Don't buy genetically-modified mushrooms from the store.

Instead, learn to grow your own organic mushrooms in one of our exciting Mushroom Growing Workshops.

Believe me, I know how frustrating it can be to try to figure this out by yourself.  When I first became interested in growing mushrooms, I thought it was just like any other plant – stick it in the dirt - up pops a mushroom.  Of course, I found out later that it wasn't that simple at all...!

Nearly a decade later, I can look back on my naiveté and laugh, but my passion for mushrooms and my initial disappointments are what drove me to create this series of Mushroom Growing Workshops. 

Growing mushrooms is not especially difficult, but it IS completely different from what most of us know about growing any other kind of plant.  To start with, mushrooms do not derive their nutrition from the sun (photosynthesis), so you need to provide their food with organic materials.  Dirt alone does not provide this.

In our workshops, you will learn basic mushroom growing techniques and peculiarities.  You will understand what we mean by spore, spawn, mycelium, inoculation and substrate.  Finally, you will enjoy hours of fun, interactive learning that will culminate in multiple crops of gourmet eating in the months to come.  The workshop that keeps on giving!

2013 Mushroom Growing

Workshop Locations/Descriptions

Early and advanced registration is suggested. Payment is required to reserve a spot, registration is limited to 15 to 20 participants.

The workshop fees can range from 45.00 -120.00 depending on the workshop. The workshops are between 2 to 3hrs long.

You can register by contacting the host location, or calling Forest Organics direct.

Come Prepared: Remember most of these workshops are hands-on. wear clothing you don't mind possibly ruining. We will possibly be working with hot wax, power drills, and mushroom spores. Bring clothing appropriate to the changing temperatures and weather conditions ( I.e., Sweater, Jacket, ect ) as some workshops might be outside.

Growing Shiitake Mushrooms on Logs

 A symbol of longevity in Asia because of their health-promoting properties, shiitake mushrooms have been used medicinally by the Chinese for more than 6,000 years. More recently, their rich, smoky flavor has endeared them to American taste buds with studies providing the same clear message: shiitakes can provide us with fantastic health benefits!

 Among many other attributes, shiitakes are promoted to fight the development and progression of cancer and AIDS by boosting the body’s immune system. They are also said to help prevent heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels and to help treat infections such as hepatitis by producing interferon, a group of natural proteins that stops viruses from multiplying. One other very exciting thing about shiitakes is they can be one of the most sustainable foods in our diets!

 Learn to grow this popular mushroom from Asia in this exciting, hands-on workshop. You will learn how to properly inoculate cut logs so that you can reap the benefits of fresh mushrooms at home. Each participant will inoculate their own shiitake log to take home along with detailed instructions!

 Growing Reishi Mushrooms In the Garden / Urban Environments

 Reishi (Ganoderma lucium) Cultivated on inoculated oak logs. They are grown primarily as a medicinal mushroom ( their Chinese name "ling Zhi" translates as "mushroom immortality"), and are dried for use in teas or for making tinctures. A naturally lacquered appearance emphasizes their brilliant rusty red and buttery yellow hues.

In this workshop you will learn to grow this beautiful medicinal mushroom in containers that can be easily moved around the garden and can be grown in the smallest of areas at home or in your apartment.

You will inoculate your own reishi mushroom log container to take home with you to await the fruiting of your own reishi mushrooms!.

Shane Mulholland of Forest Organics will teach workshop participants how to grow different varieties of edible gourmet mushrooms by using stumps.

Stumps are especially suitable for growing gourmet mushrooms. There are few better or more massive platforms, than the stump. Millions of stumps are all that remain of many forests of the world. In most cases, stumps are seen as having little or no value. Stumps offer a unique, new opportunity for the homeowner or land owner . With selective logging being increasingly practiced, cultivating gourmet and medicinal mushrooms on stumps will be the wave of the future. The advantage of the stump is not only its sheer mass, but with roots intact, water is continuously being drawn via capillary action. Once mycelium has permeated through wood fiber, the stump’s water carrying capacity is increased, thus further supporting mycelial growth.

In this workshop Shane Mulholland of Forest Organics will teach participants how to choose stumps for mushroom production and explain the proper microclimates necessary to support different edible mushroom species, as well as how to properly inoculate a stump.

