OJAI "OUTDOOR SURVIVAL SKILLS" WORKSHOP
2026-02-28 10:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 10 a.m.

Join me (Lanny Kaufer_)and renowned author/forager/survivalist Christopher Nyerges on Saturday, February 28, at Euterpe Farms in Ojai for an outdoor Foraging & Firemaking workshop. This workshop is based on Christopher’s many books, including Foraging California and How to Survive Anywhere.
Participants will:

learn to identify edible, medicinal, and useful plants and mushrooms
forage wild foods for our meal
learn the 4 basic principles of making fire and practice 2 or 3 ways of matchless firestarting
learn and practice hand drill firemaking
try bow drill firemaking with Christopher’s kit
enjoy a foraged meal cooked over a campfire
process acorns and/or black walnuts for eating, time permitting

The workshop will begin with a morning herb walk among the native plants on the fringes of Euterpe Farms, bordering the Ventura River Preserve. The afternoon workshop will take place in a grassy area. Everyone will have a chance to participate in all activities.

Javier shows the three book special

After the workshop, Christopher and I will have our mobile bookstores on display, including copies of my book, Medicinal Herbs of California, and several of Christopher’s many books, available for sale and signing.
Christopher Nyerges is an author, forager, survivalist and ethnobotanist with a lifelong interest in how native peoples lived off the land. He has been teaching classes and leading field trips since 1974 to over 40,000 students. Nyerges has authored nearly two dozen books, including Foraging California, How to Survive Anywhere, Guide to Wild Foods, Nuts and Berries of California, Extreme Simplicity, and many others. Chicago Review Press, the publishers of the late Larry Dean Olsen’sOutdoor Survival Skills, asked Christopher to lightly edit the 7th edition of that classic book and add color photos and a new foreword.
Christopher was the editor of American Survival Guide magazine and served as editor of Wilderness Way magazine for 7 years. He has written several thousand newspaper and magazine articles in such publications as the Los Angeles Times, Pasadena Star News, Pasadena Weekly, Whole Life Times, Countryside, Mother Earth News, Acres USA, American Survival Guide, and others.
He has appeared on the late Huell Howser’s public television series on California, KCET’s “Life and Times,” and National Geographic’s “Doomsday Preppers.” For two years, he appeared on Fox TV’s “X Show,” where he demonstrated survival skills on the streets of Los Angeles. He currently serves as a consultant to the “Naked and Afraid” show on Discovery. Christopher Nyerges’ web site is SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com.
REGISTRATION INFO:Registration at https://herbwalks.com/event/foraging-firemaking-workshop-with-christopher-nyerges-2/. Paid registrants will receive a confirmation email with all necessary info, including weather forecast and parking directions, a few days prior to the workshop. They also will receive a follow-up email afterwards with a list of all plants identified and used, recipes, and more.
The cost for the workshop, including all materials, is $85 for adults and $45 for children under 18 (one per adult).
