac lunches
Snacks

Optional: Bring wild foods that you’ve previously prepared that you would like to share with the rest of us. Wild flours, jams, syrups, canned foods, pickles, nuts, beans, fruit leathers, wild jerkys…

What NOT to Bring
Drugs, alcohol, firearms, fireworks, fighting, or pets. Violators and troublemakers will be asked to leave. Anyone asked to leave has no right to a refund.
Arrival/Departure Times
Arrive anytime after 4:00pm on Friday June 19, 2026 – set up camp/meet other participants. GingerRoot and its first activities officially begin with a program at 7:00 p.m. Friday. The last GingerRoot activity will end by 12:00pm Monday, June 22, 2026.
Student Comments:
“The GingerRoot Rendezvous was a wonderful event in every way. The setting was beautiful, and the information was excellent and taught in a well thought out, well paced, and well organized fashion. We were exposed to a great depth knowledge of wild foods and ethnobotany. And our wild edible meals were great too!” Anne Weise
“GingerRoot exceeded my expectations. I’m looking forward to more of them.” Stewart Meyers
“If you ever wondered about the edibility of wild things at your feet you will want to join John Kallas for the GingerRoot Rendezvous. The plants, people, and dedicated instruction made the Rendezvous an event I look forward to doing again.” Linda LaPlante Beatty

Enrollment Limited! – Advanced registration reserves you a place in the Rendezvous.
Registration Fees
Full Registration: $445 (in US dollars) for the full 4 day event.

Early Registration Discounts*

Pay on or before…
April 4, 2026, and pay a reduced rate of only: $360
May 4, 2026, and pay a reduced rate of only: $385
May 18, 2026, and pay a reduced rate of only: $405
June 4, 2026, and pay a reduced rate of only: $420
June 15, 2026, and pay a reduced rate of only: $435
June 16, 2026 onward, pay full price of $445

Fees for Children**

Ages: 0 – 6 attend for free
Ages: 7 – 9 pay 14 times their age
Ages: 10 – 13 pay 16 times their age
Ages: 14 – 17 pay 18 times their age
Ages: 18 and above pay adult prices

*These early registration discounts require that you pay in full (received in our office) by these cut off dates.
**Children through and including the age of 17 must be under the supervision and responsibility of a parent or guardian at all times. No more than 2 children per adult attendee. The GingerRoot Rendezvous, Dr. Kallas, Wild Food Adventures, and anyone associated with them are not, and cannot be responsible for children. There are no child care facilities. That being said, children will find a friendly and inclusive environment.

Further Registration Discounts – ONLY ONE OF THESE CAN APPLY PER PERSON
Previous GingerRoot Attendees get an additional $60 discount off any of the cut-off dates above. These adults (18+) get a $30 discount off any of the cut-off dates above: Full time college students, persons identifying as indigenous, adult family members that register together and the involuntarily unemployed. You cannot combine discounts.
Partial Event Registrations
There are no discounts for partial attendance. One or two day (Saturday + Sunday) attendees pay full price based on registration dates listed above. Due to the progressive/building nature of the planned learning process, it is recommended to attend the full Rendezvous if you possibly can.
Carpooling Contribution
Bring $10.00 to this event for a carpooling contribution. Do not include this with your registration, bring it separately. Volunteer drivers will ferry us to a variety of habitats over the four days of the event.
Lodging

Off site
Our base camp is located in picturesque Silverton, Oregon Grange and participants will be camping on location. If possible, we’d prefer that everyone be on-site. If staying off site, we recommend arriving by the time our breakfast begins so you will receive any last minute information and announcements prior to heading out for the day. If you arrive late and we have already left camp, you might miss a large portion of the day’s events. There are no discounts for staying off site.
Camping and Other Options
Camping on the grounds or sleeping in your vehicle is included in your registration. If you stay on the grounds you have four options.

Camping with a tent
Car Camping
Staying in an RV (There are no hook ups on site)
If you have no other option, sleeping on the floor in the common area. But you will not get much sleep. You will need special permission to do this.

Refund Policy
There is no charge if you cancel before we’ve had the time to process your registration. If that is the case, upon your approval, your check will be destroyed and you will have paid nothing. If your registration has been processed, the following schedule is done for an adult registration…

All but $20 is returned if a refund is requested between Jan 1 & June 15 , 2026.
All but $30 is returned if a refund is requested on or before June 11, 2026.
All but $100 is returned if a refund is requested on or before June 18, 2026.
No money is returned if a refund is requested the day before the start of this event or there after.

If there is a group registration, the above amounts apply to just one of the group’s registrants, adding $5 per additional registrant to process the withdrawls.

Registration
Download the REGISTRATION/WAIVER Forms. Print and fill out necessary forms and email to John Kallas or bring filled out forms to the event once you have paid for the event.
Note: Due to the nature of these workshops in natural habitats that are out of our control, we cannot accommodate certain special needs.

Edible Wild Plants of the Wild Food Adventures Botanic Garden — Part 2
2026-06-28 13:00 - 16:00 | Wild Food Adventures, 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR, 97215, United States
Portland, Oregon.
$30 – $60 sliding scale, children pay their age, see details.
This workshop goes beyond part 1 to see more plants, as well as plants covered in part 1, but that are now at another stage of growth with additional foods at their prime for gathering. Learn about the edible plants in our wild food teaching, research, and demonstration gardens. See a great diversity of both native and non-native edibles all in the same place. Many sustainably return year after year. The land is managed and designed to provide a diversity of herbs, shrubs, vines, annuals, biennials and perennials that we can learn from. We’ll identify plants, discuss edibility, sample those in season, and how to bring all these foods right to your own yard.
Location
Meet at 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland OR 97215.
What to Bring
— Prepare for the weather.
— Any remaining registration materials that you need to hand in.
— Comfortable walking, hiking shoes or boots.
— Money if you want to buy John’s books ($25-30 each [sliding scale] list price is $28). We accept cash, check, or CC ($1 extra each book for CC fee). Edible Wild Plants, Volumes 1 and 2 are available after each workshop to look at or buy.

