A special one-day workshop will give participants a taste of nature using wild edible plants and mushrooms.

The workshop, hosted by Ben Hoksch, will be held Sunday, July 7, 1 to 4 p.m. at the Buxton Ranch in Webster City.

Participants will have a chance to develop skills related to identifying, harvesting, processing, cooking and preserving wild edible plants and mushrooms. Those attending the session will make and leave with cordials — wild fermented sodas that turn to wine and then vinegar– from wildflowers and a drying rack for preserving food.

Hoksch said he feels driven to share the knowledge he has been given from people and the earth.

“If I teach someone a plant, bird, mushroom etc., it is a gift that will impact them forever; then they must care,” he said. “I have spent the last 10 years coming to understand how special Iowa is and how it needs skilled individuals to represent, live with and fight for it. This place formed my land ethic with help from a slew of passionate individuals.”

Hoksch has worked as a botanist and lepidopterist and has a master’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa in Biology. He studied prairie ecology and has worked to manage land in Iowa for 10 years. He canoed the Mississippi River, cooked fish and foraged food over a fire most every night and said he would love to do that again.

“This whole time I have been learning the names and stories of the wild plants and mushrooms that live here and I incorporate their uses in my daily life for food and medicine,” Hoksch said. “When I have the time, I use wild crafted items to make art, and the experiences I have with all of these things inspire my banjo music. “

To register for the workshop, call 888-832-0012, or email office@legacylearningbrv.org