Mushroom Foraging

Shrooms, glorious shrooms. The world of mushrooms and fungi is simply bursting. The nutritional benefits, along with the thrill of the mushroom hunt make mushroom foraging a fast-growing hobby. That being said, starting out can be a confusing and steep learning curve with Australia alone being home to 13000 known species, as well as the potential for incorrect identification leading to, well, death. Yikes! In this workshop, you’ll learn the fundamental knowledge to get you started on the right foot and demystify mycology. Starting with the basics, you’ll learn what spores are exactly and what their prints mean before moving on to tools and techniques for efficient and environmentally-conscious mushroom picking in Melbourne and correct foraging etiquette. Then, it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty, learning how to correctly identify wild mushrooms. We’ll discuss common species that you’re likely to come across in Victoria, get the low down on edible mushrooms you can use in cooking, medicinal species, as well as hallucinogenic species, and the downright dangerous. Finally, we’ll end the session by learning about various ways to use your wild mushrooms at home including simple and delicious ways to cook them, preservation techniques, and tincture preparation as well as the opportunity to sample some wild mushrooms. By the end, you'll feel super confident for the next time you head out for some mushroom hunting! Please note:

• This class requires at least five students to run. In the unlikely event that we don't get this number of students, we'll cancel the class and fully refund you and inform you via email, so please watch your email a few days prior to the class
• This venue is located on the first floor via a flight of stairs and does not have wheelchair accessibility.

- Fundamental knowledge on mushroom foraging

• Recipes for cooking and tinctures to take home
• The skills and confidence to start mushroom hunting!