Pricing Details
Sliding Scale Economics
Due to hard economic times for some, sliding scales are offered to support individual financial circumstances. We ask participants to pay what they feel they can afford within the range offered for each workshop. You decide what to pay using an honest assessment of your individual circumstances. We do not ask anyone to explain their very personal decision. The high end is a very reasonable price for these quality workshops for those who are doing well in this economy. Groups must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Discounts
$5 Discounts are available on our Registration Form for adult family members that attend together, persons identifying as indigenous, full time college students and scout leaders. Children (17 and under) must be accompanied by their parent(s). Children under 7 are free. Children 7 and above pay their age. Classrooms and teachers with students are not eligible for these discounts and must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Refund & Transfer Policies
If you cannot attend a workshop you registered for, and you contact us immediately, or at the latest, the last weekday before the event, you are entitled to a transfer or refund minus a $5 processing fee. If you do not show up the day of a workshop you registered for, you forfeit the full amount paid.

Enrollment Limited! – Advanced registration reserves you a place in the workshop. Walk-ons may be turned away if our size limit is reached. When registering by mail, assume a workshop is open unless you see a “FULL” notice posted above.
Registration
Download the REGISTRATION and WAIVER Forms. Print and fill out these forms and mail them with payment to: Wild Food Adventures, 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR 97215. If there is space and your are a walk-on, bring the forms and payment with you. While you can register many times throughout the year, only a single waiver form is required per person per year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) for all our day events. Multi-day Rendezvous require an additional waiver.

Butter, Steamer and Gaper Clam Dig
2026-07-12 05:45 - 09:30 | Tillamook Safeway Parking Lot, Safeway, 1815 4th St., Tillamook, OR, 97141, United States
THIS WORKSHOP IS CANCELLED. Other coastal workshops (clamming & Seavegetables) don’t begin again until next spring. Get on our mailing list to be notified of those events when they are established.
Netarts, Oregon.
$35 – $60 sliding scale, children pay their age, see details.
Netarts, Oregon. Learn how to find, dig, transport, clean, and prepare butter, steamer, and gaper clams during one of the lowest tides this year. Learn gathering regulations, limits and the modern tools used to dig them. The times we meet are dictated by when the tides are low enough to for us to reach the clams. End time is just an estimate.
Quick Links

What to Bring |
Shellfish License |
Where to Meet |
Payment Information |
Registration/Waiver |
Location Map

What to Bring
Each person should bring a 2026 Oregon Recreational Shellfish License – Read about licenses below. A license is mandatory for anyone 12 or older! If you have one, bring either a clam gun or a SMALL NARROW garden shovel (NOT a huge farmer’s manure shovel; your goal is to make a quick deep narrow precise hole, not move huge amounts of earth). The narrower, the better.
Digging Tools:
Best, but most expensive: Clam gun with vacuum release valve ($80-$150).
They are much easier on your back, more efficiently bring up solid shafts of the sand, faster at digging, and are better environmentally for the clam beds. They are also the most expensive, but well worth it if you end up clamming on a regular basis. Clam Guns with Vacuum release are difficult to find in retail stores even if you are at the coast. All are available online. There are three types of clam guns I know of with vacuum release tubes varying in quality and features. They are the Claminator, the Clam Hawk and the Clam Vac. I use the Claminator, since I clam regularly, and it’s design is better suited for digging butter and gaper bay clams then the others in sand or muck. They are also great for razors. Go here for more information about vacuum release clam guns.
Good and least expensive: Spade shovel ($20-$30)
Many people have these already or can borrow one. You can also bring a regular shovel just to try it, if that is all you have or can borrow. Bring whatever is handy. The goal is to dig deep and narrow holes – to move as little sand as possible. Big fat shovels are bad since they force you to move much more sand then necessary and therefore kill a lot of other organisms, including baby clams living in the sand. The narrower the shovel, the better.
DO NOT:
1) Buy a special “clamming” shovel just for this event. They are designed for razor clamming experts and work great for that. While they are great to dig for these clams too, the narrow flat-bladed spade shovel I’m recommending is cheaper and does a good job. If you already own a razor clam shovel, it is a great choice, bring it.
2) Buy a standard cheap clam gun. They do not have a vacuum release so are very ineffective in the bays. They can work fine for razor clams depending on conditions, but NOT for the bay clams we are digging for. A narrow bladed shovel is better than a cheap clam gun.
3) Bring toy shovels, gardening hand trowels, short survival shovels, or big fat manure shovels. Toy hand shovels or gardening hand trowels are only good for infants that are playing in the sand, not clamming.

A current Oregon Shellfish Collecting License
Warm layered insulating clothing (wool is best, cotton is worst) that can get wet and dirty – you knees and arms up to your shoulders will get wet and dirty.

One 3 or 5 gallon pail per person
Old wettable tennis shoes
Towel
A change of cloths
Backpack
Water
A sac lunch
Snacks

Note: Shovels can be dangerous to carry around groups, so please pack and handle them with care! Prepare for variable coastal weather! While we hope to go through water at only foot level, depending on Mother Nature, you may have to wade through thigh high water, slog through muck up to your ankles, and climb over hillsides. It is all in a day’s adventure!

Recreational Shellfish Licenses
Recreational Shellfish Licenses are now required for anyone 12 and over to collect shellfish in Oregon. In-state licenses are $10/year, Out of state licenses are $19 for 3 days or $28/year. 3-Day licenses must specify the days you intend to do the collecting. You must carry the License with you during the workshop (in a phone app or a printed copy) or you will only be allowed to watch. If shellfish are found in your possession on the beach and you do not have a license, the fine is $80 and up. Licenses should be purchased “PRIOR” to our events by going to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife web site. DO NOT wait until the last minute! Here is how to do it:
Steps to Getting a Shellfish License
Go to the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife web site Or you may be able to do the whole thing from your phone from their “MyODFW” app. I have not tried the phone app route to pay so the directions here are only how to do it on your computer.
Wait until after January 2 of the workshop year of the workshop you register for.
If you are new, press: “Create an Account Today”
Create a user name & password – Record them since you will use the same account every year when purchasing a license or to open the app.
If you already have a digital account, press: “Verify/Look up your Account”
Follow the prompts.
Once an account is created click, “Purchase From the Catalog”
Type “Annual Shellfish License” in the search bar.
Click “Add” to add it to your cart. Then go to your cart to purchase.
When done, the license will be added to your, “Recreational Portfolio” for the current year. It is good until December 31 of the year you buy it.
Print out or save a pdf copy to your computer.
On your phone go to your APP Store and search for “MyODFW”. Add it to your phone apps. Load in your user name and password and it will display your license. Then if you are ever stopped by the coastal authorities you can just pull up the app.
If you have trouble understanding the process, the licensing office number is: 503-947-6101
For more information:
Call the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife at 800-720-6339 or 503-947-6000.
General Clamming Information: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
Shellfish Regulations & Limits: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
Note: that a license does not allow us the ability to collect shellfish if there is a marine toxin advisory from the Department of Fish & Wildlife, The Department of Health, or the USDA.

