Wild Harvest Weekend: Mushroom & Medicine Foraging Retreat

A weekend of mushroom hunting, herbal wisdom, forest exploration, and seasonal connection through hands-on foraging experiences. Join us for a weekend immersed in the abundance of the autumn! This hands-on foraging retreat invites you to slow down, reconnect with the natural world, and deepen your relationship with the plants and fungi that surround us. Together, we will explore the forest through mindful observation, mushroom hunting, herbal traditions, and shared meals. Throughout the weekend, you’ll gain practical skills for safely identifying, harvesting, and working with seasonal forest gifts while enjoying time for rest, reflection, and community. Retreat Schedule Friday Evening (Optional Early Arrival | $65 per room Additional Cost) Arrive early and settle into the peaceful rhythm of the land. Enjoy extra time to explore, rest, and connect before the retreat begins. Saturday, October 10 9:30 AM | Nature Sit Spot & Journaling with Lydia Hadfield Begin the day with a quiet sit spot practice, guided reflection, and journaling to deepen your awareness of the seasonal landscape. 11:00 AM Boxed lunch from Nourish Nest & head to field trip location 1:00 PM | Mushroom Foray Field Trip with Samantha Feld Learn to identify common edible mushroom species found in Maryland during the autumn months while building confidence in safe, ethical harvesting. We’ll begin with an introduction to mushroom ecology and identification techniques, then head into the woods to practice finding mushrooms in their natural habitat. After our foray, we’ll review our discoveries, discuss how to verify identifications using field guides and other resources, and, if we’re fortunate enough to find edible species, cook and enjoy them together. Please come prepared to walk off-trail and explore the forest. Good woods shoes or boots and a water bottle are required. Optional tools include a collecting basket or cardboard box, camera and/or notebook, tick protection, and paper lunch bags for separating finds. 4:00 PM | Rest & Reflection Time Enjoy quiet time to relax, explore the farm, or reflect on the day’s discoveries. 5:00 PM | Community Dinner with Nourish Nest Gather together for a shared meal featuring seasonal flavors. Dinner will be either a community-cooked meal or a catered dinner (details to be announced). 8:00 PM | Fireside Storytelling with Lydia Hadfield End the evening around the fire with stories, conversation, and connection. Sunday Restful Morning & Breakfast Buffet Savor your meal, sip a warm cup of tea or coffee, and take time to rest, explore the farm, journal, or simply soak in the peaceful beauty of the morning before we gather for our final workshop. 10:00 AM Optional Movement Practice with Alecks Moss Begin the day with an optional guided movement practice to gently awaken your body, quiet your mind, and prepare for a day of exploration in nature. 11:00 AM Optional Sauna Time 1:00 PM | Foraging & Crafting Syrup from Wild Cherry Bark with Holly Poole-Kavana Tree bark holds some of the forest’s most concentrated plant compounds and has long been used in traditional herbal practices. In this hands-on class, we’ll explore wild cherry bark, learning how to identify and responsibly harvest from cherry trees while creating a simple herbal preparation to take home. 3:30 PM | Closing Circle & Depart Overnight stay & Meals included. Rooms will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis in Fox House. All rooms are shared. (View lodging: https://foxhavenfarm.org/rentals-retreats/) Optional Friday Early Arrival Available ($65 per room) Meet Your Teachers Lydia Hadfield Lydia Hadfield is a writer who is curious about the relationships between people and their environments. Lately, she’s been exploring how nature observation can support creative practices and critical thinking skills. Lydia works on complex, interdisciplinary, multimedia content writing and copywriting through her Word Circus LLC. She focused on teaching writing and writing program research as part of her Professional Writing M.S. degree from Towson University. Lydia’s playwriting, improv, and solo performance background enrich her storytelling and teaching work. She believes in writing as a way to build ecological awareness, nurture earth care, and cultivate meaning. Samantha Feld Samantha Feld is the owner and operator of The Mushroomworks, a small mushroom growing and foraging business based in Baltimore. Her fascination with mycology began when a colorful flush of mushrooms appeared from the decaying roots of an old maple tree in her backyard, sparking a lifelong passion for fungi and forest ecology. Sam is an avid forager and gardener who teaches mushroom foraging, cultivation, dyeing, and illustration throughout the Mid-Atlantic. When she’s not exploring the woods or tending her row house homestead, she teaches art in Baltimore City Schools. Alecks Moss Alecks Moss is the Marketing & Events Director at Fox Haven Farm & Learning Center, where they create immersive educational experiences that help people reconnect with nature. Drawing on a background in business, event planning, and environmental education, Alecks believes meaningful learning happens through curiosity, hands-on experiences, and time spent outdoors. Throughout the weekend, Alecks will guide participants in mindful movement and nature connection practices that encourage presence, reflection, and a deeper relationship with the land. Holly Poole-Kavana Holly Poole-Kavana is a botanist and herbalist practicing in Washington, DC. She holds a bachelor’s degree in botany and has spent more than two decades studying herbal medicine through classroom learning, clinical practice, and outdoor fieldwork. Since 2010, Holly has operated Little Red Bird Botanicals, where she offers herbal consultations, an herbal CSA, locally grown herbal products, and educational programs. She also works as a birth assistant and labor doula, helping people build meaningful relationships with plants through practical, accessible herbal traditions. Bailey Ballenger (Nourish Nest) Bailey’s work is rooted in herbalism, nourishment, and the belief that food can be an expression of care. She began cooking at 15 and later deepened her herbal practice through her work at Tonic Herb Shop and training at Sacred Garden School. Today, Bailey is a lead server and herbalist at Elizabeth’s, a vegan fine-dining restaurant in Washington, D.C., and works as a retreat chef and caterer. Drawing from Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Western herbalism, she creates vibrant, seasonal meals that honor the connection between plants, food, and well-being. Known as the “Food Fairy,” Bailey brings warmth, creativity, and a touch of botanical magic to every table.