Classes and Workshops
I left Los Angeles in 2020 in the beginning of the pandemic and I'm currently living a
semi-nomadic lifestyle following the weather (and wild food) in an RV, however I still spend a considerable amount of time in my Art Studio located in the mountains of Valyermo (90 minutes from Los Angeles). My studio is located on my friend's property and goat farm of Angeles Crest Creamery. From time to time, I still do a couple of live classes in the Los Angeles area and, of course, I also offer public and private classes on the property where my studio is located. I also offer a considerable amount of zoom classes, mostly on the subject of traditional food preservation technique applied to regular and wild edibles.
Sunday - May 22nd
10:30 AM to 3:30PM PST)
Introduction to Wildcrafted Lacto Fermentation
Live workshop at Angeles Crest Creamery in Valyermo
SOLD OUT
Sunday - June 5
10AM to 12:30PM (PST)
NEW WEBINAR!
Wildcrafted Fermentation – Fermenting edible leafy greens (wild or store-bought)
One of the most important skills related to foraging and going through the current challenging times (inflation, food shortage, etc.) is to know how to preserve food.
If you are a chef or home cook, traditional food preservation techniques also allow you to explore new flavors. It’s definitely the case with lacto fermentation and during this webinar you will learn how to ferment edible wild or store-bought leafy greens for flavors, health and nutrition.
I’ll show you methods of preparing and fermenting common wild plants such as lamb’s quarter, mustard, dandelion, curly dock or wild radish. The same methods can be used with store-bought spinach, mustard, kale, bok choy and so on.
The webinar will be RECORDED. So if you can’t attend that day, you’ll still be able to watch it later. An email will be sent within 24 hours after the webinar with link and password to the recording. Check your SPAM folder if you don’t get it…sometimes it ends up there.
In this webinar your will learn:
Materials you need
Which plants can be used for this type of lacto fermentation.
Two fermentation methods based on the type of plants you collect
Food safety
Fermenting with other ingredients, not just regular salt
Extreme aging
Creating tasty side dishes with fermented leaves
And more!
Sunday - June 11
10AM to 12:30PM (PST)
Location: Reptacular Ranch
8828 Gold Creek Rd, Sylmar, CA 91342
Click here for more information and registration.
Eco-Friendly Foraging and Wild Food Tasting / Drinks
Want to learn about edible plants and help the environment in the process? Did you know what we are surrounded by wild edible plants and most of them are non-native to Los Angeles and actually invasive?
In this class, you'll learn about the countless local plants that you can use for food, many of them can be found in your backyard and are considered weed.
We will walk in the local forest (private property in the Angeles Forest), identify and talk about the culinary and medical uses of those plants. The walk is around 1 1/2 hours, very slow with lots of stops to talk about and collect the plants. We'll also talk about native plants, their uses and which ones you could plant at home.
Wild food tasting and drinks at the end of the class.
Sunday - June 12
10AM to 12:30PM (PST)
Location: Reptacular Ranch
8828 Gold Creek Rd, Sylmar, CA 91342
+ another location we'll drive to.
Edible Wild Seeds and Grains
This truly unique wildcrafting class is meant to introduce you to edible seeds and grains you can find in your environment. You can even help nature in the process as many of those seeds/grains are considered invasive.
When I did some research on this subject, I came out with the conclusion that we probably have over 200 edible seeds/grains which can be found in the wild. Most people are not aware of it, but we are surrounded by them, even in an urban environment. We’re talking wild oats and barley grains, 8 different types of mustard seeds which can be used to create tasty condiments, wild chia, nutritious grains and seeds from “weeds” such as lamb’s quarter (wild spinach), curly dock, cheatgrass, wild radish and many others!
So, let’s explore and see what we can find!
We’ll meet at Reptacular Ranch, do a walk there and explore local seeds/grains and, if we have enough time, we’ll drive to another location as well.
During this class you will learn:
Some of the basic seeds/grains which can be collected locally.
How to research edible seeds/grains and possible culinary uses.
Methods to extract them.
How to make a gourmet mustard condiment from local black mustard seeds.
Food safety – We’ll learn to recognize possible toxic fungal infection in some grains.
See you there!
Long pants is a good idea - We have poison oak in the area.
Check the weather and make sure you either have sun or rain protection
BRING WATER!!!!!!!!!
I’ll be there near the entrance to direct you, we park on the side of the road a bit further (don't enter the main gate, just drive a bit further)
34°19'09.9"N 118°19'49.1"W
Time: From 10am to around 1:30pm
More classes and workshops will be added in the next couple of days!
