Volcan Mountain Foundation

February 2 Wildcrafting: Conifer Tea and Forest Scone Party

Join us for a celebration of Volcan Mountain forest in winter, featuring the unique flavors of conifer trees paired with delicious toasted pine nut and conifer scones! This enchanting experience blends foraging and culinary creativity into a day of nature-inspired connection and learning. Perfect for nature lovers, foragers, and tea enthusiasts of all experience levels.

We will begin with a guided forest walk where you will learn to identify different conifer species, discover their unique scents and textures, and uncover their stories.    Along the way, you will also learn to forage pine nuts and gather a variety of tea needles to brew our teas. 

Back at our nature center, we will prepare a selection of conifer teas, highlighting the aromatic flavors of pine, fir, spruce, and redwood. You will learn how to make conifer infused honey that is tasty with tea and then work together to bake toasted pine nut scones and a delicious Douglas fir-needle icing. A sweet and nutty pairing to complement the teas!  You are also welcome to create and package your own conifer tea blend to take home.

Finally, we will toast to winter with a whimsical conifer tea party, celebrating the bounty of the forest with tea, scones, and shared stories. It’s an experience that will awaken your senses, deepen your connection to nature, and leave you with new skills to carry into your own wildcrafting adventures.

Wildcrafting is the age-old practice of collecting or harvesting plants from their natural habitat, or “wild” habitat, for food, medicine, or craft.  It applies to uncultivated plants wherever they might be found and is not necessarily limited to wilderness areas. Ethical considerations and sustainable behaviors are practiced, such as protecting endangered species and avoiding potential depletion of commonly held resources. The practice of sustainable wildcrafting requires making a commitment to develop your knowledge and connection to the natural landscape, deepen your local sense of place, and take responsibility for its regeneration for future generations. For more information, please watch VMF's 10 Best Practices for Foraging Wild, Edible Plants. 

Date: Sunday, February 2, 2025

Time: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. 

Cost: Activity Fee is $25 per person. Space is limited to 12 participants. 

Location: VMF's Volcan Mountain Nature Center in Julian.(22850 Volcan Road/4002 Farmer Road, Julian, CA 92036). 

Wildcrafting workshops are generally held every other month on the 4th Sunday of the month from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.  Holidays might change the date of the workshops. 

You may contact the VMF office with questions or for more information at 760-765-2300 or contact Janice at [email protected]. 

To register, complete the information below  and make your payment on the following page. Please register one participant per form submission.