Plant Walks and Forage Picnics

Welcome to my plant walk and forage picnic page. Linger and read, or scroll down to buy a Gift Walk or a ticket for an August or September walk.

To be added to my quarterly mailing list (where new walks are first announced), for private walks and consultation inquiries, please get in touch by email:

myviljoen (at) gmail (dot) com 

And you'll find me daily on Instagram @marie_viljoen

My book Forage, Harvest, Feast - A Wild-Inspired Cuisine, is a substantial foraging and growing resource, with plant info for collection and for cultivation, and over 500 recipes I developed for three dozen plants. It is intended as a guide for exploring the range of possibilities for delicious and very versatile botanical ingredients growing (or begging to be grown) near you. Buy it from the publisher, your local bookshop, or Amazon.

About my Walks

I lead plant walks and nature immersions in wild and tame green spaces. As much as these experiences are about sharing my passion for plants, and about identifying edible plants, they are an introduction to the rich natural world that surrounds us, even in (especially in) the middle of a city famous for...other things. 

Every part of every season offers a unique opportunity to learn more about the plants that live with us in plain sight, especially in places where we do not expect to find them. Yes, we even walk in winter.

Groups are small, low-impact, and personal. It's not unusual for new friendships to grow over the course of the walk. Meet plants, make friends!

On our field trips we identify and talk about so-called weeds, or plants whose habit is invasive; introduced species; and native plants, some of which could - and should, but still don't - define an authentic regional cuisine. Awareness, sustainability and stewardship are the cornerstones of these interactions with nature. My own approach evolves, and I welcome the diverse perspectives that every person brings to our roving discussions.

I hope to help tune your senses to the botanical and natural details at our feet, and above our heads. Nature is right here, and needs to be seen. It's a bit of an emergency, the time we live in. 

Most walks end with a wild-inspired tasting picnic. It's exactly what it sounds like: Tastes of in-season, wild ingredients, as well as preserved small-batch forages from my feral pantry. Where possible, non-foraged ingredients are organic or locally-grown, although I have been known to swoop on something interesting from the local corner store. I take broad dietary preferences (vegan, vegetarian, omnivore) into account where possible within a group. 

You can also book a diet-specific, private walk.

Ways to Walk and Talk

Scheduled Walks - seasonal group walks are posted here (scroll down).

Gift Walks - buy an open ticket to any scheduled walk; valid for one year.

Plant ID - I identify and advise on plants on your land/garden/public space.

Talks, Classes - for botanic gardens, design firms, conservancies, garden clubs, etc.

Consultation - native and edible garden creation, wild recipes, mixology and menus.

Private Walks - for institutions, corporate groups, schools, families, friends.

Cancellation Policy

Refunds are at my discretion: I am a one-woman show and walks with picnics take a lot of time to plan and prepare. If you cancel with up to four days' notice you are welcome to use your ticket (purchased or gifted) as credit towards a future walk. 

Gift Walks

A Gift Walk ($95) is an open ticket that offers admission to any of my seasonal plant walks with forage-picnics (classes I teach for outside institutions like the NYBG are not included). Give an experience that includes plant identification, nature immersion, wild-inspired treats, and the company of interesting and interested humans. Valid for one year. Gift Walks are non-refundable.

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Late Summer and Cusp-of-Fall Walks

Forest Bath

12 September 2026

Historic Green-Wood 

11.30am - 2.30pm

$90.00 

($5 is donated to the Historic Green-Wood Fund)

Join me on a walk among the magnificent trees of Green-Wood where we will see the ancient foods of woolly mammoths (yes, really).  Humans can eat them, too. Familiar fruiting trees like crabapples and apples will keep us company.

We'll wander the beautiful lawns, learning about edibles underfoot, and might be lucky enough to experience the best of a Brooklyn safari: ground hogs, a shy skunk, and the first of the migratory birds. 

Our quiet picnic will feature the wild flavors of this season.

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September Sealands

26 September 2026, 

Fort Tilden, 

12pm - 3pm, 

$85

The dunelands and backroads of this summer sandbar are beginning to think autumn thoughts. We'll see the fruits of invasive plants like privet, autumn olive and multiflora rose, as well as the last of the local, sour sumacs to ripen. 

Thickets of feral herbs—introduced as well as native—line the quiet roads and paths and most of them will be included in our September tasting picnic. Bring a swimsuit (but no lifeguard on duty...)

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