Education

The Grow Your Own Mushroom Class allows you to grow your very own crop of mushrooms at home with the expert support from Farmer Elizabeth through three live, interactive hour-long Zoom experiences over the course of the week-long growing period. Grow kits will be shipped to your home the week before the class. 

Session 1: Elizabeth will help you set up your grow block for success, explaining the life cycle of mushrooms, mushroom anatomy, and what to expect from your block. 

Session 2: We begin with a show and tell where participants can receive feedback on how to care for their grow block. Then we cover how and when to harvest your mushrooms, cooking tips gleaned from our favorite chefs, and storage and preservation.  

Session 3: In the final class we will discuss the nutritional benefits of mushrooms and supplements, end of life care for your block and art and science experiments with mushrooms. 

Three sessions offers plentiful time to delve deeply into the interests of the students as well, be they industry specific, or more about mushrooms in general. This is a terrific community class that brings people together to learn and celebrate the role of the mushrooms in our diet and environment. Make memories with family and friends far and near this winter. 

Each class includes

- Three, hour-long live Zoom classes offered over the course of the week-long growing cycle

- Oyster Mushroom Grow Block which will produce 2 - 3 pounds of mushrooms

- Optional Shiitake Mushroom Grow Block, also expected to produce at least 2 pounds of mushrooms.

Choose your dates carefully, as the classes are live and are not recorded. When you register, please provide an email you check frequently and opt-in to marketing so you receive our email updates with class links and resources. Don't forget to check your spam filters if you don't see a message from us.  Confirmation of your purchase will happen at the time of registration. The Zoom link and resources will be sent out the Tuesday before the class begins.   

Price: 

Option 1: Class with 1 Oyster Grow Kit 

Option 2: Class with 1 Oyster Grow Kit and 1 Shiitake Grow Kit 

Hike in an old-growth forest while looking for mushrooms with fellow mycophiles. The focus will be on spotting mushrooms and identifying the parts of a mushroom that contribute to positive identification. Bring any guide books you may own. We will not be foraging/collecting mushrooms to eat. 

Dress appropriately for a 2 hour hike in the New England woods. This includes appropriate footwear, bug spray, and water. The path is muddy and the trails are along wetlands with a lot of mosquitos. Total distance will be 2 - 3 miles with some hills. Hike is subject to weather conditions. All proceeds will be donated to Friends of East Boston Camps, caretakers of beautiful open space in Westford.

We may be joined by Mike Baird, a local bird enthusiast who hikes with his ears attuned to the bird songs. He will help us identify the birds along our walk.