John N. Kallas, Ph.D., Wild Food Adventures ™
4125 N Colonial Ave, Portland, OR 97217-3338
Phone: (503) 775-3828e-mail: mail@wildfoodadventures.com Print a Reminder Poster of This Year's Rendezvous
Go To - Native Shores Wild Food Rendezvous

Comments of Past Participants

Our Goals To help participants understand the roles that wild foods can play in recreation, survival, primitive living, and simple living situations; to provide hands on experience with some of the most important plants and processes that could be used in those situations; to provide the opportunity for participants to share and learn from each other regarding their cumulative experiences with wild foods; to promote a sustainable harvest mentality with a strong support of protecting and respecting green and wild places; to directly address the great mass of misinformation found in the popular literature and the internet; and to have fun, make friends, and connect with people who are interested in the same kinds of things. The Mood We'd Like to Set We want this to be a fun and educational outdoor experience and adventure. We expect everyone to be friendly, respectful, encouraging of others, and open minded. Leave bad attitudes at home. You are welcome to be a lone wolf or be as social as you feel comfortable - as long as you are respectful to others. We will be together a lot of the time so take the opportunity to get to know people and make friends.

By John Kallas John Kallas with students processing grain.

Blue Camas

Site Accommodations & Local Features Our base camp is located at Riversong Forest Sanctuary in the Hood River Valley, Oregon. It's located between the magnificent Columbia River Gorge and Mount Adams to the North, and Mount Hood to the South. We have access to forest wilderness, woodlands, swamps, grasslands, farmland, fallow fields, river gorges, and more. Along with Riversong's forests, fields, river, and wetlands, we travel to a variety of habitats learning about and gathering plants. Participants stay in their own tents. We have access to outdoor showers and modern bathroom facilities. For $5/use we have access to a hot tub. Parking is separate from our encampment and there are no hook-ups for RVs. Wherever practical / sustainable, wild foods will be the basis of our common meals. Participants have the option of staying in a local bed and breakfast or hotel but you must provide your own transportation to and from GingerRoot. Other than for workshop use, there are no personal refrigeration or cooking facilities on site. Hood River, the nearest city, complete with hospital, food, and tourist attractions, is within 15 minutes driving distance. One could be crossing the Columbia River within 15 minutes, drive up Mount Hood within 20 minutes or make it to the Pacific coast in less then 3 hours of our site. See a map to GingerRoot at the Riversong Forest Sanctuary. Instructors / Guides / Teachers Everyone attending will share their knowledge, ideas, methods, and wisdom based on their own experiences. Participant skill levels will range from beginner to advanced. All input will be respected as personal experience to be learned from. The main instructor and moderator is Dr. John Kallas, Director of Wild Food Adventures. Dr. Kallas has a Ph.D. in nutrition and a Masters in education. He is a trained botanist, nature photographer, writer, researcher, and teacher. John has researched edible wild plants since 1970 and taught in colleges, universities, primitive technology conferences, and to the general public since 1978. He has taught and trained thousands of people in wild foods from all over North America, and given hundreds of wild food presentations to a variety of groups. Dr. Kallas founded the Wild Food Adventures outdoor school in 1993, edited the Wild Food Adventurer newsletter from 1996 to 2006, and wrote the book, EdibleWild Plants, Wild Foods from Dirt to Plate in 2010. More about John. To read a personal account of the Rendezvous go Here

What to Bring (See Detailed List) Riversong Forest Sanctuary is a short drive from Hood River, a medium-sized resort town surrounded by farm land. It comes complete with hospital, markets, and tourist attractions. Most things you could want are within 15 minutes driving time from our encampment. The Columbia River provides much of Hood River's recreational activities and is world famous for its wind surfing. GingerRoot participants occasionally make trips to the city for supplies and other needs. Unless you stay off site, you will be bringing your own tent and camping equipment. Food: We will provide simple cold breakfasts for Saturday & Sunday. Together, we will make wild food dinners for Saturday & Sunday, as well as Monday breakfast from the foods we gather during the Rendezvous. You will be responsible for providing your own food on Friday, sack lunches for Saturday and Sunday and all the snack food you want to eat for four days. Communal refrigeration will not be available. Bring a plate, bowl, cup and utensils for use at your own tent. A cooler if you know you'll want one. Conventional food supplies will be available in Hood River. We will have access to a modern kitchen for Rendezvous meals. Depending on availability, short open-air hot showers are possible near camp. Stringent conservation showers only. Get wet, shut off water, lather up, rinse off. Depending on availability, group hot tubbing is possible for $5 per person per hour. If there is a line, hot tubbing is limited to an hour per person. A day pack will be useful for day trips. Other useful items would include, a good knife (best carried in a knife sheath), scissors (best carried in a second knife sheath), hiking boots, and clothing for fieldwork. A shoulder bag is useful for handy access to books and note pads. A wide brimmed water resistant hat helps tremendously if it rains or if we are in strong sun. In some cases we may be wading through mud or ankle deep water. Prepare for temperatures usually ranging from 50°F to 85°F. Bring clothing for comfort around camp. For inland forests, bring rugged but layered hiking cloths and hiking boots. Bring a bathing suit if you want to take a dip in the Hood River. Bring a musical instrument, a song, a dance, and a folk tale to tell for the evenings. Optional, but encouraged: Bring some wild food that you've previously prepared, are proud of making, and would like to share with the rest of us. Wild flours, jams, syrups, canned foods, nuts, beans, etc.

