The Salt Spring Island Farmland Trust is hosting a guided spring foraging walk with Indigenous chef and knowledge keeper Jared ‘Qwustenuxun’ Williams. The event, which takes place May 1, 2026, invites residents and visitors to explore local forests and fields to learn about edible springtime plants and the traditional foodways of the Salish Sea region.
The foraging walk is part of the programming offered by the Root to Bloom Centre, a living classroom dedicated to regenerative learning on Salt Spring Island. Through this event, participants will gain insight into the eco-cultural understandings that have guided Indigenous peoples in the area since time immemorial.
Williams, an experienced educator and consultant, spent his youth immersed in Salish culture, learning traditional harvesting and food preparation techniques from his late grandmother. He has worked as an Indigenous foods educator, writer, and consultant, and has received recognition for his contributions to multicultural storytelling and food advocacy.
Salt Spring Island is situated on the traditional territories of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the Quw’utsun (Cowichan), Tsawwassen, Tsawout, Malahat, and Tseycum nations. The Farmland Trust has made reconciliation a core value of its operations, which include managing the Burgoyne Valley Community Farm and The Root food hub. The organization also maintains an active partnership with the Stqeeye’ Learning Society, an Indigenous-led non-profit focused on reclaiming ancestral lands at Xwaaqw’um, also known as Burgoyne Bay, through cultural revitalization and ecological restoration.