Meet us in Tillamook
Meet us in Tillamook at the NW corner of the Safeway Parking lot adjacent to Stillwell Ave and 3rd street: Be there before 5:45am and wait patiently – see map. The Safeway typically opens by 5am, so go into their bathroom and empty your bladder prior to our arrival (force yourself – it’s the last chance you will have for almost 3 hours). Don’t park in the surrounding streets. Wait patiently in the parking lot in case we get delayed, get to know the other participants, read a book, change into your beach cloths and shoes. We’ll swing by soon to pick you up and proceed on to the workshop site. You must be there when we arrive or you will miss us. Make sure we have your cell phone number if you have one (in case of an emergency)! Program our number 503-775-3828 into your cell phone. But note that cell phone service in the coast range is almost non-existent so anyone, including the instructor, cannot be reached while traveling there. Ocean low tide is estimated to be around 6:23am for this date.
Carpooling from Portland
If you need a ride to the coast, or prefer carpooling or caravanning, give us a call. If carpooling is arranged expect to give $10 to the driver to help pay for fuel.

Pricing Details
Sliding Scale Economics
Due to hard economic times for some, sliding scales are offered to support individual financial circumstances. We ask participants to pay what they feel they can afford within the range offered for each workshop. You decide what to pay using an honest assessment of your individual circumstances. We do not ask anyone to explain their very personal decision. The high end is a very reasonable price for these quality workshops for those who are doing well in this economy. Groups must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Discounts
$5 Discounts are available on our Registration Form for adult family members that attend together, persons identifying as indigenous, full time college students and scout leaders. Children (17 and under) must be accompanied by their parent(s). Children under 7 are free. Children 7 and above pay their age. Classrooms and teachers with students are not eligible for these discounts and must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Refund & Transfer Policies
If you cannot attend a workshop you registered for, and you contact us immediately, or at the latest, the last weekday before the event, you are entitled to a transfer or refund minus a $5 processing fee. If you do not show up the day of a workshop you registered for, you forfeit the full amount paid.

Enrollment Limited! – Advanced registration reserves you a place in the workshop. Walk-ons may be turned away if our size limit is reached. When registering by mail, assume a workshop is open unless you see a “FULL” notice posted above.
Registration
Download the REGISTRATION and WAIVER Forms. Print and fill out these forms and mail them with payment to: Wild Food Adventures, 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR 97215. If there is space and your are a walk-on, bring the forms and payment with you. While you can register many times throughout the year, only a single waiver form is required per person per year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) for all our day events. Multi-day Rendezvous require an additional waiver.

Cancellation Due to Nature Or Contaminated Runoff
Due to warming oceans, red tides have become more frequent. For the first time in 30 years (so it is rare) the whole coast was closed for about a month in 2024 to any clamming. If a major closure happens during the date of this event, we would have to cancel it. Any time we have to cancel an event, it is a huge inconvenience to all of us. A cancelled clamming workshop costs Wild Food Adventures up to two thousand dollars in time, advertising, bookkeeping, management, license fees, and refunds. It could also cost you, even if I refund all your money. If you decide to rent nearby lodging at the coast, incur travel or other expenses, or plan with other people, we cannot reimburse you or make up for any change in your plans. If we have to cancel, the only thing you can do is make the best of whatever plans you already made.

Wapato Island Wild Food Expedition
2026-07-18 09:00 - 12:30 | Sauvie island, Sam's Cracker Barrel Grocery, 15005 NW Sauvie Island Rd, Portland, Or, OR, 97231, United States
Portland, Oregon.
$30 – $60 sliding scale, children pay their age, see details.
We’ll investigate wild foods from marshes, fields, and woods — including arrowhead (known as wapato), wocas, elderberry, Oregon grape, blackberry, wild peas, and many other plants. Sauvie Island was originally named Wappatoe Island by the Lewis and Clark expedition for its abundance of the wapato plant. While it is still early, wild blackberries might be ripe for picking while we are there. Here is a history of the island.
What to Bring
— Prepare for the weather. Wear comfortable walking, hiking shoes or boots. No flip flops. Blue jeans work well to protect your legs from tall sharp grass. It is typically hot and sunny this time of year.
— A water bottle to keep you hydrated.
— A container if you want to collect blackberries after the workshop, assuming they are ripe at this time.
— A Sauvie Island parking permit if you have one. All cars entering the Fish and Wildlife area must have a permit. If you don’t have one, wait until we get organized before buying one. They are $10 for a 1 day pass, $30 for a year pass.
— Money if you want to buy John’s books. $25-30 each, sliding scale, (list price is $28) cash or check. Edible Wild Plants, Volumes 1 and/or 2. They will be available after the workshop to look at or buy.
— Any remaining registration materials that you need to hand in.
Meeting Site and Parking
Sauvie island is a 10 mile drive from downtown Portland. Go north towards St Helens on Hwy 30. Turn right onto the Sauvie Island bridge. We’ll meet at the parking lot on the far side of the island store – Sam’s Cracker Barrel Grocery, 15005 NW Sauvie Island Rd, Portland, OR. We’ll car pool and caravan from there to a variety of habitats. Ordinarily Tri-met bus #17 will take you to the bus stop – #8437 – Gilihan Rd and Sauvie Island Dr which is about 60 yards from the store. Here is a map to the store. There is no bus on Sundays.

Pricing Details
Sliding Scale Economics
Due to hard economic times for some, sliding scales are offered to support individual financial circumstances. We ask participants to pay what they feel they can afford within the range offered for each workshop. You decide what to pay using an honest assessment of your individual circumstances. We do not ask anyone to explain their very personal decision. The high end is a very reasonable price for these quality workshops for those who are doing well in this economy. Groups must contact us for circumstance-specific rates.
Discounts
$5 Discounts are available on our Registration Form for adult family members that attend together, persons identifying as indigenous, full time college students and scout leaders. Children (17 and under) must be accompanied by their parent(s). Children under 7 are free. Children 7 and above pay their age. Classrooms and teachers with students are not eligible for these discounts and must contact us for circumstance-specific rates.
Refund & Transfer Policies
If you cannot attend a workshop you registered for, and you contact us immediately, or at the latest, the last weekday before the event, you are entitled to a transfer or refund minus a $5 processing fee. If you do not show up the day of a workshop you registered for, you forfeit the full amount paid.

