Intermediate Mushroom Foraging
Description
So you've got the mushroom foraging basics covered, and you can tell a porcini from a deathcap, but what now? There are an estimated 10,000+ species of mushrooms in Europe, of which hundreds are considered edible or medicinal. If it's time to widen your fungal horizons beyond the standard foragers' haul, this workshop is for you.
Blewit, giant polypore, porcelain fungus, herald of winter, saffron milkcap, amethyst deceiver, shaggy parasol, devil's snuffbox, the flirt... The list of delicious lesser-known yet still easy-to-identify edible wild mushrooms goes on and on!
This interactive workshop will take us on a wander through the Frohnau forest, where we'll alternate between searching for interesting fungi and talking through how to identify our finds.
We'll cover:
the key identification features of important species and families such as brittle gills, webcaps, and agaricus, with a focus on common but lesser-known edible species common to Berlin forests (dependent on conditions)
a deeper look at mushroom anatomy and fungal biology, including gill spacing and attachment, subtle cap and stem features, and scent
how to read the landscape for mushroom foraging, including fungal habitats and companion plant species
particularly dangerous species and how to recognize them
sustainable harvesting of edible species
tips and techniques for how to prepare and preserve your edible finds
how to continue learning and expanding your knowledge and foraging confidence
The focus of this workshop is on understanding and identification skills, rather than on filling our baskets with as many edible mushrooms as possible. You will however have the opportunity to do some searching on your own, and you're invited to bring home the edible treasures find along the way!
As with all Wild Path Foraging events, this workshop will be guided by Simka (they/them), a passionate wild food instructor and qualified PilzCoach through the DGfM with over 5 years' experience teaching about mushroom and plant foraging in Berlin.
You can check out what people have said about previous workshops run by Simka here.
Location:
The tour will take place in the Frohnau Forest. The start and end location is accessible with the S-Bahn. The exact meeting location will be shared after registration.
The tour will take us through beautiful forest scenery, including past a 500-year-old oak tree and a forest lake. We will have plenty of time to relax, explore, and take in the serene surroundings as well as answer all your questions about mushrooms!
Course pre-requisites:
You can comfortably identify at least 3-4 common edible mushroom species
You're familiar with the basics of how mushrooms grow and you know what mycelium is and hopefully what ‘mycorrhizal’ means
You know where to look for a ring on a mushroom
You have some idea of how to recognize an amanita (such as a fly agaric or deathcap) and a bolete (such as a porcini or birch bolete).
This is not an advanced tour and you don't need to be a super experienced forager, but if you don't already have some established knowledge you'll have a hard time keeping up. Along with our smaller group size, this will give us loads more time and opportunity to deeply explore the forest and hopefully come away with some really exciting finds.
If you're not sure what level you're at, try an all-levels tour first. If you've come to a previous mushroom tour with Simka before and you don't feel you need to hear the intro again, this one is for you!
Attendance is limited to 12 people to keep the group cozy and ensure everyone has time and space to get all their questions answered.
FAQs
- What's the deal with the pricing?
It's a deep value of mine that learning about foraging should be accessible for everyone, which is why I keep my tours as low-price as I possibly can.
In order to uphold this financial accessibility while keeping this work sustainable for myself, there are two ticket levels: Full price and Concession. Please choose the concession level only if you aren't able to afford the full price ticket.
I totally understand if the concession level is also not accessible for you! I offer a fully donation-based workshop once a month throughout the foraging season, which I call the Broke Cuties Foraging Club. Feel free to register for one of these if you're not in a place where you can afford a full price or concession ticket here.
There are quite some processing fees associated with selling tickets, especially through Humanitix, which is an ethical ticketing platform that donates its profits to charity. It doesn't feel right to force you, the buyer, to pay these fees; however if you are in a financially comfortable position, you can tip me the fees during your checkout process, which I HUGELY appreciate.
My intention with all of this is to earn a living wage while widening the reach of financial accessibility to more folks than I was able to with my previous sliding-scale model. Thanks for being with me in navigating through the challenges of capitalism with justice, transparency and generosity!
- What is the cancellation policy?
If you can no longer make the event, you may cancel by sending an email to simka@wildpathforaging.com up to 7 days before the event. Please indicate in your cancellation email whether you prefer to receive a voucher for the full amount, or receive a refund minus 7% to cover admin and payment processing fees. You may also request to transfer your ticket to a different date, dependent on availability.
Within 7 days of the event, a refund/replacement is not guaranteed. However, do still let me know if you are no longer able to attend. IF I manage to fill your spot last-minute, I will issue either a refund minus 15% to cover admin and fees, or a voucher for the full amount, according to your preference.
Don't forget that these events go ahead rain or shine! Only in the case of instructor illness or dangerous weather (such as gale-force winds which could cause breaking branches), or if the minimum number of signups is not reached, might an event be cancelled.
In the unlikely event that Wild Path Foraging cancels an event, you will receive a full refund, voucher or exchange.
- What happens in case of rain?
We operate with the philosophy that there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad preparation. The mushrooms don't mind if it's wet! Tours are only cancelled in case of dangerous weather such as storms or extreme heat (in which case you would be notified as early as possible and receive a full refund). Please make sure to plan ahead and wear waterproof clothes & shoes as needed.
- What's the distance and pacing of the walk? Is it wheelchair accessible?
This walk will be around 5-8km walking in total, with a very slow walking pace and frequent breaks along the way. If you have any mobility issues feel free to let me know during registration or reach out in advance to discuss your needs as I will happily do what I can to make the walk accessible to you.
Usually there is the opportunity to sit on the ground at each stop. Feel free to bring a folding chair if sitting on the ground is an issue for you (I also have one available, please note this during registration if you would like me to bring this).
These walks are unfortunately not suitable for wheelchair users as we will often leave paved paths to reach the mushrooms.
- Can I bring my dog?
It's usually possible to have one leashed, well-behaved dog who is great in groups per workshop. If you are afraid of dogs, or for any other reason would not like to attend a workshop with a dog present, please simply reach out in advance to ensure your chosen date is dog-free. Otherwise, dog places are offered on a first-come-first-served basis, restricted to one per event.
However!! it's important to understand that we stop VERY frequently to discuss mushrooms along the way, sometimes for extended periods of time, with only short bursts of walking in between.
Due to this slow pace, dogs often get bored, cold and/or agitated and become disruptive, which we absolutely can't have. So please be realistic about how your dog would handle this.
If you would like to bring your dog, reach out by email in advance to make sure this is possible for your chosen date.
- Can I bring my child?
These workshops are geared towards adults. However, if you've got a mycologically-minded kid who's excited to deepen their existing mushrooming knowledge, they're welcome to join. Age 14+ need a ticket. This one is not recommended for age 7 or younger. Reach out to arrange a discounted ticket for age 8-13.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
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