Cattail

Mount Hood from Trillium Lake

Do NOT Bring
Drugs, alcohol, firearms, fireworks, fighting, or pets.
Violators and troublemakers will be asked to leave.
Anyone asked to leave has no right to a refund.

Arrival / Event / Departure Schedule
Arrive: Anytime after 4pm on Friday June 11, 2010: Set up camp/meet other participants.
GingerRoot and its first activities officially begin with a program at 7pm Friday.
The last GingerRoot activity will end by 1pm Monday, June 14th.

GingerRoot Costs:

A) Registration Fees
Full Registration: $330 (in US dollars) for the full 4 day event. See discounts and childrens fees below.
Partial Event Registrations:
Two Day (Saturday + Sunday) attendees pay full price ($330) listed above, but are also eligible for discounts.
Two Day (Either Saturday + Monday OR Sunday + Monday) attendees pay $180 if they register on or before June 1, 2010, $200 thereafter
Single Day (Saturday or Sunday) attendees pay $150 if they register on or before June 1, 2010, $170 thereafter
There is no extra charge for one or two day participants to attend Friday's orientation.

Early Registration Discounts: Register in advance on or before...
May 20, 2010 and pay a reduced rate of only: $300
June 1, 2010 and pay a reduced rate of only: $310
June 7 onward, pay full price of $330
These early registration discounts require that you pay in full (received in our office) by these cut off dates.

Further Registration Discounts (ONLY ONE OF THESE CAN APPLY PER PERSON):
Previous GingerRoot Attendees get an additional $60 discount off any of the cut-off dates above.
These adults (18+) get a $30 discount off any of the cut-off dates above:
Full time college students
Native Americans
Adult family members that register together

Fees for Children:
Ages: 0 - 6 attend for free
Ages: 7 - 8 pay 10 times their age
Ages: 9 - 11 pay 12 times their age
Ages: 12 - 14 pay 14 times their age
Ages: 15 - 17 pay 16 times their age up to a maximum of $270
Children through and including the age of 17 must be under the supervision and responsibility of a parent or guardian at all times. The GingerRoot Rendezvous, Dr. Kallas, Wild Food Adventures, Riversong Farms and anyone associated with them are not, and cannot be responsible for non-adults. There are no child care facilities. That being said, children will find a supportive environment from the staff.

B) Lodging:
Off Site Accommodations:
If possible, we'd prefer that everyone be on-site. If staying off site, we recommend arriving by the time our breakfast begins so you will receive any last minute information and announcements prior to heading out for the day.

Camping & Other Options:
Camping on the grounds or sleeping in your vehicle is included in your registration. If you stay on the grounds you have four options.
1. Camping with a tent.
2. Car Camping. (Some options are available near the camping area)
3. Staying in a large RV (There are no hook ups - you will have to park about 1/8th mile from the rest of us)
4. Riversong offers one small clean modern minimalist room called the "Bird's Nest" with a comfortable queen bed and small dresser. It has no kitchen or bathrrom. If the room is available, there is a charge of $120 for the duration of the GingerRoot. This is a first come first serve commodity and can accommodate 1 - 2 persons. Contact us if you are interested prior to sending money.

C) Carpooling Contribution:
Do not include this with your registration, bring this to the event. Currently estimated to be $5-8/person depending on the current price for gas. So in addition to the entrance fee, you will be asked to contribute a car pooling fee. We will be traveling to a variety of habitats over the four days of the event. Since we do not have busses or vans, some participants who have space in their cars will volunteer their vehical for use in car pooling. Based on current prices, the fuel required for traveling for the Rendezvous costs about $24 per car. Participants will be asked to contribute their fair share of that amount to the driver when car pooling is organized.


Refund Policy / Important Dates
All except a $20 non-refundable processing fee is deducted if a refund is requested on or before April 15, 2010
80% is returned if a refund is requested on or before May 1, 2010.
60% is returned if a refund is requested on or before May 15, 2010.
40% is returned if a refund is requested on or before June 1, 2010.
20% is returned if a refund is requested on or before June 7, 2010.
 0% is returned if a refund is requested on or after June 8, 2010 (includes no-shows)

How to Register
Print out the Registration Form and Acceptance of Personal Responsibility Form at this site. Fill them out completely. Sign them. Write out a check or money order (in US dollars) payable to "Wild Food Adventures" for the appropriate amount.
IMPORTANT: if you live outside of the US... a personal or foreign bank check cannot be accepted. We can only accept a cashier's check or money order made out in US dollars from a US bank or American Express office. These forms of currency should be payable to "John Kallas".

Other Topics at this Web Site...
Wild Food Adventures Main Directory
John Kallas Biography
Book Reviews / Bookstore
Euell Gibbons Biography
Technical Adviser for Movie Industry
Wild Foods in Wilderness Survival
Wild Food Retreat at Opal Creek
Wild Food Workshops
Wild Food Newsletter
Wild Food Primer
Wild Food Services
Nature Photographs