Public Program Schedule

Cooking with Native Plants

Sunday, May 26, 10am to 12pm

Back to Natives Nursery at Santiago Park

Join Craig Torres, a Tongva descendant, to learn more about using native plants for food. For thousands of years the Tongva of the Los Angeles basin relied on native plants for food, clothing, shelter and medicine. The reciprocal relationships between plants, animals and humans enabled the plants to continue on for future generations.

In the Spring as we travel down roads and highways one species of yucca (Yucca whipplei) becomes apparent as their cream colored blossoms light the hillsides like candles. Today many Southern California Indians continue to harvest yucca, especially the blossoms and young fruits, for cooking.

Craig will demonstrate how to parboil fresh yucca blossoms to remove bitterness before stir-frying or sautéing them. He will show us how to dehydrate and freeze the blossoms for storage, and discuss the process of making yucca stalk "jerky".

Craig will show us how fiber is derived from yucca leaves. He will discuss the symbiotic relationships between the yucca and the yucca moth, and the proper protocol and etiquette for harvesting as well as growing yucca in your own landscape. Come prepared to sample "pickled" yucca blossoms and other native plant treats! Recipes will be provided. Native plants (including yucca) will be available for sale!

Fee: $15/person. Proceeds go directly to habitat restoration projects.

RSVP: education@backtonatives.org for directions. Prepayment required.

Propagation of Native Plants - Summer   

Sundays 9AM-1PM 06/09/2013-08/25/2013

Join Back to Natives for a hands-on class to increase your native plant propagation knowledge.  Participants will gather once a week for 12 weeks to learn which native plants propagate best by seed, cuttings, layering, and division.  We will examine unique methods for mimicking nature’s scarification process.  The biology, anatomy, history, and use of these propagation techniques will also be covered, briefly.  Students will help propagate native plants for use in habitat restoration and environmental education projects.  Students can choose to count class time toward volunteer hours, or take home up to twelve of the plants that they propagated! Most classes will take place at the Back to Natives Nursery at Santiago Park.  $75/12 Weeks.  RSVP to education@backtonatives.org

The United States Forest Service & Back to Natives Restoration Training Program

Back to Natives Restoration, in a cooperative agreement with the Cleveland National Forest, provides hands on habitat restoration training over the course of a 7 week training program. Each training session focused on specific aspects of the restoration process from tool and trail safety training, to native and non-native plant identification, proper site entry/exit protocol as well as mechanical/physical abatement techniques to reduce soil disturbance and possible weed seed germination. Graduates of this course are certified to lead groups of volunteers in habitat restoration projects. This is a REAL CLASS.  Expect weekly quizzes, homework and a final exam! Sign-up online or download the registration form at www.backtonatives.org/usfs.shtml