Cultivating Oyster Mushrooms on Large Diameter

 Logs Using the Totem Pole Method

The oyster mushroom is a mildly flavored, gracefully shaped mushroom found growing on trees in the wild. The mushroom is a popular edible in many parts of the world because it can also be cultivated very successfully on a great variety of agricultural by-products, plus they are delicious! Cultivators who wish to grow Oyster mushrooms on a small scale at home without investing in lots of equipment can grow them very successfully on logs. Because Oyster mushrooms are best adapted to “soft” hard woods, suitable tree species such as soft maple, poplars, sweet gum, willow and other “weed” trees are often available in abundance.

 In this workshop we will focus on the many varieties of oyster mushrooms that can be grown using the totem pole technique of inoculation, the totem pole technique is used when you have a large log between 10” – 24” in diameter. Each participant will create their own mushroom totem pole to take home!. We will also discuss other edible species of mushrooms that can be grown using the totem pole method.

 Oyster mushrooms have a mild flavour which is very versatile when it comes to the foods they complement. They also have a delicate, velvety texture which works well in pastas, skewers, soups, salads and anything else you like to put mushrooms in! They taste amazing, especially when they’re so fresh, and can be eaten raw or cooked! Oyster mushrooms are extremely healthy, as one-third of their dry weight is protein. They also contain amino acids and enzymes that have been shown to boost the immune system, and are rich in vitamin C, vitamin B complex, and most of the mineral salts required by the human body. Calcium, phosphorous and iron content in oyster mushrooms are double the amount available in most meats. They are also known to lower cholesterol, and can boost the immune system and may even inhibit tumour growth.

 Mushrooms workshop

for Kids and Teenagers

 An exciting fun way to explore the wonders of mushrooms with kids from preschool to high school.

In this workshop your kids will learn the mushroom life-cycle, how a mushroom becomes a mushroom, and the spore prints they leave behind. Through this hands-on experience your kids will learn about different edible gourmet mushrooms and use those mushrooms to create a collage of spore prints on canvas using paint, thus creating their own one of a kind work of art that they will take home to hang on their wall and enjoy.

Workshop locations 

Hidden LakeGardens

6214 Monroe Road

 Tipton,MI49287

 Call the gardens to register

 (517) 431-2060

  Growing Reishi Mushrooms

 In the Garden / Urban Environments

   May 26th 11:00

June 15th 11:00am

 To register for this workshop you will need to call the gardens direct 

(517) 431-2060

In the Garden / Urban Environments

May 25 1:00pm-3;00pm

$45.00 

Goldner Walsh Nursey

559 Orchard Lake Rd Pontiac, MI 48341
(248) 332-6430  

  Mushroom Permaculture Classes

 Forest Organics will teach a 4 part Ecologically Appropriate Mushroom Course at Goldner Walsh Nursery,  at the Forest Organics Mushroom Learning Garden, located in Pontiac Michigan.

Cost:  To be announced soon

 When:  To beannounced

 Come learn how to grow mushrooms in your garden and homestead in ecologically sound way As a group we will start by exploring the landscape of the Mushroom Learning Garden grounds to examine and discuss some of the natural patterns of life for Fungi.

 We will then carry out a variety of activities:

 Mushroom Logs and Their Uses: I will take you through the process of properly selecting and inoculating mushroom logs, we will then learn how to incorporate natural logs into your landscapes and gardens using several techniques, as well as discuss the different edible mushroom that can be grown this way.

 Mushroom Patches: Constructing our own mushroom patches can serve a multitude of purposes including food production, erosion control, and wastewater filtration. We will plan out and build-up native edible mushroom patches in appropriate locations on the Learning Garden grounds.

 Composting and Mulching for Mushrooms: Many mushrooms live directly in contact with a diverse array of soil organisms, and often they can be encouraged to grow in more passive ways through developing specific composts and mulches. We will construct and inoculate these environments in class.

 This is a hands-on workshop for integrating fungi into your world, no prior mushroom knowledge required. This class is all about getting to know fungi and how to create your own mushroom landscapes, and learning to interact with them.

Fee Covers 4 days, Includes: Participants will take home with them the knowledge of several ways of producing mushrooms on their property and take a mushroom log home that they inoculated.

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