GingerRoot Wild Food Rendezvous
The GingerRoot Wild Food Rendezvous challenges a group of adventurers to identify, gather, process and prepare wild Cascadian foods into feasts. Participants learn from and reinvent age-old sustainable cultural practices of Native Americans and pioneers, who gathered much or all of their food from the wild. Also included are the now-endemic edible wild plants that invaded with the pioneers following the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Some of the plants eaten include cattail, camas, brodaea, dessert parsley, wild onion, elderbow and wild raspberry. Base camp is the Riversong Forest Sanctuary, sandwiched between Mount Adams and Mt. Hood. Forays are taken into mountain wilderness. Every trip is a scenic wonder, with views of raging rivers, snow capped mountains, magnificent gorges and deep evergreen forests.
The GingerRoot teaches about the unique cultural heritage and ethnobotany of the plants of the area and brings attention to the habitats they are living in. In the process, awareness is raised of human impacts on the natural environment — fostering sustainability attitudes, ethics and habitat protection. In this fun, experiential, educational event, participants are taught sustainable harvesting techniques that allow wild plants to continue to thrive. Visitors often return to the area to repeat the event, enjoy the scenery and spend time in the local economy. Global climate change, habitat loss, pollution, and invasive species pose the greatest threats to the uniqueness of this event and the area in general. All these issues are discussed at the GingerRoot.
- Event held annually, summer solstice weekend in June
- Fees required
- Trained guides available
- Located on both public and private land
- Visitor center
Nature's Bounty
The Central Cascades has seven themes that help to define the character of the region. This location is an example of Nature's Bounty. Here are more locations that exemplify this theme:
Central Cascades Geotourism Map
