The birch polypore has medicine that we can all access. In this workshop, build your relationship with this special mushroom by learning about its medicine in community. In addition to learning, we will make a salve together that you'll be able to take home to continue your relationship with birch polypore.

A mycophile is an individual deeply involved in various aspects of mushrooms, including foraging, growing, eating, and learning. Join us as we discuss Mariah's journey, what initially inspired her, and what continues to fuel her passion for mycology. The conversation will cover a wide range of mushroom-related topics and will also include a discussion upcoming Mushroom Conferences.

Learn, simple, yet deep, practices of communicating with the plants and the earth. Discover ways to honor the elemental beings of the land. Create a nourishing life, gathering herbs and crafting them for healing. Strengthen your intuition through connections with your surrounding. Hear stories of the plants from our land and their wisdom and healing—wild rose, nettle, dandelion, apple etc.

We routinely hear about invasive plants and animals, but what about mushrooms? Do non-native decomposers like pose a threat to new ecosystems? Golden oysters are native to Asia, and their recent introduction has led to a rapid spread across North American woodlands. This talk will discuss my research into how they got here and spread, and the potential impacts of our intentional movement of fungi around the world.

Dive into the mysteries of Lichens with this Keynote Address from ethnobotanist Patricia Armstrong from the 2022 Mycelium Mysteries Women's Mushroom Conference. Lichens are two plants living as one: are they a mutualistic symbiosis or a controlled parasitism? There are many conflicting theories about lichens. They are both old and young, long-lived yet extremely sensitive to air pollution.

In this talk, Sarah will take us on a meander through the world of wild mushrooms, with an eye towards the intricate relationships mushrooms have with a surprising array of wildlife, including, ourselves. Using this lens of ecological awareness, we’ll challenge ourselves as foragers to examine our own role as active stewards of biodiversity, recognizing that natural areas everywhere are in crisis.

In today’s world of rapid technology and unending stimulation, shifting cultures of herbalism compound the difficulty of balancing life's demands in a big loud world. In the face of all this noise, how do we maintain our true connection with the plants themselves? Come reflect on many of the issues facing us today while also honoring the simplicities that make us herbalists.

Because we are passionate about fungi and believe they make our world better it can be difficult to equate a fungus like the Golden Oyster with harm. But the truth is Golden Oysters are invasive and may be damaging the forests we love. I’ll unpack the colonized thinking that continues to dominate our discussions of local biodiversity and talk about how to safeguard our native species

Barbora will share her personal journey into the fascinating world of mushrooms, highlighting the significance of ethnomycology as a vital field that connects culture, ecology, and culinary heritage. You’ll learn about the historical context of mushroom foraging in Czech society, culturally significant mushroom species, old mushroom legends, and the culinary heritage through traditional Czech mushroom recipes.

Truffle-forming fungi, cryptic, charismatic, and living right here in the Midwest. This includes genera like the genus Tuber with its rich culinary legacy as well as many, many other truffle-forming fungal species with fascinating and important ecological histories. This presentation will explore and introduce you to the diverse fungi which produce truffles and can be found in the Midwest region of North America.

Develop the skills and confidence to begin collecting, identifying, and safely eating wild edible mushrooms. We will introduce over 35 common, delicious mushrooms from the following groups: Polypores, Puffballs, Tooth Fungi, Chanterelles, Boletes and Corals. Edibility guidelines and cautions are provided, with emphasis on the most common, delicious, and safe species, and their look-alikes.

Join Cornelia in exploring the healing properties of an array of edible and medicinal mushrooms. She'll discuss ways that Fungi can become some of your best allies in achieving health and well-being. Fungi can be accessible, cultivate-able, and forage-able. They dovetail perfectly with the DIY way of life.

We'll discuss how to identify Trametes versicolor, true turkey tail, it’s possibilities in mycoremediation and land management, and explore the unique compounds found in this complex species. We will discuss clinical applications of this versatile mushroom and common preparations of extraction. Attendees will leave with the knowledge of how to easily identify true turkey tail and prepare their own turkey tail extract

Discover the wonders of the Prickly Pear Cactus, a versatile plant rooted in Mexican culture and cuisine. In this course, explore its growth across America and learn to harvest, process, and use its pads and fruits in your kitchen. Led by Mimi Hernandez, delve into its medicinal properties, tasty recipes, and tips for caring for a vibrant cactus stand.

Learn what basic equipment to take on a foray and how to use them. We will spend a fair amount of time observing mushrooms, learning how to use a loupe and getting comfortable using field guides. We’ll discuss how to make a spore print, why it’s necessary and best practices to harvest, collect and transport mushrooms.

There are plenty of invasive species of plants growing around you. Learn culinary uses and how to utilize their medicinal properties in your apothecary while also helping to control their spread. Mary Colvin RH(AHG) will introduce you to some uses and applications of some invasive species growing around her while also suggesting ways you can identify and utilize common invasive species growing near you.

In this session, you'll learn about the science and scientists working to help protect the landscapes and mycelial species we value as well as the ways mushrooms are helping solve sustainability challenges. We'll talk about what we can do individually and collectively to support and nourish the diversity of living things in the places we live. Go home feeling empowered to protect what you love!

This walk will focus on wild edibles from the traditional (human) perspective, while also exploring the nutritional needs and preferences of insects and other wildlife. For example, Nettles are cherished not only by us, but also by caterpillars of the red admiral butterfly who feed almost exclusively on this plant. Isn’t it wonderful how connected we all are?

This is a beginner-level introduction to the most commonly foraged mushrooms in Wisconsin. We’ll focus on the approved species list for the newly-launched Wisconsin Wild Mushroom Certification to support folks interested in getting to know the mushrooms before investing in the certification. We’ll talk about how to confidently identify the mushrooms, where and when to find them, and look-alikes to watch out for.

We intuitively know that wild foods are exceptionally nutritious, but what makes them nutritious? What does the science say? How can we potentize their effects through story, ritual, and kitchen magic? We'll be exploring tips and tricks to easefully fold wild foods into your diet, including a cooking demo with recipes included.

We will explore the fascinating world of fungi, acknowledging their vital role in maintaining life on this planet. How can we interact with them in ways that will help us forge a bond with this ancient yet hardly understood world living all around us? Introduction to the world of fungi ecology. A brief primer on mushrooms for food and health. An overview of mushroom propagation. Some basics of mushroom foraging.