Enrollment Limited! – Advanced registration reserves you a place in the workshop. Walk-ons may be turned away if our size limit is reached. When registering by mail, assume a workshop is open unless you see a “FULL” notice posted above.
Registration
Download the REGISTRATION and WAIVER Forms. Print and fill out these forms and mail them with payment to: Wild Food Adventures, 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR 97215. If there is space and your are a walk-on, bring the forms and payment with you. While you can register many times throughout the year, only a single waiver form is required per person per year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) for all our day events. Multi-day Rendezvous require an additional waiver.

Farm to Table Wild Food Salad
2026-07-19 13:00 - 17:00 | Cully Organic Neighborhood Farm, 5520 NE Killingsworth St, Portland, OR, 97218, United States
Portland, Oregon.
$35 – $60 sliding scale, children pay their age, see details.
This workshop covers many of the plants seen in the books: Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods From Dirt to Plate, and Wild Food Foraging to Feasting by John Kallas. Visit an organic farm and make a delectable wild gourmet salad on the spot with other participants. We’ll harvest fresh delicious wild edibles that the farmers would be pulling out as weeds. Learn how to identify common, plentiful, nutritious, and flavorful wild vegetables and fruits in this adventure. Get real hands-on experience with plants you’ll see on a farm and in your own garden. Take advantage of these readily available sources of nutrients, and dietary variety. Traditional wild European edibles (gourmet greens and vegetables) plant themselves, enjoy the rich moist growing environment of the garden, and provide many seasons of foods that can add meal options you never dreamed of before. Once your learn these wild foods you can change from a “weeding” to a “harvesting” mentality in your own garden, yard, and neighborhood.
What to Bring
— Prepare for the weather, we’ll be outdoors the whole time.
— Clothing appropriate for harvesting on a farm, comfortable walking, hiking shoes or boots. No flip flops.
— A salad bowl, a fork, sharp scissors (preferably in a holster), a white plastic grocery bag or light colored reusable grocery bag, and a spray mister (like you would spray house plants with to keep them moist). Salad dressing if you have special food requirements.
— Money if you want to buy John’s books ($25-30 each [sliding scale] list price is $28). We accept cash, check, or CC ($1 extra each book for CC fee). Edible Wild Plants, Volumes 1 and 2 are available after each workshop to look at or buy.
— Any remaining registration materials that you need to hand in.
Meeting Site and Parking
This workshop is at the Cully Organic Farm behind the Trinity Lutheran Christian Church, 5520 NE Killingsworth St, Portland, OR 97218. Here is a MAP to the church. Park at the very back of their parking lot. The farm is across the soccer field. We’ll meet there.

Pricing Details
Sliding Scale Economics
Due to hard economic times for some, sliding scales are offered to support individual financial circumstances. We ask participants to pay what they feel they can afford within the range offered for each workshop. You decide what to pay using an honest assessment of your individual circumstances. We do not ask anyone to explain their very personal decision. The high end is a very reasonable price for these quality workshops for those who are doing well in this economy. Groups must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Discounts
$5 Discounts are available on our Registration Form for adult family members that attend together, persons identifying as indigenous, full time college students and scout leaders. Children (17 and under) must be accompanied by their parent(s). Children under 7 are free. Children 7 and above pay their age. Classrooms and teachers with students are not eligible for these discounts and must contact us for circumstance-specific rates.
Refund & Transfer Policies
If you cannot attend a workshop you registered for, and you contact us immediately, or at the latest, the last weekday before the event, you are entitled to a transfer or refund minus a $5 processing fee. If you do not show up the day of a workshop you registered for, you forfeit the full amount paid.

Enrollment Limited! – Advanced registration reserves you a place in the workshop. Walk-ons may be turned away if our size limit is reached. When registering by mail, assume a workshop is open unless you see a “FULL” notice posted above.
Registration
Download the REGISTRATION and WAIVER Forms. Print and fill out these forms and mail them with payment to: Wild Food Adventures, 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR 97215. If there is space and your are a walk-on, bring the forms and payment with you. While you can register many times throughout the year, only a single waiver form is required per person per year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) for all our day events. Multi-day Rendezvous require an additional waiver.

Wild Foods of the Springwater Corridor - Part 2
2026-08-02 13:00 - 16:00 | Springwater Corridor, 4515 SE Johnson Creek Blvd, Portland, 97222
THIS WORKSHOP IS Cancelled. Considered other remaining workshops.
Portland, Oregon.
$30 – $60 sliding scale, children pay their age, see details.
Learn at one of Portland’s favorite walkways and bike trails meandering along side of and often crossing Johnson creek with quaint bridges. This nature trail has many tributaries which we will explore for wild edibles. This area is complete with cattail, butternut, wild rose, thimbleberry, wild currents, hawthorns, fireweed and much more. This August workshop is different from Part 1 in April. See plants you pass by everyday. Most of these plants can be found in your own neighborhoods, fields, and local woodlands. Learn identification, use, and processing. Learn wild carrot, poison hemlock, hazelnut, wild pea, oso berry, black haw, wild rose, and many other plants at this time of year.
What to Bring
— Prepare for the weather.
— Any remaining registration materials that you need to hand in.
— Comfortable walking, hiking shoes or boots. No flip flops.
— Money if you want to buy John’s books ($25-30 each [sliding scale] list price is $28). We accept cash, check, or CC ($1 extra each book for CC fee). Edible Wild Plants, Volumes 1 and 2 are available after each workshop to look at or buy.
Meeting Location
Meet at the Johnson Creek Blvd entrance to the Corridor and park in their lot. HERE is a map to the site. We will be between the creek bridge (it is a small one) and the building with bright green markings. The driveway is 3 feet to the left of the “25 mph speed limit sign”. The tiny road to the right of the speed limit sign is the trail, not a driveway.

