After a cozy winter of partial hibernation, lately I’ve been getting outside again, harvesting the first spring greens for salads, smoothies and tea. I’ve also been using a lot of the acorn flour I processed last fall, experimenting with several recipes. They have all turned out amazing, and I’m addicted to acorn flour! It’s such a wonderful staple food, and being able to process this abundant local resource myself from start to finish makes these delicious dishes all the more satisfying.
In addition to our family favorite acorn shortbread cookies, I’ve been making lots of oak-meal (acorn porridge), as well as acorn pancakes and acorn bread. I found a good list of acorn flour recipes I’ve been trying out, which you can find on the Homestead Survival site:
https://homesteadsurvivalsite.com/recipes-acorns
My spring 2025 foraging class schedule is up!
If you or anyone you know is interested in learning about edible and medicinal wild plants hands-on, check out my spring foraging class schedule! You can read more and sign up here:
Upcoming Foraging Events – Spring 2025
My first class on March 23rd will be held in Southlake, Texas, at the Bob Jones Nature Center and Preserve. Conveniently located in central DFW, this is a good opportunity for Dallas and Fort Worth residents to learn about wild edibles on a diverse and well stewarded landscape. Many nature preserves have a spoken or unspoken “no foraging” rule, but this one is an exception, and our group has been happily welcomed by the nature center supervisor to engage in responsible and conscientious foraging, which my classes always emphasize no matter where we gather.
On April 5th, I am teaching a class at Acton Nature Center in Granbury, Texas. If southeast DFW is convenient for you, this class is a great opportunity to learn foraging! I was invited out to this venue by someone who coordinates events at the Nature Center, and works with the local Master Naturalist group.
I have also scheduled two classes for East Texas residents. The first one is on April 26th, on an ecologically diverse private property in Whitehouse, near Tyler, Texas.
The next day, on April 27th, I am teaching on another gorgeous private property near Longview, Texas. Both of these were wonderful venues for classes I did last fall, and I’m so excited to discover the plant species that spring has to offer, as well.
East Texas has a special place in my heart, as it is home to some of the most exciting wild edibles native to Texas, so my treks out there are always so much fun.
My last class of the spring will be on May 10th, north of Dallas, on an ecologically diverse private property in Denison, Texas. This is the peak of spring, where the edible wild plants of the season will be in their full expression, but before it gets too hot!
I am also teaching foraging every day at two, back-to-back outdoor gatherings in April. It’s going to be action packed!
The first is the Maidenfire Festival, a women and girls’ outdoor gathering on April 10th-14th in Glen Rose, Texas (southwest of DFW). The festival will include workshops, activities and crafts for young girls and wise women, song circles, yoga, dancing, foraging walks, a cacao ceremony, and much more. Learn more on the Maidenfire Festival website, and use my instructor code ‘courtney‘ for a $55 discount on your ticket.
Next up is the SkyEarth Outdoor Skills Gathering, which we look forward to every year. It runs from April 13th through the 19th, in Graham, Texas (about two hours west of DFW). This gathering strives to reconnect people with old ways of making fire, tanning hides, forming metal, weaving baskets, hunting, foraging/gathering and many more outdoor primitive, bushcraft, survival, and homesteading skills. This will be my 4th year teaching foraging on this gorgeous 80-acre land in the cross timbers ecoregion.
One special event I’m doing at SkyEarth this year is a full-day acorn processing class. This will be the first time I’ve shared my entire acorn processing method, and we will also be making some delicious acorn recipes around the campfire, for extra hands-on fun!
I hope to see some of you this spring, at one of my classes or the gatherings!
Leave a Reply