Celebrate the Grandmothers of Our Ecosystem at the 9th annual Mycelium Mysteries featuring keynotes with Barbora Batokova, Sarah Foltz Jordan, and Mariah Rogers. The shrimp of the woods (Entoloma abortivum) was our mushroom ally.

This workshop will help intermediate and advanced mushroomers expand their edible mushroom repertoire to include gilled mushrooms. Edibility guidelines and cautions will be provided for dozens of gilled mushrooms, with an emphasis on the most common, delicious, and readily-identifiable species in the Midwest. We will start with the easiest gilled mushrooms, advancing to some of the more challenging groups and species

Do you find yourself working to identify mushrooms but end up feeling stuck and discouraged in the process? Together, we’ll cover frequently used terminology found in field guides/keys as well as how to break down & remember taxonomic names in an approachable way. We'll practice field skills such as: photography for ID purposes, taking measurements, using loupes/dissecting microscopes and more.

This is a broad introduction to the benefits of mushrooms for our gardens and our bodies as well as a brief glimpse into how our planet has evolved with the help of these poorly understood organisms. Topics include general characteristics of mushrooms, their life cycle, medicinal properties of common mushrooms, how to grow them in your garden & how we are starting to work with these organisms to help heal the world.

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.

Come learn about the medicine that chaga offers to us and the world. With all that is has to offer, we will also talk about conservation and responsible harvest of this special fungus. In this workshop, a Materia Medica will be shared with participants that they can take home. We will make tea and something to take home with chaga in it, as we create relationship with the chaga and each other.

Learn to prepare Přivařenka, a beloved South Bohemian mushroom and dill soup that captures the essence of Czech comfort food. This dish combines wild mushrooms, dill, and eggs in a rich, creamy broth. Whether you're looking to explore Czech culinary traditions or enhance your mushroom cooking skills, this workshop will teach you tips and techniques for making this authentic, wholesome dish.

We will discuss mushroom wisdom, the carbon cycle, and our place in it. We will examine why our culture is so resistant to death, and at what cost. Join us for a deep dive into what it means to be human, and how the mushrooms are amazing teachers for living and dying in peace.

In this workshop, participants will read thought-invoking prompts. These questions will open us up to our own beliefs, edges and experiences around Death, creating a container for contemplative heart-opening connection. With multiple rounds, everyone will be able to pair with different participants with varying experiences and perspectives and drop us into heartfelt contemplations.

Learn about this delicious edible mushroom that has been cultivated in China since 1100 AD and in the US since 1972. Shiitake is more than a tasty mushroom; it has properties that help mitigate arthritis symptoms, diabetes, cholesterol, and immune deficiency. Ingrid will share her knowledge about log-grown shiitake mushrooms and several ways to incorporate them into your diet.

Join Gina Rivers, MycoHerbalist and formulator, in an exploratory discovery of what makes the “functional” in “functional mushrooms”. From polysaccharides to triterpenes – you will leave with a thorough understanding of these amazing compounds, many of which are unique to the world of fungi.

Latin is an old dead language, which makes it understandably intimidating; yet, it has some pretty standard and straightforward rules. Knowing common Latin terms tells you a lot about a species, and some of it is actually fairly intuitive. In this workshop you'll learn the basics of Latin grammatical forms and the etymology behind commonly used terms in a round table session, rather than a lecture with a PowerPoint.

Have you thought about what else you might be able to grow if you have a garden that is too shady for tomatoes? What about an area you would like to enhance with mycelium to get healthier crops of vegetables while also growing and harvesting mushrooms. Come learn techniques to add diversity to your gardens and improve your soil health by adding funga to your landscapes.

Ever had a question about fungi like this and felt you couldn't possibly approach it yourself? This presentation and workshop will cover how to seek out academic literature on mycological topics, how to evaluate these different sources of information, and reading with an intent to answer your own questions on fungi.

