Wild Abundance

Came for nature left disappointed. After the wild foods hike I asked a few instructors if I could visit the campus/homestead to review the plants we learned. Natalie was condescending and told me instructors didn’t have time for that, and to “read the book”. The book wasn’t included in the tuition. After paying $1,000 I just wanted to make sure I understood the information. The next class had her husband yelling his political beliefs at us for a while and had harsh judgements about the residents of Barnardsville. Mocking the old fish pond and the few gun fires we heard (where wild Abundence is located there’s A LOT of game land.) ive lived in barnardsville my entire life and was taken aback. It’s a small poor community that’s had family’s generations upon generations on these old farms and this man is mocking them??? Made me really sad. He then went on and on about how over populated the earth is and how we need to stop reproducing....all while holding his 2 year old daughter. A lot of alchohol drinking is on campus, I expressed my concerns (I have a rare liver disease and it’s hard to escape alchohol in beer city USA, I just assumed it was a safe space) and the staff ignored me and all indulged in drinking. In class natalie snapped at a few students for asking questions and it wasn’t welcoming at times. To top it all off, I had to get a medical procedure done. I did the payment plan method and the second payment was due. If I payed for the classes I couldn’t afford a really really important medical procedure.(I had somehow completed half the classes this far, 6 classes $1,000 and the next 6 classes were starting in a few weeks so another $1,000 was due) , and emailed the staff telling them I really needed to drop the classes so I could afford my procedure.no one answered for a week.They sent a payment email though. I sent emails to 3 different people in charge trying to have them understand my situation. No one responded. I sent a text to a friend that just got a job at Wild Abundence about my situation and she handled it. Wild Abundence never responded to my emails. It just felt really weird especially since I had spent half a year with Natalie and thought we were closer than that. The students were all super amazing and really cool and funny and I really loved all them. But the hefty price point, poor communication, and unorganized classes just made it so unappealing. I waited half a year to post my review cuz I just wanted to forget my experience. But I feel the need to speak up because I don’t want anyone else to waste their money when they can just “read the book”. But if you’re like me and still wanna learn about the nature around us, in west asheville the store “Villagers” has the same exact classes on weekends but are $20 a class! Check it out :)nnEdit since the owners replied lol,nThe tone she used to reply to me is the tone she uses in her teaching at wild abundance hahah. Asheville is full of earth skill classes, always search around! Don’t make the mistake I did!

I attended the Women's Basic Carpentry class in autumn 2019. I wasn't sure what to expect, despite Wild Abundance's great reputation, because I was such a novice. But I left the class feeling confident and motivated, and having really connected to a group of amazing women. Recommend!

I've taken the Wild Foods Hike and Tiny Homes/Natural Building Techniques classes. Both were excellent. From the knowledgeable and personable staff, class content, class sites, down to the students taking these sorts of classes, you really can't lose with Wild Abundance! Highly highly recommended!

I love Wild Abundance. I recently completed the on site hide tanning class. Natalie Bogwalker and the other teachers were all generous with their help and in sharing their knowledge. I plan to take another class as soon as possible.

I lived at Wild Abundance for 8 months as an apprentice. Natalie and Frank were gracious hosts, teachers, landlords, and friends. The property is rich with plant diversity and community. Wild Abundance offers accessible classes for any nature lover, not to mention those interested in resiliency, self-sufficiency, and connection. Long-term residents not only have the ability to cook and gather in a beautiful outdoor kitchen with mind-blowing views but also to produce, gather, and process much of their own food and medicine. The space is memorable, inclusive, and inspiring; classes are invigorating and thoughtful; instructors are passionate, resourceful, and humble. Wild Abundance is an invaluable resource for the local community and a prime example for educational homesteads at large.