SPECIAL EARLY AUTUMN EVENT: Foraging for Food and Medicine, Northallerton

Description

An introduction to the world of edible and medicinal plants and mushrooms. Learn what to harvest, how to use it, and why it works. Children under 12 come free (within reason, and please let me know in advance), and well-behaved dogs on a lead are more than welcome.

What to expect

Join us as we kickstart the autumn season in style, with a course specially designed to showcase the medicinal powers of mushrooms, and the delightful plants that tickle the tastebuds and support your immune system and body through the colder months of the year!

The course will kick off with Tracy from Forage Yourself Happy guiding you through an introduction to medicinal mushrooms and how to use them.

We’ll then take a 2-hour guided foraging walk (covering about one mile) led by James from The Forager Within (me!), stopping regularly to discuss (and where possible, eat!) the many edible and medicinal goodies we find along the way, whether that be foliage, flowers, fruits, nuts or mushrooms! The route is mainly flat and we go at a gentle pace.

Course will include:

• A brief introduction to Tracy, myself and foraging in general.
• What medicinal mushrooms are, the top species, known health benefits and how to make your own mushroom medicine!
• Finding and discussing around 10 – 15 edible and/or medicinal plant and mushroom species common across the UK.
• How to identify the species we come across.
• Learning about the incredible health benefits of what we find!
• How to stay safe when foraging and avoid toxic lookalikes.
• Foraging laws and principles to ensure you forage legally, safely and responsibly.
• Trying a couple of pre-prepared wild food-based samples and a couple of “spring tonic” drinks foraged from nature.
• A follow-up email to participants with a summary of the species we found and other useful information, such as my recommended books for further reading.

Course Reviews

Making foraging fun and safe

Foraging for food and medicine is fun and fascinating, with so many benefits! It’s as safe as anything when approached with the right level of caution, awareness, and knowledge. It’s important to realise, however, that foraging can be dangerous IF you approach it with a lack of caution (recklessness), and/or a lack of awareness of the risks and without the respect nature deserves. During the course, I will show you how to approach foraging so you don’t just minimise but eliminate all risks, so you are free to enjoy the many benefits that foraging brings to your life – and there are many!

Log in to nature

Humans have been foraging as a way to survive for hundreds of thousands of years. Before farming, this was how we survived – finding what nature provided in harmony with the seasons and the land. This period before farming forms over 95 per cent of our existence as a species, so to our brains and bodies, foraging feels incredibly natural – which is one of the reasons it feels so good!

Foraging is one of the best ways to disconnect from our busy modern lives of emails, social media and technology, and reconnect with nature and our ancestral roots. During this foraging walk, we will log off from the modern world and log in to nature!

Meeting point and parking

For this course we will make use of a private farm location – Avenue Farm, Boroughbridge Road, DL7 9EP – though please note that following this postcode on Sat Navs or Google Maps won’t take you precisely to Avenue Farm, so please use below Google Maps “dropped pin” location instead if you can:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/fyfoezAi4Zw42AxFA

There is space to park at the farm itself, and I will advise on your arrival exactly where to park. I will be waiting at the farm from 9:45 AM.

I recommend you bring

• Comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing and footwear. Parts of the route may be muddy and most of it will involve walking on grass which could be wet (e.g. morning dew or if it has been/is raining), so please ensure you have appropriate footwear – I would highly recommend sturdy and waterproof walking/hiking shoes so as to avoid wet socks and be able to navigate the terrain comfortably.
• Your phone, but only for the camera function, should you wish to take any photos/videos/notes. I will, however, send an email at the end of the course with a list of the species we come across.
• Some water or another hydrating drink if you wish.

About us

The Forager Within, founded by James Hill, runs public and private foraging courses across Yorkshire and Manchester. His love of foraging started on nature walks with his parents, where picking wild food was just a way of life. In adulthood, James hit a low point in 2015, which re-ignited a passion for foraging. By the Spring of 2016, foraging was a hobby, an obsession, and then in 2022, a business with a mission to connect people to nature and improve physical and mental health in the process.

Tracy from Forage Yourself Happy has an extensive wealth of knowledge on medicinal mushrooms, with real life success stories including in her own life. Before this she ran Minster Mushrooms, growing her own gourmet mushrooms for restaurants, but now she focuses on teaching others about medicinal mushrooms and forest therapy. She has an incredible passion that will leave you feeling energised and inspired to harness the power of nature!

Group bookings and discounts

If you’d like to arrange a private group booking for friends, family, club/community group, or business, please contact me on 07712 213470 or email me at james@theforagerwithin.co.uk. Discounts available depend on group size.

I run private courses anywhere in Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, and potentially other areas of the UK – please contact me to check if I can do your location if outside of Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.

FAQ

What if I want to buy this course as a gift?

Book using the Gift Voucher option, and I will email you the voucher to give to the recipient. The recipient can then use the voucher code to book the course date of their choice.

What’s the best time of year to go on a foraging course?

When I’m running the courses from March to November, there is no “best” time to come as they are all good, just for different reasons. Each month and season offers things that are unique to that month and season, so if you are interested in learning foraging in general, then any course in any month will be good.

That said, if you are particularly interested in things that can be used in salads and as vegetables, Spring and early Summer are best. If you are interested in learning about mushrooms specifically (and aren’t bothered about much else), then Autumn (September – November) is best.

Can I bring my dog?

Well-behaved dogs on leads are more than welcome.

Is the route suitable for pushchairs?

Some areas will be tricky for a pushchair. A baby carrier would be a better option.

What do I need to bring?

A few days before the course, I will email you a short list of what you need to bring. After the course, I will email you a summary of the species we found to help you remember what you have learned.

What if I change my mind or can’t make it?

If you change your mind after booking a course or can’t make it on the day, please let us know as soon as possible, and a full refund will be issued, or if you prefer, you can re-arrange to book on a different available date.