Sarah will talk you through interesting aspects of the mushroom edibility display. Learn about mushroom diagnostic features, habitat associations, foraging and cooking tips, and much more. We will also discuss the (often surprising) genetic relationships of fungi, using a printed phylogenetic tree showing the evolutionary relationships of hundreds of mushroom genera.

Learn what to collect and where to find them. A fun introduction to identifying dozens of edible, medicinal and dye mushroom species, progressing from Spring to Fall to Winter. Including look-alike species and poisonous mushrooms. Participants will learn the basics of mushroom identification and gain the courage to safely forage wild mushrooms.

Come learn about the herstory and emerging therapeutic potential of the psilocybe as well as how to discern what is safe and responsible use.

Fungi are the great connectors of the forest. They often form relationships with other organisms that are beneficial to both. The Wood Wide Web is a great example of how fungi pair with tree roots to form an incredible network that provides benefit to both fungi and trees involved. In this workshop, we’ll explore symbiosis in the forest and in our own lives as well.

This is an illustrated talk about making a community sourced-cookbook, and the lessons I’ve drawn from testing hundreds of mushroom recipes, to wit, how and why mushrooms behave differently in the kitchen than other foods.

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.

By learning to cultivate wild mushrooms from our local woodlands, we can bypass the need to buy commercial spawn and safeguard against the introduction of non-native invasive mushroom species. We’ll leverage low-tech techniques to create spawn from native fungi and discuss strategies for small-scale home grow set-ups.

How do mushrooms manage to forcibly eject spores with accelerations in excess of 10,000 G? From birth to sex to reproduction, this lecture will dive into the life and times of mushroom-forming fungi. We’ll hark back to Bio 101 to review some basic genetic concepts while exploring mushroom life cycles and the weird and wonderful ways that different types of mushrooms disperse spores.

We will explore the connections between fungi and the feminine throughout history. Uncover the mysteries of the birth of human spirituality, and how fungi have helped women to mother the development of society on a global scale. Meet the brilliant women of the past few centuries who changed how science viewed females and fungi. We will discuss the ever evolving role of women in the field of mycology today.

Want to incorporate mushrooms into your existing garden beds? Join Roxanne as she sparks ideas and gives examples of how to bring fungal friends in to play harmoniously with your plant pals.

Discover the latest breakthroughs in mycotechnology that show how mushrooms and their hidden body of mycelium may repair environmental disasters, reverse species decimation, even combat potential epidemics. Cultivate a new understanding of how applied mycology can create a better future for our pollinators, for us, and for our beloved Mother Earth!

This introductory workshop offers a concise overview of the multifaceted and nuanced human immune response. We’ll touch on different aspects of the immune system and how these components communicate and work together cohesively. We will discuss various traditional remedies to gently, yet effectively support this vital function in multiple aspects, and you may learn about some new ones too!

Advanced course for the clinical practitioner or formulator who desires to combine herbal therapies with the unique complimentary compounds found in select medicinal species of mushrooms. This course will explore many of the shared classes of compounds found in both the kingdoms of fungi and plantae. We will construct sample herb-mushroom formulas for various supportive purposes.

If your curiosity has been piqued by the wonderful world of mushrooms and you want to learn more, this is a great intro! Find out about how mushrooms have been used through the centuries for medicine, food, wildcrafting, and more. Learn about some of the interesting species that grow right here in Wisconsin. If you're considering attending Mycelium Mysteries in the fall, this is a great opportunity to learn more.

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.

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

This talk seeks to share what is known, what is knowable, and what is unknowable about the psychoactive properties of Psilocybe species.

In this talk, we'll delve into the sadly short list of ladies who helped advance the science of mycology prior to 1900. We'll learn who they were, what they did, and give them some long overdue thanks!"

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.

Katherine MacLean will trace the development of psilocybin mushroom medicine from its underground, secret, humble beginnings in the hills of what is now called Oaxaca, Mexico through the halls of academia and the social lives of modern Americans, and finally, to its current lofty status as an alleged treasure of the Western corporate pharmacopeia.

