Join us for this, our 11th Annual GingerRoot Wild Food Rendezvous and teach-in using the wisdom of the ancients in the context of current realities. Gain a realistic vision and practical experience on the roles that wild foods play in everyday life, simple living, self-reliance, and survival. We'll cover how wild foods can be incorporated into the everyday diet of those looking for a more simple, sustainable way of living and expanding their nutritive options. We'll cover how the First Peoples made a living off the land as well as the roles wild foods can play in modern life. Technical details are below.

Our Goals
To help participants understand the roles that wild foods can play in recreation, survival, primitive living, self-reliance 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.

Site Accommodations & Local Features
Our base camp is located in picturesque Silverton Oregon. The area is in the foothills of the Cascade mountain range and part of the furtile Willamette valley. Characterized by rolling hills, fertile soils and a diversity of habitats, this area is ideal for the GingerRoot. About an hours drive from both Portland and Corvallis, our location is very accessible, but tucked away from the outside world. We have access to forest wilderness, woodlands, swamps, grasslands, farmland, fallow fields, rivers, lakes, and more. We travel to a variety of habitats learning about and gathering plants. Participants stay in their own tents. At the core of our basecamp is the Silverton Grange which offers us a large professional kitchen, indoor meeting space, and modern bathroom facilities. Parking is separate but close to our encampment. There are no hook-ups for RVs or trailers. 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. Silverton, our quaint historic host city comes complete with the normal amenities; a hospital, supermarkets, food preveyers, and tourist attractions. The downtown, is only a 10 minutes drive away. Salem is a 30 minute drive. See a map to GingerRoot.

Instructors / 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 published Volume 1 of the Wild Food Adventures Book Series; Edible Wild Plants, Wild Foods from Dirt to Plate in 2010. More about John.

What to Bring (See Detailed List)
Most of what you will need you can bring with you. If you forget something, Silverton can provide it.

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.

Refrigeration may not be available, so plan accordingly. 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 as well as basic breakfast and lunch preparation.

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, swamp shoes (old wetable tennis shoes), 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.

After long days and lots of learning and working, the evenings often end in good conversation, but feel free to bring a musical instrument, a song, or a folk tale to tell for the evenings. Optional: 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.

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 / Departure
Arrive: Anytime after 4pm on Friday June 21, 2013: 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 24.

GingerRoot Costs:

A) Registration Fees
Full Registration: $340 (in US dollars) for the full 4 day event.
Early Registration Discounts: Register in advance on or before...
March 28, 2013 and pay a reduced rate of only: $270
April 28, 2013 and pay a reduced rate of only: $290
May 12, 2013 and pay a reduced rate of only: $300
May 28, 2013 and pay a reduced rate of only: $310
June 15, 2013 and pay a reduced rate of only: $320
June 16 onward, pay full price of $340
Early registration discounts require that FULL PAYMENT is received in our office by the above 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

Partial Event Registrations:
Two Day (Saturday + Sunday) attendees pay full price ($340) listed above, but are also eligible for early registration discounts.
Single Day (Saturday or Sunday) attendees pay $150 if they register on or before June 15, 2013, $180 thereafter
There is no extra charge for one or two day participants to attend Friday's orientation.

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 Forest Sanctuary and anyone associated with them are not, and cannot be responsible for children. There are no child care facilities. That being said, children will find a supportive environment.

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. If you arrive late and we have already left camp, you will miss a large portion of the day's events. There are no discounts for staying off site.

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
3. Staying in an RV (There are no hook ups)
4. Sleeping on the floor in the kitchen facility

C) Carpooling Contribution:
Do not include this with your registration, bring this to the event. Currently estimated to be $8-10/person depending on the current price for gas. So in addition to the registration fee, you will be asked to contribute a car pooling fee (unless you are a driver). 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. The exact fee required will be determined when car pooling is organized.


Refund Policy / Important Dates
There is no charge if you cancel before we've had the time to process your registration. Upon your approval, your check will be destroyed and you will have paid nothing. All except a $20 non-refundable processing fee is deducted if a refund is requested on or before May 7, 2013
80% is returned if a refund is requested on or before May 22, 2013.
60% is returned if a refund is requested on or before June 2, 2013.
40% is returned if a refund is requested on or before June 12, 2013.
20% is returned if a refund is requested on or before June 17, 2013.
 0% is returned if a refund is requested on or after June 18, 2013 (includes no-shows)

How to Register
Print out the Registration and Waiver Forms 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". Paypal may be possible for international circumstances.