Wild Bay Foraging Club

Hello Dear Friends of the Lake Superior region,

In the summer of 2019, I was riding my bicycle down the bike path on Lake Superior in Ashland, Wisconsin when I came across a young man foraging berries from the shrubs. I was intrigued for numerous reasons. First, I was in the midst of a yearlong project of growing and foraging one hundred percent of my food and was seeking all the knowledge of the local plants I could find. Second, I had come across few other foragers and thus was drawn to anyone in the act of foraging. This young man turned out to be Axel Peterman. He shared much valuable plant knowledge with me that summer and we have been friends and colleagues now for six years.

In the spring of 2025, I decided that I would be embarking on a year of foraging one hundred percent of my food and would make Ashland my home for the endeavor. Around the same time, I received an email from Axel that he would be moving and was looking for someone to take over the role of hosting the Wild Bay Foraging Club, with hopes for the club to continue beyond his presence. I had been involved in the creation of the club and was elated that the timing of my return and his need for a new host aligned so perfectly. A true alignment.

I am joyous to share that I will arrive back in Ashland on June 9th and will host the Wild Bay Foraging outings for the 2025 season. As an experienced forager, I have much to share with the community on the foods and medicines that are growing freely and abundantly all around us. At the same time, I remember what it was like to feel lost on where to start. I’m elated for this opportunity to serve many of you in deepening your connection with Earth through foraging and to facilitate in building a stronger community of foraging in my homeland.

Join the Wild Bay Foraging Club Facebook Group to be notified of foraging outings and to build your community.

General Information for Wild Bay Foraging Outings

Schedule and Location

Second Tuesday of each month from 5:30-7 pm
Fourth Sunday of each month from 9 or 10 am  to 12 pm. 
June 10th – Ashland Lakefront
June 22nd – Prentice Park
July 8th – Great Lakes Visitor Center – Aldo Leopold Nature Trail.
July 27th –  Ashland lakefront. Meet in Howard Pearson Plaza.
August 12th – 5:30-7 PM – Meet at Thompson’s West End Park Boat Ramp (401 8th Ave W, Washburn, WI 54891).
August 24th (10 am-12 pm) – Join us for a morning Foraging Walk at Foraging School at Potter’s Farm. If you’d like to attend this Foraging Walk, please register for Foraging School and make a note that you are just coming for the Foraging Walk.
September 9th – 5:30-7 PM Ashland lakefront. Meet in Howard Pearson Plaza. We’ll walk under the highway and east along the bike path.

September 28th* – 10 am-12 pm – Community led foraging. Robin will not be present. Meet at Thompson’s West End Park Boat Ramp (401 8th Ave W, Washburn, WI 54891).

October 14th* – 5:30-7 PM – Community led foraging. Robin will not be present as he will be on a Foraging Tour. Ashland lakefront. Meet in Howard Pearson Plaza.

October 26th* – 10 am-12 pm– Community led foraging. Robin will not be present as he will be on a Foraging Tour. Prentice Park. Meet at the pavilion at the main parking lot. 

Dates with a [*] Robin will not be in attendance. These are community foraging outings, without an instructor. Whoever arrives will enjoy learning, observing and foraging together. 
Locations will be selected for future outings and updated here in advance.

The purpose of the set outing schedule is to facilitate planning, to choose a time that is likely to work for the most people possible, and to give you the opportunity to set the time aside well in advance, if you are so inclined.

The meeting spot will change from month to month, but it will always be either immediately in the Bay area, or within fairly easy traveling distance (in the Moquah Barrens, etc.) We will typically alert you all to each month’s location in an email which we will send out in the month prior, or early in the same month. We will also send out an email a few days prior to each outing, communicating details regarding anticipated conditions, expected attendance and other relevant information.

We forage, rain or shine! If it is necessary to make a change in the outing date/time, we will let you all know as far in advance as possible. In the event of dangerous weather conditions, the outing will be canceled and rescheduled for the next possible weekend.

More Details

All foraging outings are free to attend, and open to all. You’re encouraged to bring your own ID books and materials, and to take the initiative to ask questions to the more experienced foragers in the group (and if you happen to be one of these, to offer help and suggestions to less-experienced foragers.)

Additionally, please take responsibility for your own travel, food, hydration, and clothing-related needs, and general well being while in the field. This said, carpooling, bringing extra gear in case anybody finds themselves lacking, or bringing snacks to share, are all encouraged. (It’s also recommended that foragers bring one or more durable (reusable, please) plastic bags, a basket or breathable bag, a small folding or sheath knife, and a trowel or other digging tool, if desired.)

Contact
Robin Greenfield
foraging@robingreenfield.org

This content was written by Wild Bay Foraging Founder Axel Peterman with only minor edits by Robin Greenfield in 2025.

Foraging Apprentice and Volunteering

Interested in volunteering with me or an apprenticeship position? Learn more here.

Foraging Schools

Are you yearning to connect more deeply with Earth? To learn how to harvest the foods and medicines that are growing freely and abundantly all around you? To find your community of like-minded people and break free from the rat race of consumerism

Foraging School is an opportunity to learn how to identify, harvest and enjoy the abundance of food and medicine that is growing in your region while deepening your connection with Earth and growing your community.

August 2nd – Duluth, Minnesota

August 8th-10th – Minneapolis, Minnesota

August 15th-17th – Madison, Wisconsin

August 22nd-24th – Ashland, Wisconsin at Potter’s Farm

Learn more and register for Foraging School here.

More Foraging Classes in the Northwoods

Sweetfern Apothecary
“Medicinal & Edible Plants of the Chequamegon Bay – Washburn, Bayfield, and Cornucopia.
Join Local Herbalist Erica Macrum on as they introduce you to the diverse range of medicinal and edible plants of our region. Every walk will be unique with the change of seasons, and the location depicting what will be calling to the group to share it’s gifts.”

Northwoods Forager
“Samantha Dobson –  sustainable living, wild edibles, educator, community activist, naturalist”
Mushroom Foraging Hike – Little Foragers Foraging School

Northern Mushroom Tours – Arne Martinson
“Learn how to identify and forage wild Wisconsin mushrooms! Tours are made by appointment and held in Bayfield County Wisconsin at a predetermined location with your mushroom guide.”

My Wild Wisconsin – Marisa Lee
See her resources here

Tavis Lynch
“Tavis Lynch has been a mushroom enthusiast for most of his life. His father started teaching him mycological identification as a small child. Tavis is now a 35-year veteran of mushroom cultivation and identification in northwest Wisconsin and is passing on his love of mushrooms to others. He is a mycology instructor for 22 schools in the Upper Midwest and has been teaching for about twelve years. Tavis is the author of “Mushroom Cultivation” (Quarto) and co-author of “The Beginner’s Guide to Mushrooms” (Quarto). He specializes in the genus Russula and several other genera. He is also active with the Wisconsin Mycological Society, and is the founder of the Northwestern Wisconsin Myco Enthusiasts (NoWME) club and an active contributor to everything mushroom-related in the Midwest.”

Find more foragers through our Find A Forager Database

Lake Superior Traditional Ways Gathering –  August 10th-16th – “On the shores of Lake Superior, tucked away on an incredible remote beach adjoining northern forests, Black Ash bogs, grassy campsites, and a modern ceremonial roundhouse, you will find the Traditional Ways Gathering. Here, for one week each summer, our community gathers to celebrate, share and learn skills from traditional cultures around the world. We uphold an environment that is family oriented and respectful to all. The gathering emphasizes traditional living skills from many different perspectives. It does this without subscribing to any one belief system, way of living, or ideology.”