Our first in person workshop in 2 years! Join us for a 2 day exploration of mushroom cultivation, wild fungi and cooking mushrooms.
Come celebrate the beginning of the wild mushroom season with us in western MA. We will spend two days connecting with each other and the skills to engage with fungi. We will focus on foraging, cultivation, medicinal aspects, and preparations with mushrooms. The weekend will be a blend of class time, foraging/practical time, and connection/sharing time. With lunch, dinner, and a light breakfast provided come and soak in the magic of mushrooms while connecting with like minded people. Located at the gorgeous Woolman Hill Retreat Center
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Day 1: Mycelial Growth
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8:00-9:00 Arrive
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9:00-11:00 Fungal Basics
- 11:00- 12:30 Mushroom Walk
- 12:30-2 Lunch
- 2-4 Outdoor Cultivation
- 4-5 Free Time
- 5-6:30 Dinner
- 7-9 Cacao Ceremony
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Day 2: Fruiting
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9:00-10:30 Mushroom Farm Tour
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10:45-12
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12-1:30 Lunch
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1:30-3 Outdoor Mushroom beds
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3-4:30 Foray #2
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4:30-6 Keeping it going
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Follow up
One week later, how is it going, what is alive and unfolding with your relationship with fungi?
Develop your relationship with Medicinal MUSHROOMS
Skills you will gain
- Grow mushrooms for your family and community
- Understand the mushroom life cycle and ecological roles
- Have an outline to the stages of mushroom cultivation
- Successful cultivation of outdoor cultivation on logs, totems, and stumps
- Outdoor cultivation of Wine cap on woodchips
- Indoor or outdoor cultivation of oyster mushrooms on straw
- Expanding mycelium without a lab
- Making spawn of any mushroom species using syringes and grain
- 5-7 Easy to identify wild mushrooms
- Making medicinal preparations, teas or tinctures
- The basics of medicinal mushrooms and specifics for 7 species
- Deepen your relationship with shiitake, oyster, lion's mane, maitake, wine cap, cordyceps, reishi, and more
Testimonials
“Willie Crosby was the perfect teacher. I saw him stumped only once about an obscure mushroom name. Literally every other question that 20(ish) students threw at him throughout three full sessions was met with answers that were, at once, accessible to a novice like me yet detailed enough to inform more experienced mushroom growers.” Larry, Student Dec 2020
“You truly are a great teacher and coach.” Margie, Student June 2020
” I am so grateful that we have found you as a resource! I was very impressed with you as an educator. You were very thoughtful about the information you rolled out so that it did not seem overwhelming. I am a teacher and I know great teaching when I see it!” Marian, Student April 2020
About the Instructor
Willie Crosby has been cultivating mushrooms for the last 9 years. He started growing outdoors on logs, woodchips, and stumps, inoculating 500 logs. He co-founded Fungi Ally which grew mushrooms indoors for 6 years, selling as much as 500 pounds per week. Now Fungi Ally focuses on education and spawn production, supporting both commercial and home growers to grow more mushrooms. Willie has taught over 15 classes online for Cornell University, Umass amherst, and Fungi Ally over the last 4 years. Willie has received 5 SARE grants and 6 other grants over the last 5 years for growing mushrooms and educating the public about mushrooms. Last year willie published two guidebooks on commercial cultivation which you can download for free here.