2024 Foraging in the Sonoran Desert
A Foundational Course
2025 Registration Opening SOON!!
** March to November **
~ Weekend Day Classes in the Field ~
** All classes within 2 hours of Phoenix or Tucson, AZ **
Steeped in the TRADITIONAL ETHICS OF FORAGING & WILDCRAFTING
LEARN to Identify WILD EDIBLE PLANTS,
OBSERVE through the SEASONS & Gather KNOWLEDGE
LEARN to GATHER WILD PLANTS to PROCESS into FOOD for your FAMILY
GATHER Firsthand EXPERIENCE with a Seasoned FORAGER of OVER 20 YEARS IN THE SONORAN DESERT!
John presenting prickly pear in the field
Traditional Foraging Knowledge - In the Field
My name is John Slattery and I’ve been helping people learn about the native plants of the Sonoran desert for 20 years now. My passion is to help you re-connect to the living world around you so that you can empower yourself, and your family and friends, with the knowledge you gather.
Cholla buds
Image credit: Jeff Salzer
A Foundational Course
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.
Would you like to become skilled at identifying
the wild edible plants of your home landscape?
SCROLL DOWN TO REGISTER
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.
Testimonials 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
“Reading about nature is fine, but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he can learn more than what is in books.”
Introduction to Foraging in the Sonoran Desert
-
Knowing wild plants is all about knowing wild landscapes. In this course, we will visit a variety of landscapes throughout the Sonoran desert, over the course of the seasons, to give context to all the individual plant knowledge we discover.
-
Through this course, you will be introduced to dozens of edible and therapeutic plants in the wild. We will cover some of these plants in great detail, while others will be more briefly discussed. As an introductory course, it is information packed with ample time to experience the landscape and the plants.
-
Ethical foraging, or wildcrafting, is based upon relationship. Given that Nature is fluid and dynamic, no model can be applied indefinitely. It is up to us to maintain our connection so that our minds are refreshed by new data and stimuli on a continual basis. We will explore this subject throughout the course so that each person is better equipped to make wise decisions.
-
We’ll explore concepts, techniques, and principles related to foraging wild plants for food and medicine. Each plant is different so we can hone our skills as we become better acquainted with each plant we work with.
-
Arriving at our expressed goal of storing or consuming the wild plant foods we gather, we may come to realize that it’s all about the journey. The skills and knowledge one can gather while processing and consuming wild plant foods is endless, but we’ll take a good chunk out of it!
Foraging as a Way of Life?
A return to learning with Nature and from Nature herself. Balancing the intellect with the heart-mind in tune with all of Nature.
A recognition that Nature is fluid and our learning with the plants is part of a dynamic continuum.
Respect for the individual as a sovereign being. To each their own path with respect to all living things.
Promoting an environment of respect, honor, and integrity in action as well as in word.
A traditional approach to learning that prioritizes personal accountability while providing a secure environment meant to facilitate deep learning and healing for the individual.
Knowledge preserved and passed down for generations becomes a living entity through our active and authentic engagement with the landscape.
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.
John Slattery
Bioregional Herbalist & Forager
John has learned from indigenous peoples throughout the American Southwest, Mexico, and down into Central & South America about the vitality of wild plants as food and remedy.
Cleaning freshly gathered elderberries
Wild plant food feast during the course
SCROLL DOWN TO REGISTER for FORAGING IN THE SONORAN DESERT: A FOUNDATIONAL COURSE
*And received a FREE copy of Southwest Foraging!
A seasonal exploration of the Sonoran Desert bioregion
“If you have not foraged for your food, you have not yet fully lived on this Earth. Becoming fully engaged with one’s senses, engaging with other lifeforms as one walks across the land for the purpose of sustenance, for satiating a taste, could quite possibly encapsulate what it means to be human. ”
Learn to Identify & Eat Wild Edible Plants
Learn to Identify plants in various habitats over the span of seasons
Learn to ethically forage all year round in a variety of habitats
Learn to prepare highly nutritious wild plants
Integrate wild plant foods into your daily diet
SCROLL DOWN TO REGISTER for FORAGING IN THE SONORAN DESERT: A FOUNDATIONAL COURSE
Foraging In the Sonoran Desert: A Foundational Course
2024 Schedule
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.
FIRST day of class: March 16, 2024
LAST day of class: November 10, 2024
Class Dates
Specific Details for each Field Study provided upon Registration
Full Days are 6-8hr long
Mar. 16-17 - Field Study #1 *Mid-Spring: Plant ID, Cactus Intro, Winter/Spring Greens, & more
April 27-28 - Field Study #2 *Late Spring/Early Summer: Cholla buds, Bean trees, Riparian areas, & more
June 13 - Field Study #3 *Saguaro Fruit
~ Summer Break ~
Aug 3-4 - Field Study #4 *Late Summer: Bellotas
Aug 31-Sep 1 - Field Study #5 *Early Autumn: Prickly Pear, Mid-elevation
Nov 9 - Field Study #6 *Early Winter: White Oak Acorns
2024 Foraging in the Sonoran Desert: Foundational course
Tuition
Full Tuition - $1,690
Early Bird Tuition Price* - $1360
*Receive a FREE copy of Southwest Foraging upon registration
*Full tuition must be paid by December 31, 2023 to qualify for Early Bird Tuition (limited spots available!)
*CASH OR CHECK DISCOUNT - Contact us to pay by cash and receive a 5% discount!
Interested in being a part of the 2024 Foraging in the Sonoran Desert foundational course?
Here are your options:
1) Register BELOW by December 31 to qualify for the Early Bird Discount (limited Early Bird Discounts available!)
2) Receive a 5% DISCOUNT by paying your tuition by cash - 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 March 13, 2024.
4) Email us about a couples discount
5) To participate in the course, all tuition payments must be completed by March 13, 2024
Scroll down for the link to individual class modules
Registration for One person in the 2024 Foraging in the Sonoran Desert: A Foundational Course with John J Slattery, to be held in the field, in person, within 2 hours of Phoenix or Tucson, AZ.
More details about each field study meeting will be delivered after registration.
Please see Refund Policy for more information.
This registration is non-refundable after February 15, 2024.
Before Feb. 15, 2024, any refunds will be subject to a $150 fee.
If you’re not able to join us for the entire course, then you can select some individual modules to join HERE.