Pricing Details
Sliding Scale Economics
Due to hard economic times for some, sliding scales are offered to support individual financial circumstances. We ask participants to pay what they feel they can afford within the range offered for each workshop. You decide what to pay using an honest assessment of your individual circumstances. We do not ask anyone to explain their very personal decision. The high end is a very reasonable price for these quality workshops for those who are doing well in this economy. Groups must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Discounts
$5 Discounts are available on our Registration Form for adult family members that attend together, persons identifying as indigenous, full time college students and scout leaders. Children (17 and under) must be accompanied by their parent(s). Children under 7 are free. Children 7 and above pay their age. Classrooms and teachers with students are not eligible for these discounts and must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Refund & Transfer Policies
If you cannot attend a workshop you registered for, and you contact us immediately, or at the latest, the last weekday before the event, you are entitled to a transfer or refund minus a $5 processing fee. If you do not show up the day of a workshop you registered for, you forfeit the full amount paid.

Enrollment Limited! – Advanced registration reserves you a place in the workshop. Walk-ons may be turned away if our size limit is reached. When registering by mail, assume a workshop is open unless you see a “FULL” notice posted above.
Registration
Download the REGISTRATION and WAIVER Forms. Print and fill out these forms and mail them with payment to: Wild Food Adventures, 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR 97215. If there is space and your are a walk-on, bring the forms and payment with you. While you can register many times throughout the year, only a single waiver form is required per person per year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) for all our day events. Multi-day Rendezvous require an additional waiver.

Wild Foods of Sellwood & Oaks Parks, SE Portland
2026-08-09 09:00 - 12:00 | Sellwood, 7722 SE 7th Ave, Portland, OR, 97202, United States
Portland, Oregon.
$30 – $60 sliding scale, children pay their age, see details.
We’ll wander through Sellwood and Oaks Parks natural areas to find some of Fall’s best and diverse delectables. See and sample from plants you pass by everyday. We might see black and red hawthorn, native and large rose hips, red and yellow cherry plums, blue elderberry, saskatoon, fairy bells in fruit, and much more. You will later find most of this abundance again in your own neighborhoods.
What to Bring
— Prepare for the weather.
— Any remaining registration materials that you need to hand in.
— Comfortable hiking shoes or boots. No flip flops.
— Money if you want to buy John’s books ($25-30 each [sliding scale] list price is $28). We accept cash, check, or CC ($1 extra each book for CC fee). Edible Wild Plants, Volumes 1 and 2 are available after each workshop to look at or buy.
Where to Meet
Meet in the Sellwood Park, parking area. Here is a MAP to the entrance. If the lot is full, park in the surrounding streets. Please be considerate of people’s driveways. The parking lot’s entrance is right across from 7722 SE 7th Ave, Portland, OR 97202.

Pricing Details
Sliding Scale Economics
Due to hard economic times for some, sliding scales are offered to support individual financial circumstances. We ask participants to pay what they feel they can afford within the range offered for each workshop. You decide what to pay using an honest assessment of your individual circumstances. We do not ask anyone to explain their very personal decision. The high end is a very reasonable price for these quality workshops for those who are doing well in this economy. Groups must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Discounts
$5 Discounts are available on our Registration Form for adult family members that attend together, persons identifying as indigenous, full time college students and scout leaders. Children (17 and under) must be accompanied by their parent(s). Children under 7 are free. Children 7 and above pay their age. Classrooms and teachers with students are not eligible for these discounts and must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Refund & Transfer Policies
If you cannot attend a workshop you registered for, and you contact us immediately, or at the latest, the last weekday before the event, you are entitled to a transfer or refund minus a $5 processing fee. If you do not show up the day of a workshop you registered for, you forfeit the full amount paid.

Enrollment Limited! – Advanced registration reserves you a place in the workshop. Walk-ons may be turned away if our size limit is reached. When registering by mail, assume a workshop is open unless you see a “FULL” notice posted above.
Registration
Download the REGISTRATION and WAIVER Forms. Print and fill out these forms and mail them with payment to: Wild Food Adventures, 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR 97215. If there is space and your are a walk-on, bring the forms and payment with you. While you can register many times throughout the year, only a single waiver form is required per person per year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) for all our day events. Multi-day Rendezvous require an additional waiver.

Wild Foods From Foraging to Feasting - Free Presentation
2026-08-15 15:30 - 17:00 | Belmont Public Library, 1038 SE 39th Ave (Cesar Chavez Blvd), Portland, Oregon, 97214
Portland, Oregon.
As a part of the Belmont Public Library Grand Re-Opening, author and educator John Kallas gives an entertaining and enlightening slide presentation, lecture, and video of Wild Foods of the Pacific Northwest and all of North America. The library, originally opened in 1924, has been closed for a couple of years while it is under reconstruction and expansion to better serve the community.
Edible wild plants are all around us, common, and available through most of the year. Find them on forest trails, open fields, farmland, gardens, waterways, and neighborhoods; there are lots of things to eat out there. Learn how to get the most out of your efforts to learn about wild foods. John will cover content of his books and more. There will be a question and answer period and John will sell and sign copies of his books at the end of the presentation.
John Kallas, is the Director of Wild Food Adventures outdoor school and author of two books: “Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods From Dirt to Plate”, 2010 and “Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods From Foraging to Feasting”, 2023. He will bring signed copies of these books to sell. No registration required.
Belmont Public Library
1038 SE 39th Ave (Cesar Chavez Blvd), Portland, OR 97214
Saturday, August 15, 2026
3:30 – 5pm

Smores From Marshmallow Plants
2026-08-29 09:00 - 12:00 | Wild Food Adventures, 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR, 97215, United States
Portland, Oregon.
$30 – $60 sliding scale, children pay their age, see details.
Get hands-on experience digging and processing marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) root into marshmallow, an original ingredient of the traditional confection. In the 1700s marshmallow root was a major ingredient of marshmallows. In the early 1800s, the recipe had gum arabic replace most of the marshmallow. In the late 1800s, marshmallow root was totally replaced with gelatin, which reflects much of what we buy today in the store. By the end of the workshop we’ll have gone from marshmallow taproots to a marshmallow cream that you would enjoy just like marshmallows of today. The cream can be used like marshmallow or marshmallow cream. We’ll make smores and creamy appetizers at the end of the workshop. Some seeds may be available for your use.
Where to Meet
Wild Food Adventures. 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland OR 97215. See Map.
What to Bring
— Any remaining registration materials that you need to hand in.
— Prepare for the weather.
— Clothes you can get dirty in.
— Money if you want to buy John’s books ($25-30 each [sliding scale] list price is $28). We accept cash, check, or CC ($1 extra each book for CC fee). Edible Wild Plants, Volumes 1 and 2 are available after each workshop to look at or buy.

