At an undisclosed location in the middle of Forest Park, we pause to look up into the tall trees and slowly inhale the pine-perfumed air. Then our guide passes around a stem of wild ginger for us to smell and nibble on.

“Let’s just take a moment,” says wild food expert John Kallas, “to appreciate where we live.”

Our motley group has joined his outdoor workshop to learn the basics of winter foraging—essentially finding your own food—specifically for our region.

“Portland is like the mecca of wild foods,” he continues. “In the spring, our Northwest forests are like salad—literally just one big salad.”

During the wintertime, the local landscape for wild edible foods changes. In Portland’s evergreen valley, some fruits fall juicy and ready to consume, but many others require some processin

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