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Food with Ashley Rodriguez

visual for 2025 Glen Workshop food seminar with Ashley Rodriguez

Rooted Kitchen: Reconnecting with Nature Through Food

 

“Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will last forever.”—Robin Wall Kimmerer

In this course we will explore the power of food in deepening our connection with the natural world. Inspired by Ash's book, this course encourages you to view yourself as an integral part of nature and empowers you to make conscious, sustainable choices that nourish both yourself and the planet.

Through a blend of theoretical insights and hands-on experiences, you will discover how to live rooted in the earth through the following modules:

  • The Essence of Living Rooted: Delve into the core philosophy of Rooted Kitchen and understand how your food choices impact your connection to the ecosystem.
  • Conscious Eating and Sustainable Food Practices: Learn how to make informed decisions about the food you consume, from sourcing local and wild ingredients to practicing mindful eating and waste reduction. We will look at this through the lens of the individual and the community.
  • Seasonal and Foraged Foods: Explore the benefits of seasonal eating and foraging, reconnecting with nature's rhythms and deepening your appreciation for the diverse flavors and nutrients of wild and local foods.
  • Creating Rooted Meals: Participate in cooking workshops that showcase recipes and techniques that highlight the beauty and simplicity of nature's bounty, fostering gratitude for the earth's offerings.
  • Community and Connection Through Food: Discover the importance of engaging with others who share a passion for nature and sustainability, building relationships around the communal act of sharing meals and nourishing one another.

By the end of this course, you will have gained the knowledge and skills to live a more vibrant, interconnected life through the transformative power of food. Join us on this enriching adventure and experience the profound benefits of Rooted Kitchen for yourself, your community, and the earth.

Each Day:
In our time together we will feast spiritually and actually. We will read essays, poems and excerpts from those who have paved the way; living, eating and sustaining the earth through this way of existing. We will learn from wild food experts and we will experience a true earth-to-table meal together.

What You Should Bring:
Pen and something to write on. Please note: one evening meal will likely take place off campus.

Experience Level:
This course is for everyone who enjoys and appreciates good food. It's for those who are curious about learning more about wild foods, who care about eating with the health of the earth in mind, and for those who enjoy cooking and eating.

About the Instructor

Ash Rodriguez is a Seattle-based writer, eco-spiritual guide, photographer, and author of four books: Date Night In, Let’s Stay In, Rooted Kitchen, and Field Notes from a Fungi Forager. She is the creator of the award winning blog, notwithoutsalt.com. Her work has earned accolades from Saveur.com (Best Food Blog 2013), the Times Online, Martha Stewart Living, BonAppetit.com, Food & Wine, and many more. Before she began writing, Ashley worked in several professional kitchens, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago in Beverly Hills.

Her love of the outdoors and natural spaces led her to become a Wild Guide through the Center for Wild Spirituality and a certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides.

Ash is the host and co-creator of the James Beard nominated series, Kitchen Unnecessary, and is named a 2025 Literary Lion from the King County Library System. When not eating, or talking and writing about food, you can find Ash foraging, fly fishing, digging in the dirt of her garden, feeding her sourdough starter and spending as much time outside as possible.

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