Pricing Details
Sliding Scale Economics
Due to hard economic times for some, sliding scales are offered to support individual financial circumstances. We ask participants to pay what they feel they can afford within the range offered for each workshop. You decide what to pay using an honest assessment of your individual circumstances. We do not ask anyone to explain their very personal decision. The high end is a very reasonable price for these quality workshops for those who are doing well in this economy. Groups must contact us for circumstance-specific rates.
Discounts
$5 Discounts are available on our Registration Form for adult family members that attend together, persons identifying as indigenous, full time college students and scout leaders. Children (17 and under) must be accompanied by their parent(s). Children under 7 are free. Children 7 and above pay their age. Classrooms and teachers with students are not eligible for these discounts and must contact us for circumstance-specific rates.
Refund & Transfer Policies
If you cannot attend a workshop you registered for, and you contact us immediately, or at the latest, the last weekday before the event, you are entitled to a transfer or refund minus a $5 processing fee. If you do not show up the day of a workshop you registered for, you forfeit the full amount paid.

Enrollment Limited! – Advanced registration reserves you a place in the workshop. Walk-ons may be turned away if our size limit is reached. When registering by mail, assume a workshop is open unless you see a “FULL” notice posted above.
Registration
Download the REGISTRATION and WAIVER Forms. Print and fill out these forms and mail them with payment to: Wild Food Adventures, 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR 97215. If there is space and your are a walk-on, bring the forms and payment with you. While you can register many times throughout the year, only a single waiver form is required per person per year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) for all our day events. Multi-day Rendezvous require an additional waiver.

Neighborhood Foraging - Fall Harvest of Fruits, Nuts and Vegetables
2026-08-30 13:00 - 16:00 | Overlook Park, 3713 N Overlook Blvd, Portland, 97227
Portland, Oregon.
$30 – $60 sliding scale, children pay their age, see details.
We’ll bushwhack through typical urban neighborhoods to find some of Fall’s best and diverse delectables – nuts, fruits, and greens. Wild as well as landscaped edibles will be covered. Some eating may occur. You will later find most of this abundance in your own neighborhood.
Where to Meet
Overlook Park. Intersection of N Overlook Blvd at Melrose Dr, Portland OR 97217. See Map.
What to Bring
— Prepare for the weather.
— Any remaining registration materials that you need to hand in.
— Comfortable walking, hiking shoes or boots. No flip flops.
— Money if you want to buy John’s books ($25-30 each [sliding scale] list price is $28). We accept cash, check, or CC ($1 extra each book for CC fee). Edible Wild Plants, Volumes 1 and 2 are available after each workshop to look at or buy.

Pricing Details
Sliding Scale Economics
Due to hard economic times for some, sliding scales are offered to support individual financial circumstances. We ask participants to pay what they feel they can afford within the range offered for each workshop. You decide what to pay using an honest assessment of your individual circumstances. We do not ask anyone to explain their very personal decision. The high end is a very reasonable price for these quality workshops for those who are doing well in this economy. Groups must contact us for circumstance-specific rates.
Discounts
$5 Discounts are available on our Registration Form for adult family members that attend together, persons identifying as indigenous, full time college students and scout leaders. Children (17 and under) must be accompanied by their parent(s). Children under 7 are free. Children 7 and above pay their age. Classrooms and teachers with students are not eligible for these discounts and must contact us for circumstance-specific rates.
Refund & Transfer Policies
If you cannot attend a workshop you registered for, and you contact us immediately, or at the latest, the last weekday before the event, you are entitled to a transfer or refund minus a $5 processing fee. If you do not show up the day of a workshop you registered for, you forfeit the full amount paid.

Enrollment Limited! – Advanced registration reserves you a place in the workshop. Walk-ons may be turned away if our size limit is reached. When registering by mail, assume a workshop is open unless you see a “FULL” notice posted above.
Registration
Download the REGISTRATION and WAIVER Forms. Print and fill out these forms and mail them with payment to: Wild Food Adventures, 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR 97215. If there is space and your are a walk-on, bring the forms and payment with you. While you can register many times throughout the year, only a single waiver form is required per person per year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) for all our day events. Multi-day Rendezvous require an additional waiver.

Midwest Wild Harvest Festival
2026-09-11 - 2026-09-13 | The Wisconsin Badger Camp, 11815 Munz Ln, Prairie du Chien, WI, 53821, United States
Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.
$100 – $200 for Full Event. For Options Visit Web Site.
This multi-day, hands-on wild food event provides education and experience finding, processing, and consuming edible wild plants and other foragables in a beautiful camp setting. Founded by wild food author and teacher Sam Thayer and now run independently by his wife Melissa Price. The Midwest Wild Harvest Festival is open to anyone from beginning to advanced foragers. This event is designed to be a wild food conference. A group of diverse instructors provide workshop options for registrants. And like all these wild food weekends, there are ample opportunities to make friends, discuss wild foods, learn and play.
The Weekend is filled with outdoor workshops and activities, a keynote speaker on Friday evening and a two-hour open forum where participants share their wild food experiences and knowledge. There is a wild food potluck dinner on Friday night prior to the Keynote presentation. Participants can enter a contest for the best wild food dishes. There is general playfulness and music after dinner on Saturday night.
John Kallas of Wild Food Adventures taught there last in 2015 and should be there again in 2026.
Check the official Midwest Wild Harvest Festival website for current pricing and informational updates: https://www.wildharvestfestival.org/.
Instructors
Each year wild food educators and enthusiasts gather to teach, facilitate and learn at this three day event. Wild food educators teaching at this event typically include Sam Thayer, Mike Krebill, Ellen Zachos and others.
What is Provided
Training, hands-on experiences, field trips, meals, and camping or dormitory space.
Five meals are provided starting with the Friday evening wild food potluck and ending with Sunday morning breakfast. The Friday potluck is all about wild foods, the remaining meals are healthy organic conventional foods peppered with wild foods when possible. Meals are prepared by staff and served in an indoor dining hall.
Participants can choose to camp or stay in a dorm at the facility at no extra charge.

