Join Charles for a Scottsdale Edible and Medicinal Plant Walk

When: Saturday, November 18th, 9am to 12noon.

Where: Scottsdale/Fountain Hills area.

Meet-up point: 9am, meet up in the Safeway parking lot (at the very back, next to Fountain Hills Blvd). 13733 Fountain Hills Blvd, Fountain Hills, AZ 85268.

Additional: The low-lying mountains that occasionally dot the Greater Valley harbor a mixture of sun-exposed and sheltered plant life.

The edible cacti are here: Saguaro, Barrel cactus, and Prickly pear. Some are more palatable than others, but for all, collection timing (season) and utilizable part are important factors to know.

The legume (bean) trees are common to the area. Mesquite, Paloverde, Ironwood, and Catclaw abound. Some should be processed before consumption, others are fine eaten fresh. Once properly approached, all are nutritionally fortifying.

Creosote bush thrives in the region. A medicinal powerhouse, its therapeutic use is noteworthy: venomous insect bites, sun-damaged skin, certain autoimmune inflammations, a number of viral conditions.  However, its internal use should not be considered carefree.  Learn how to use the plant, intelligently and safely.

Know your Nightshades: Datura and Tobacco are here. Topically the two are therapeutic (analgesic and antiinflammatory), but accidentally ingested? The situation could be considered emergency-room territory.

All in all I’ll touch on or discuss 25-30 species.

Mini Book Signing: After we finish, I’ll have a book signing at the vehicles for anyone who wants to purchase a book (or bring your own copy for me to sign). I’ll have these titles available to sign/purchase:

• Medicinal Plants of Western Mountain States (covers high elevation Arizona plants)
• Medicinal Plants of the American Southwest (covers low elevation Arizona plants)
• Wild Edible Plants of Arizona
• Sonoran Desert Food Plants

Join Charles for a Cave Creek Edible and Medicinal Plant Walk

When: Sunday, November 19th, 9am to 12noon.

Where: Cave Creek area.

Meet-up point: 9am, meet up in the Bashas’ parking lot (closest to N Tom Darlington Dr). 36889 N Tom Darlington Dr, Carefree, AZ 85377.

Additional: The low-lying mountains that occasionally dot the Greater Valley harbor a mixture of sun-exposed and sheltered plant life.

The edible cacti are here: Saguaro, Barrel cactus, and Prickly pear. Some are more palatable than others, but for all, collection timing (season) and utilizable part are important factors to know.

The legume (bean) trees are common to the area. Mesquite, Paloverde, Ironwood, and Catclaw abound. Some should be processed before consumption, others are fine eaten fresh. Once properly approached, all are nutritionally fortifying.

Creosote bush thrives in the region. A medicinal powerhouse, its therapeutic use is noteworthy: venomous insect bites (check), sun-damaged skin (check), certain autoimmune inflammations (check), a number of viral conditions (check).  However, its internal use should not be considered carefree.  Learn how to use the plant, intelligently and safely.

Know your Nightshades: Datura and Tobacco are here. Topically the two are therapeutic (analgesic and antiinflammatory), but accidentally ingested? The situation could be considered emergency-room territory.

All in all I’ll touch on or discuss 25-30 species.

Mini Book Signing: After we finish, I’ll have a book signing at the vehicles for anyone who wants to purchase a book (or bring your own copy for me to sign). I’ll have these titles available to sign/purchase:

• Medicinal Plants of Western Mountain States (covers high elevation Arizona plants)
• Medicinal Plants of the American Southwest (covers low elevation Arizona plants)
• Wild Edible Plants of Arizona
• Sonoran Desert Food Plants

Join Charles for an Edible and Medicinal Plant Walk in the Tucson Mountains

When: Sunday, November 12th, 9am-12noon

Where: Tucson Mountains (eastern slope)

Meet-up: At 9am we’ll assemble in the Fred Archer Neighborhood Center’s parking lot (southwest corner, next to La Cholla Blvd).

Fred Archer Neighborhood Center address: 1665 S La Cholla Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85713.

Additional: The Tucson Mountains is a small, low-lying range that rests on the western edge of Tucson. As a repository of Sonoran Desert plant life, the chain is supportive to an array of edible and medicinal plants.

A number of desert cacti of the region are well-represented: Saguaro, Barrel, Pincushion, and various Cholla species. Most have established (and tasty!) food uses. A few have lesser-known medicinal uses (Cholla roots).

More than the just the edible cacti, other fruit providers frequent the area. Wolfberry, Mesquite, and Paloverde abound. With the knowledge of how (and when) to gather/process the latter two (the ‘bean tree’ staples), smart plant utilitarians will be able to fall back on these in times of supply-chain disruption.

Creosote bush thrives in the region. A medicinal powerhouse, its therapeutic use is noteworthy: venomous insect bites, sun-damaged skin, certain autoimmune inflammations, a number of viral conditions.  However, its internal use should not be considered carefree.  Learn how to use the plant, intelligently and safely.

Ratany and Sangre de drago with their strong tannin-based astringencies, Ocotillo with its non-polar compounds, and Heartleaf bursage, with its interesting lactone set, are all here. Each has a unique medicinal influence.

All in all, I’ll touch on 20-25 edible/medicinal/poisonous plants.

Mini Book Signing: After we finish, I’ll have a book signing at the cars for anyone who wants to purchase a book (or bring your own copy for me to sign). I’ll have these titles available to sign/purchase:

• Medicinal Plants of the American Southwest (covers low elevation SW plants)
• Medicinal Plants of Western Mountain States (covers high elevation SW/Western plants) (Mt. Lemmon)
• Sonoran Desert Food Plants (low elevation wild edibles, Arizona)
• Wild Edible Plants of Arizona (high elevation Arizona) (Mt. Lemmon)