Mushroom Cultivation & Application Course
This October, join Radical Mycology founder Peter McCoy at Ampersand Sustainable Learning Center in Santa Fe, NM for a 2 and a half day intensive on the art, science, and regenerative applications of mushroom cultivation. Stay at Ampersand in a strawbale cottage, tipi or yurt, or bring your own tent and camp on our gorgeous property. Saturday lunch and dinner and Sunday lunch are included.
For more information on the content of the workshop and to register, visit:
http://bit.ly/
Reserve your spot in our Residency Cottage for $45 per night or our Strawbale Tiny House for $35 per night. You can bunk in the yurt or the large tipi for $15 per night (includes futon or mattress but bring your own sleeping bag), or set up your own tent in our camping area for $10 per night. Contact us for details to save your spot.
Mushroom Cultivation & Application Course
October 16-18, 2015
What: I believe that simple, low-cost, high-yield mushroom cultivation should be an accessible skill for people of all backgrounds. To achieve this goal, I see the first step toward shifting awareness around the benefits of working with fungi is presenting mycological information into a tangible, practical, and accessible format. This is my goal with this course.
Throughout this 3-day intensive I will incorporate a range of techniques that I believe will not only leave you fully prepared to design and start your own cultivation projects but will also empower you to learn more, innovate, and refine any cultivation project to suit your needs. Building on the principles of cultivation and the foundations of understanding what fungi are and how they grow, I will walk you through the course curricula over the weekend to show you how to adapt a range of cultivation methods to any scale of design.
When: Friday eve (6PM ~ 9PM) we will cover an intro to fungal biology and ecology in the context of cultivation. We will also review how to identify wild mushrooms for cultivation.
On Saturday (10am – 7pm) we will start from the ground up covering the full gamut of aseptic (‘sterile’) laboratory techniques for producing large quantities of mushroom mycelium (known commercially as spawn). We will work with agar, liquid cultures, grain, wood, compost based substrates. Along the way we will learn methods for cloning wild mushrooms effectively, storing mushroom cultures, and advanced concepts and tricks.
On Sunday (10am – 7pm) we will break the rules we learned Saturday and explore new, cutting edge concepts in the field of cultivation. We will discuss design strategies and concepts for establishing productive plant and mushroom food forests utilizing mycorrhizal and companion fungi in the garden via wood chip beds, inoculated logs, and the production of bulk chip spawn. Rounding out the weekend we will explore remediation and habitat restoration strategies, high quality medicinal mushroom product processing, and other lifestyle integration prospects that the fungi offer.
Throughout the weekend, I will intersperse concepts that have taken me years to understand along with the best tools and work arounds that I use. Some of what I will present is currently unpublished and the core of it will be made available in a workbook provided to all participants with references and resources.
Where: The entire course will take place at Ampersand Sustainable Learning Center. We will be indoors for most of the weekend. Sunday, we will do some hands-on installations outdoors. On-site camping and tipi rental options are available. Please inquire for more details on that.
In return: Apart from the theory and skills offered over the weekend, I also leave you prepared to begin cultivating right away. The course workbook covers the techniques for later reference and you will also receive 4 mushroom cultures (valued at over $100). Saturday’s lunch and dinner, and Sunday’s lunch will be provided. These meals will be crafted with seasonal organic vegetables, fruits,as well as seasonal wild mushrooms sourced from farms and backyards of Northern New Mexico.
How to register:
If you would like to register for this course, please sign up using the link below. The cost of the course is $250 before September 1 and $275 if you register after September 1. I will be offering a discount for students (please inquire) and a $20 discount to couples coming to the course. Bring a friend and save $10! Registration requires a $50 non-refundable deposit to hold your space. Upon registration, I will forward information to get you prepared for the weekend.