Costs
For people 15 on up registration is $200.
Children 12-14 range is $125.
Children 5-11 range is $100.
Children under 5 attend for free.

Nature Wonder Wild Food Weekend
2026-09-18 - 2026-09-20 | North Bend State Park, 202 North Bend Park Road, Cairo, WV, 26337, United States
Cairo, West Virginia. Join the longest running annual wild food event in North America. Held every Fall since it’s inception in 1968, this event provides education and experience finding, processing, and feasting on edible wild plants and other forageables in a beautiful park setting in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Founded by Edelene Wood, the long running president of the National Wild Foods Association, this event was inspired by followers of Euell Gibbons. Nature Wonder Weekend is open to anyone from beginning to advanced foragers. Past keynote speakers have included Euell Gibbons, Dr. John Kallas of Wild Food Adventures, Dr. Peter Gail of Goosefoot Acres, Samuel Thayer of Forager’s Harvest, Mike Krebill, Edelene Wood, Bill Faust, John Tomikel and Doug Elliot, among many others.

Participants offering wild foods they’ve made to other participants at the Saturday Wild Food Feast.
For a 2026 informational brochure complete with printable registration form, go HERE.
Each year park rangers and local wild food enthusiasts help teach and facilitate the weekend. There are usually one to three outside wild food instructors who speak or teach at the event. Dr. Kallas teaches at this event about once every 5 years. He is NOT attending this year. This event is listed here to help spread the word to people who check this web site. Links are provided.

One of the group cabins you can rent with other attendees, or you can stay in the hotel-like lodge while you are there.
Location
North Bend State Park has been the home of Nature Wonder Weekend since the beginning. The lodge and cabins are surrounded by Eastern woodland forests, miles and miles of hiking trails, a lake, a duck pond and the winding North Fork of the Hughes River. North Bend has a 305 acre recreational lake. It is a great fishing area. The Park also offers an outdoor pool, tennis courts, and picnic areas. The Park is about 25 miles East of Parkersburg, West Virginia. It can be reached via State Route 14 from Cairo, or State Route 5 from Harrisville.
Contact & Notification
While we post the Nature Wonder Weekend here at our Wild Food Adventures web site, you must contact them for information and updates. I believe they have an e-mail list you can get on. Contact the WV Dept of Natural Resources to get details:
Call 304-558-2754 or contact Amy Larch at Amy.J.Larch@wv.gov or Julia Greathouse at Julia.L.Greathouse@wv.gov
For a report on the Wild Food Weekend, go here:

Adventures in West Virginia – The Nature Wonder Wild Food Weekend, by John Kallas, published November 1, 2000 – Wild Food Adventurer Newsletter – Volume 5, Number 4

Georgia Wild Foods Weekend
2026-09-18 - 2026-09-20 | Camp Westminster, 2412 Lake Rockaway Rd NW, Conyers, GA, 30012, United States
Conyers, Georgia.
$245 / Person for the full event. Price includes Meals, Lodging, Seminars and Workshops.
Join other foragers at the second annual Georgia Wild Foods Weekend. It will be held every fall in the peach state. This event provides education, experience, and camaraderie finding, processing, and feasting on edible wild plants and other foragables in a beautiful park-like setting in the hills of Georgia. It is open to anyone from beginning to advanced foragers. The theme changes every year. The event requires advanced registration. Lodging is available.

Lake Ekklesia at Christian Camp.
On a fall weekend people from all over the deep south will take into the woods and fields of Georgia to learn about edible wild plants, meet other foragers, and celebrate fall’s bounty. After an introduction to some of the plants to be collected, participants will join small groups led by experienced foragers to collect wild foods. Each year the Georgia Wild Foods Weekend hosts a featured speaker and other experienced foragers. The climax of the weekend will be a wild feast composed of collected foods prepared by the participants. The Sunday program will feature a variety of outdoor activities.

There is a lot of nature to discover at the camp.
Contact – Information – Registration
Contact: Anne-Marie Bilella or Michelle Withrow, gawildfoods@gmail.com, 762-228-1563.
Registration: FORM
Camp Location: 2412 Lake Rockaway Rd NW, Conyers, GA 30012. Here is a Google MAP
Facebook: VISIT
Instructors
Each year many local wild food experts and enthusiasts help teach and facilitate the weekend. There may be several outside wild food instructors who speak or teach at the event. Dr. Kallas has not taught at this event so far. He is NOT attending this year. This event is listed here to help spread the word to people who check this web site. There are different guest speakers each year.
Location, Accommodations, and Meals
Lodging is available in dormitory style bunk-bed cabins. Bath and shower facilities are available in each cabin. Each person is provided with a twin bed. It is up to you to bring a blanket, sheets, pillow, a bath towel, hand towel, wash cloth, and toiletries. There are facilities for men, women, family, and friends. Camping is not permitted on the center grounds. No pets. Parents are responsible for the supervision and safety of their children during the weekend. Staff at the camp prepare all meals except the Saturday evening feast.
The camp provides standard meals with the exception of the Wild Feast on Saturday. Most participants will share in the processing and preparation of wild foods for that Saturday feast.
There typically is a favorite wild dish contest, and a wild spirits contest. Crafts and classes vary. All these events happen in addition to foraging experiences and the Saturday Wild Feast.
You will need comfortable shoes and clothes appropriate for outdoor weather.

Wild Fruits of Pacific Northwest Forests - Part 2
2026-09-26 09:00 - 12:00 | Kingston Drive Parking in Washington Park, G77Q+MV Portland, Oregon, Portland, 97205, United States
Portland, Oregon.
$30 – $60 sliding scale, children pay their age, see details.
Different from Part 1. Join us to learn about wild fruits and other edible plant parts found in northwest forests and beyond. Fall is when many fruits are ripe for picking with many still developing. See and learn about plants like sumac, blackberry, hawthorn, crabapples, wild apples, black cherry, wild rose, elderberry, strawberry tree, and honey locust, among others, as well as some poisonous berry producing plants. We’ll look at fruits and other edibles that cross our path. Explore one of the more beautiful forests in Portland’s own back yard.
What to Bring
— Prepare for the weather.
— Any remaining registration materials that you need to hand in.
— Comfortable hiking shoes or boots. No flip flops.
— Money if you want to buy John’s books ($25-30 each [sliding scale] list price is $28). We accept cash, check, or CC ($1 extra each book for CC fee). Edible Wild Plants, Volumes 1 and 2 are available after each workshop to look at or buy.
Meeting Site
Location: We are meeting at the parking area on Kingston Drive in SW Portland. Here is a Google Map to the location.

