Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Bay Area: Seasonal Herb Walk

From the mist-shrouded sea cliffs to the sun-baked arid expanse of its easternmost regions, the San Francisco Bay Area provides us with a chance to view a large variety of botanical specimens all within a relatively small geographical range. Discover a diverse array of both edible and medicinal plants found growing across a number of these contrasting yet closely interconnected ecological zones.

Topics to be covered during this class include:

• Field botany/plant I.D
• Plant family characteristics
• Legal-ethical harvesting/processing/preparation methods
• Edible/medicinal/utilitarian uses
• Regional ethnobotany
• Plant toxicology (plus tips on how to avoid poisonous look-alike species)
• Natural history
• Plant conservation and at-risk species
• A sampling of a variety of wild edible & medicinal plant preparations

Your study will emphasize a dynamic sensory awareness of the plants via close observation, touching, tasting, and smelling. This class should prove to be insightful and rewarding for anyone interested in learning more about the flora of this unique bioregion.