Rancho Santa Ana Botanic to Showcase California Native Foods

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden is proud to be a part of the movement to revitalize native food systems with our first annual California Native Food Symposium, Saturday and Sunday, November 14 and 15.

The symposium promises to be a catalyst for people to gardening with native plants, incorporating native foods into their dishes, and to see California’s native plant diversity, in a different way. These topics are important and timely given the current drought, interest in the local food movement, and revitalization of traditional ways.

This event is the first of its kind focusing entirely on California native food plants. It will bring together a diverse audience to share traditions and stories surrounding the current movement and research on California native plant foods.

The event includes eight exciting speakers invited from throughout California, covering topics such as It Will Live Forever: Traditional Yosemite Indian Acorn Preparation by Julie Parker, and Gourmet Wild Food Preservation — From Fermentation to Beers and Pickles by Pascal Bandar. Parker is a Coast Miwok-Kahaya Pomo basket weaver, whose baskets are in the collections of the Queen of England and the Smithsonian Institution, among others. Baudar is a wild food instructor in Los Angeles.

Symposium admission includes entrance to Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden’s Acorn Festival, Sunday, November 15, and also will include the opportunity to taste food samples and see food demonstrations with unique dishes such as California sage pesto and desert mesquite pancakes.

Registration is $60, and can be purchased on-site or online at rsabg.org or canativefood.wordpress.com.