Pricing Details
Sliding Scale Economics
Due to hard economic times for some, sliding scales are offered to support individual financial circumstances. We ask participants to pay what they feel they can afford within the range offered for each workshop. You decide what to pay using an honest assessment of your individual circumstances. We do not ask anyone to explain their very personal decision. The high end is a very reasonable price for these quality workshops for those who are doing well in this economy. Groups must contact us for circumstance-specific rates. Rendezvous have their own rates.
Discounts
$5 Discounts are available on our Registration Form for adult family members that attend together, persons identifying as indigenous, full time college students and scout leaders. Children (17 and under) must be accompanied by their parent(s). Children under 7 are free. Children 7 and above pay their age. Classrooms and teachers with students are not eligible for these discounts and must contact us for circumstance-specific rates.
Refund & Transfer Policies
If you cannot attend a workshop you registered for, and you contact us immediately, or at the latest, the last weekday before the event, you are entitled to a transfer or refund minus a $5 processing fee. If you do not show up the day of a workshop you registered for, you forfeit the full amount paid.

Enrollment Limited! – Advanced registration reserves you a place in the workshop. Walk-ons may be turned away if our size limit is reached. When registering by mail, assume a workshop is open unless you see a “FULL” notice posted above.
Registration
Download the REGISTRATION and WAIVER Forms. Print and fill out these forms and mail them with payment to: Wild Food Adventures, 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR 97215. If there is space and your are a walk-on, bring the forms and payment with you. While you can register many times throughout the year, only a single waiver form is required per person per year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) for all our day events. Multi-day Rendezvous require an additional waiver.

Acorn Pudding and Extracting Volatile Oils
2026-09-27 13:00 - 17:00 | Wild Food Adventures, 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR, 97215, United States
Portland, Oregon.
$30 – $60 sliding scale, children pay their age, see details.
Get hands-on experience on how some wild plants are processed for grain, flour, and essential oils. We’ll see how to shell, grind, process and leach acorns so that they transform into wonderful additions to breads, muffins, pancakes, and pudding. By the end of the workshop we’ll have gone from bitter acorns in the shell to a sweet acorn pudding that any normal human would enjoy. Also learn how to make a distillation setup from simple kitchen ware. We’ll make a distillate hydrosol from mint that you could perfect at home use to flavor teas, use in cooking or aroma therapy.
Help Gather Acorns on Saturday
While you can certainly gather acorns on your own (and that is encouraged) in your own neighborhood, you can also join us to do that around 5pm the day before the workshop in SE Portland. Contact John if you want to participate.
Where to Meet
Wild Food Adventures. 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland OR 97215. See Map.
This is NOT where to meet for acorn gathering the day before. You’ll have to call about that.
What to Bring
— Any remaining registration materials that you need to hand in.
— Prepare for the weather.
— Clothes you can get dirty in.
— A hammer, a butter knife, and a brick if you have one. A pillow to sit on (some will be sitting on the ground). Latex gloves if you have delicate hands to protect you against the tannins.
— If you have access to them, your own fresh acorns (large only), and mint or lemon balm cuttings for the distillation process.
— Money if you want to buy John’s books ($25-30 each [sliding scale] list price is $28). We accept cash, check, or CC ($1 extra each book for CC fee). Edible Wild Plants, Volumes 1 and 2 are available after each workshop to look at or buy.

Pricing Details
Sliding Scale Economics
Due to hard economic times for some, sliding scales are offered to support individual financial circumstances. We ask participants to pay what they feel they can afford within the range offered for each workshop. You decide what to pay using an honest assessment of your individual circumstances. We do not ask anyone to explain their very personal decision. The high end is a very reasonable price for these quality workshops for those who are doing well in this economy. Groups must contact us for circumstance-specific rates.
Discounts
$5 Discounts are available on our Registration Form for adult family members that attend together, persons identifying as indigenous, full time college students and scout leaders. Children (17 and under) must be accompanied by their parent(s). Children under 7 are free. Children 7 and above pay their age. Classrooms and teachers with students are not eligible for these discounts and must contact us for circumstance-specific rates.
Refund & Transfer Policies
If you cannot attend a workshop you registered for, and you contact us immediately, or at the latest, the last weekday before the event, you are entitled to a transfer or refund minus a $5 processing fee. If you do not show up the day of a workshop you registered for, you forfeit the full amount paid.

Enrollment Limited! – Advanced registration reserves you a place in the workshop. Walk-ons may be turned away if our size limit is reached. When registering by mail, assume a workshop is open unless you see a “FULL” notice posted above.
Registration
Download the REGISTRATION and WAIVER Forms. Print and fill out these forms and mail them with payment to: Wild Food Adventures, 422 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR 97215. If there is space and your are a walk-on, bring the forms and payment with you. While you can register many times throughout the year, only a single waiver form is required per person per year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) for all our day events. Multi-day Rendezvous require an additional waiver.

Wild Food Adventures - Posting Upcoming Workshops for 2027
2026-10-15 08:00 - 2027-10-16 08:00 | OR
Wild Food Adventures offers roughly 30 wild food workshops and 2 multi-day Rendezvous each year. These occur in North Western Oregon from March through October. We typically do not do workshops from October through February. Workshops are listed at this web site once our schedule is confirmed for the upcoming year. If no workshops are listed, the new year has not been posted yet. Here is a poster of the most current events to get an idea of what might be offered in the new year. Note the date of the poster. It could be posted anywhere from December to February. We also list certain wild food events sponsored by other institutions around North America.
To get automatic notification of future events, join our wild food E-Notification List. Do so by sending an E-mail to mail@wildfoodadventures.com and include the following information:
— Name
— Physical Address
— Cell Phone
— A reliable (not junk) E-mail address that you check often
We will only send relevant e-mails when appropriate to help keep you updated. The other information is how our database is organized and is necessary for communicating with you when necessary.
If you have questions call 503-775-3828 between 2 and 6pm Pacific time, any day.
Thanks,
John Kallas, Ph.D., Director, Wild Food Adventures
Institute for the Study of Edible Wild Plants and Other Foragables
422 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR 97215
mail@wildfoodadventures.com
