Description
A guided foray exploring the delicious, healthy and surprising array of edible plants and fungi available in early Spring, with a wild food tasting picnic in the forest afterwards.
March is a thrilling time for foragers, with the sap rising in trees and springs shoots at their vibrant best. Highlights of the day will include birch tapping, medicinal spring fungi, early shoots, an introduction to fermenting wild greens. This is a great time of year to tune in to wild food resources for the year ahead. Both novices and experienced foragers looking to increase their repertoire will enjoy this event.

Drink birch sap!
Family friendly – 1.5 miles easy walking for all ages. As with all Galloway Wild Foods events, this walk is guided by Mark Williams who has been teaching about foraging for over 25 years.
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This event is run in association with Cashel Forest Trust, who are working to restore Scotland’s native woodland. 10% of ticket sales goes to support their work. Click their logo to learn more.
Meeting place: Cashel Native Forest Centre, Balmaha, nr Drymen. G63 0AW . Ticket holders will be sent full details of the meeting place in the week before the event.
Date: Wednesday 16th March 2022
Start: Arrive in time for an 1pm start
Finish: Around 5 pm
Expect: Up to 1.5 miles gentle walking on well made paths over 3 hours, with foraged treats and tasters, followed by a wild food tasting picnic

Early Spring blossoms
Learn:
- Early Spring hedgerow plants and fungi (usually at least 30 species) – identification, poisonous lookalikes, sustainable harvesting, tips on how to cook and preserve them
- How to sustainably tap birch trees, and what to do with your sap. Tasters and tipples made with birch sap.
- Follklore/traditional uses
- Modern gourmet, medicin
al, craft and nutritional uses of wild plants and fungi - Discussion of the wider politics around foraging and food
- When time and weather allow, we lay out and label our finds to serve as a souvenir and aide-memoire of the afternoon’s discoveries.
Covid 19 Policy: Please see here for the latest GWF policy around events, social distancing and what happens in the event of cancellation due to C19 .

Early spring wild foods
Eat/drink: Due to Covid 19 social distancing measures, I have adapted my usual wild cookery session at the end of this event so it is now more like a picnic, with pre-prepared boxes of wild treats for each person that serves as both a tasty meal and a demonstration of how to use and prepare some of our finds. Expect wild plants pestos, ferments, tart, pickled wild mushrooms, mushroom tea, tipples and lots more. All dietary requirements can be catered for – there is an opportunity to add your requirements when you book.

Spring tart
Bring:
Essential: Stout footwear, weather-appropriate clothing, drinking water
Please read the IMPORTANT INFORMATION tab on this page before booking and again before setting off for the event.
Please note: I do not recommend this event for children under 12 years old. Sorry, no dogs unless by prior arrangement.

Explore useful and medicinal fungi of birch trees