Welcome to my plant-walk page. Please scroll down to book or look a specific walk.
Scheduled classes and events are posted here. Private walks for you or for a group of friends or work-team members are by appointment.
If you would like to enquire about a private walk, or join my mailing list, please email me at myviljoen (at) gmail (dot) com.
My second cookbook, Forage, Harvest, Feast - A Wild-Inspired Cuisine, is a useful reference for my walks and also if you are a chef, cook, or gardener hungry for new flavors (there are 510 recipes exploring the range of possibilities for 36 very versatile plants). Order from your nearest bookshop or Amazon.
About my Walks
I lead plant identification walks, teach classes, and offer #foragepicnics or wild-inspired drinks in wild and tame green spaces. As much as these experiences are about sharing my passion for plants, they are an introduction to and immersion in the rich natural world that surrounds us even in the middle of the New York City. Locals get to explore a side of the city they did not suspect existed, while visitors meet green wildness in the concrete jungle.
Every part of every season offers a unique opportunity to learn more about the plants that surround us in plain sight, especially in places where we do not expect to find them. Yes, we we even walk in winter!
On field trips that are essentially experiential classes, we identify and talk about three broad categories of flora (and not just edible): so-called weeds, whose habit is invasive; exotic plants (introduced species) that have culinary uses; and native plants, which could - and should, but still don't - define an authentic regional cuisine.
We discuss what parts of plants are safe to eat, and why, as well as culinary ideas and techniques for unfamiliar ingredients. We talk about the constantly evolving do's and don't's of foraging; urban and rural pollution issues; sustainability, the relationship between invasive plants and natives; biodiversity; and the real problems of commercial over-harvest of native wild plants (like ramps) - all tying in to my approach of conservation foraging.
My hope is to tune the senses to botanical and natural details at our feet, no matter where we find ourselves. Plant blindness can be cured.
The group size is small, low-impact, and personal; it never exceeds 15 people. It's not unusual for new friendships to grow over the course of the walk. Meet plants, make friends!
Forage Picnics
I begin to prepare a few days ahead of a walk by scouting the route, collecting fresh wild ingredients in an appropriate spot (often not the same as the walk-location), and then spend a day in the kitchen, creating the tasting picnic.
Ways to Walk and Talk
Scheduled Walks - seasonal walks booked via this page (scroll down).
Team Building Adventures - for corporate groups and schools.
Private Walks - for institutions, friends; with/without picnic.
Gift Walks - give a wild foods walk with or without picnic as a gift.
Plant Identification - I identify the plants on your land, public space, or garden.
Talks, Classes - for botanic gardens, conservancies, garden clubs, etc.
Consultation - garden creation, original recipes, menu design, mixology.
Frequent Walker Miles
For every five walks you attend, the sixth is free. Please keep track and alert me when you're up for a gratis stroll.
Forage Fund
In an effort to make walks more accessible I have launched an experimental Forage Fund. Anyone who is able, may donate - and thank you for your generosity. If you would like to reserve a ticket from the Forage Fund, please get in touch via email (myviljoen at gmail dot com) - or a DM on Instagram. This is a work in progress.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellations up to four days in advance will receive a refund. Cancellations up to 72 hours ahead of a walk receive credit for a future walk (to be used within a year). Cancellations within 24 hours of a walk receive no credit or refund.
If I cancel for any reason, you receive a full refund.
Walks booked via outgoing links to institutions like the New York Botanical Garden or the Brooklyn Botanic Garden have their own cancellation policies, per those institutions.
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We will picnic on an island in a fall-tinted sea of marsh grasses, and walk our way back in an explorative circle though the woods.
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