Description

Here in the Fourth Corner, where land meets the sea, lies a bountiful buffet of nourishing edibles. To experience a culinary sampling of both environments, we have planned a trip out to bucolic Lopez Island with two seasonal windows in mind: spring?s profusion of edible land plants and an extra-low tide for harvesting sea vegetables. We?ll spend half of each day exploring and harvesting around Spencer Spit State Park and the other half cooking and eating a four-course wild feast complemented by local fish and produce. Our instructor Jennifer Hahn is the author of Pacific Feast: A Cook's Guide to West Coast Foraging and Cuisine, a delicious mix of essays on natural and cultural history of 50 wild edibles, recipes, field notes, photos, illustrations and detailed sustainable harvesting guidelines. On Saturday, we?ll explore the ?intertidal table? and identify, harvest and process delicious sea vegetables. We?ll learn culinary, medicinal and First Nation traditional uses of the most nutritious veggies on the planet. Highlights will include noshing on kelp-robed salmon, sea bean sauté, sea veggie soup and chocolate ocean mousse pie?thickened with carrageenan-rich seaweed! On Sunday, we?ll head to the forest to identify edible plants and, where appropriate, sustainably harvest for cooking up curried nettle soup, wild greens pesto, Nootka rose vinaigrette salad and juniper truffles. Tuition includes includes two nights camping and two wildharvested dinners. Our base camp will be Group Camp Three at the amazing Spencer Spit State Park with plenty of campsites, an inviting fire pit, salmon grill and all-weather shelter with picnic tables and electrical outlets. If you prefer not to camp, Lopez Farm Cottages is an option on the island. Dinners are provided but participants will bring their own breakfasts and lunches. Participants will bring their own camping gear, but please let us know if you need to borrow any gear and we will accommodate.