Course Details

This course is designed for those seeking to learn how to forage wild plants for food in the Sonoran desert.

All field study classes will be within 2 hours of central Phoenix OR Tucson, AZ.

All class days will be on either Saturday or Sunday (one exception, June 30).

FIRST day of class: March 1, 2025
LAST day of class: November 9, 2025

Class Dates

Specific Details for each Field Study provided upon Registration

Full Days are 6-8hr long

Mar. 1-2 - Session #1 *Mid-Spring: Plant ID, Cactus Intro, Winter/Spring Greens, & more (near Tucson)

April 26-27 - Session #2 *Late Spring/Early Summer: Cholla buds, Bean trees, Riparian area (near Phoenix)

May 10 - Session #3 *Early Summer Abundance: cactus, beans, seeds, greens, fruits (near Tucson)

June 30 - Session #4 *Saguaro Fruit (near Tucson)

~ Summer Break ~

Aug 2-3 - Session #5 *Late Summer: Bellotas (near Phoenix)

Aug 30-31 - Session #6 *Early Autumn: Prickly Pear, Mid-elevation (Tucson area)

Sep. 13 - Session #7 *Autumn (Phoenix area)

Nov 8-9 - Session #8 *Early Winter: White Oak Acorns (Tucson area)

What to Expect

Learn to Identify over 80 wild plants for food and medicine

What you’ll encounter in the Foraging in the Sonoran Desert course:

• Learn to Identify nearly 100 Wild Edible Plants

• Become intimately familiar with key identifying features of our primary food plants

• Learn to observe plants through the season to anticipate the bounty of the land

• Become familiar with a variety of habitats within the Sonoran desert

• Learn to ethically gather wild plants

• Develop experiential knowledge

• Become immersed in an ancient tradition of gathering the wild Sonoran desert

• Learn to process the major edible plants of the Sonoran desert

• Deepen your personal relationship with wild plants

• Learn the optimal seasons and locations to find nutritious wild plants

• Discover unique edible & therapeutic plants, abundant within our landscape

Learn to walk out into the Sonoran desert - any time of the year - and procure nutritious plant foods for you and your family.

The Sonoran desert is considered by many bushcraft enthusiasts to be one of the best places in the world to survive off the land - if preparation and timing are on your side.

There is no better way to prepare than to immerse yourself in the desert, over sequential seasons, alongside a seasoned foraging expert.

Take part in the ancient tradition of passing down knowledge orally ~ in person, hands-on ~ amidst the plants and all the natural world.

Foraging as a Way of Life

I arrived in the Sonoran Desert over 20 years ago at a time when very few were thinking of how to live off the desert in a harmonious way. I was called to walk the plant path and was solely married to this way of life for many years. I have since raised my daughter on wild plant foods and have shared this knowledge with 100s, if not 1,000s of people through my classes, apprenticeships, and books.

I invite you to join me on this path towards becoming an able steward of the desert as a forager like myself. Everyone has it in them to succeed at learning these ways if they simply apply themselves. Like all things, if you apply yourself diligently and honestly you will be successful in the knowledge you seek to gain.

Learn to ethically forage wild plant foods from the Sonoran Desert

Learning to properly identify plants in the wild takes time and patience. It is as simple as carefully observing what’s before you.

With time spent in the field, and dedication to the pursuit, anyone can learn to carefully gather their own food and remedies from the wild.

Learning through our senses ~ under the guidance of an experienced forager ~ can equip us with an extensive knowledge of the foods and remedies of our landscape.

Although the discipline of botany can be useful to us, a familiarity with its language is not necessary in order to become intimately acquainted with the plants of the desert.

The act of foraging is easy.

It’s the work that leads up to it, the discipline and restraint initially involved, that gives the forager the gift of insight and the confidence to do so gracefully, productively, and honorably.

Testimonial from 2023 Intro to Foraging Course:

John has spent 20+ years patiently observing the ebb and flow of the Sonoran Desert (amongst a multitude of locations) and it is evident he has immersed himself in her lessons. Moreover, John not only “knows things,” he is excellent at relaying his knowledge, for those who are interested in heeding his direction.  We particularly enjoyed and found indispensable the longitudinal nature of the “Foraging in the Sonoran Desert” course permitting inspection of the flora over time so as to recognize it in various phases. We look forward to spending the next 20 years in our own patient observation, hopefully, to obtain a fraction of the knowledge that John has attained.

- Robert

Introduction to Foraging
in the Sonoran Desert

A seasonal exploration of the Sonoran Desert bioregion

2025 Foraging in the Sonoran Desert: Foundational Course Tuition

Full Tuition - $2,222

Early Bird Tuition Price** - $1,777

**Limited Early Bird slots available - register today!

*Receive a FREE copy of Southwest Foraging upon registration

*CASH OR CHECK DISCOUNT - Contact us to pay by cash or check and receive a 5% discount!

Registration & Purchase Options

1) Register NOW to qualify for the Early Bird Discount Pricing - limited Early Bird slots available!

2) Want to receive a 5% DISCOUNT? Pay by cash or check - Email us now to arrange a time to deliver payment

3) To reserve a space on the course roster, a deposit of 25% is due. Full tuition payment is due by February 24, 2025.

4) Email us about a couples discount

5) To participate in the course, all tuition payments must be completed by February 24, 2025

Early Bird Discount

Option Two: 25% Deposit

If you’re not able to join us for the entire course, then you can select some individual modules to join HERE.