Mushrooms could hold the key to humans having a future on this planet. Fungi were some of the first life forms to make land habitable and they’ve already survived five mass extinctions and will most likely survive several more. Could a deeper understanding of Mycelium change our own brains? Perhaps it could change our current way of thinking and help alter our disastrous and self‐destructive trajectory.

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.

Explore new scientific discoveries, clinical trials, clinical reports, and testimonials about the Legendary Lion’s Mane! In this lecture we will discuss how important this phenomenal fungi may be to our neurological system, as well as other body systems. Also reviewed are some of the latest scientific studies that help to uncover the potential of Hericium erinaceus – both the fruiting body and the mycelium.

I turned to the social sciences to learn how to communicate about invasive species and other sensitive, multi-faceted topics in science. What I learned completely transformed how I think, how I reflect on society, and how I conduct myself as a scientist. Join me in an open conversation about how we interact with science and each other.

Does lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) truly promote neurogenesis as some companies suggest? Or, does lion's mane promote neuroplasticity? What is the difference? How does all of this relate to lion's mane's traditional uses for improved attention, memory, and cognition? This workshop will take a deep dive into the neuroscience and psychological effects of lion's mane mushroom.

The paradigm of liver cleansing has changed dramatically as our understanding of liver function has expanded. We will demystify Phase 1 and Phase 2 detoxification, discuss why supporting and nourishing the liver may be a better approach than liver cleansing, and explore herbal and mushroom allies that can nurture our hardest working organ.

In this workshop, we will investigate the relationship between psilocybin-containing mushrooms and various sacred plants and healing herbs by drawing upon qualitative (interview-based) academic research, biographical explorations of Maria Sabina’s life, and anecdotal stories from present-day mushroom healers. We will also discuss a more modern concept, of the role of the mushroom ceremony in preparation for death.

We will investigate the relationship between psilocybin-containing mushrooms and San Pablo (Nicotiana rustica, sacred tobacco), San Pedro (Echinopsis pachanoiina, a sacred cactus also called Huachuma), and Salvia divinorum by drawing upon qualitative (interview-based) academic research, biographic explorations of Maria Sabina’s life (prints and films), and anecdotal stories from present-day Oaxacan mushroom healers.

Hands-on demonstration of inoculating soaked cardboard with Stropharia (Wine Cap) spawn, and presentation on its uses.

In this talk, Katherine MacLean will elevate and illuminate the voice of Mama Mushroom by drawing from her experiences as psychedelic researcher at Johns Hopkins, as a guide in sanctuary spaces and intentional mushroom retreats, and as a humble practitioner at the mushroom altar. She will share her vision for a future that includes safe, legal and sustainable access to sacred healing through psilocybin mushrooms.

We will discuss and explore four species of functional mushrooms and review basic immune system functioning and the role the microbiome plays in immune health. Identify mechanisms of action within the body, as well as discover potential mushroom allies for immune health (and more). Finally, we will discuss beneficial herbs and nutraceuticals that may complement functional mushrooms in a formula.

Dr. Cho will discuss traditional knowledge, current research and cutting edge case studies, sharing the many ways mushrooms can help us. Many of these mushrooms are easy to cultivate on logs and DIY grow environments. You'll leave with a clearer understanding of which mushrooms you'll want to welcome into your personal apothecary and how to safely do so.

In this exploratory lecture, we will discuss how sub-intoxicating doses of psilocybin, combined with other allies, can influence neurite outgrowth, nerve regeneration, and re-myelination of nerves. We will take a deep dive into the science and clinical applications behind the Stamets Stack, as well as discuss the neurogenic synergy that occurs when psylocibin is combined with Lion’s Mane and niacin.

Join herbalist, mycophile and fermentation expert Linda Conroy for this fun and inspiring session. We will learn about the fungi that are used in the fermentation process that results in miso and tempeh. Once we learn about these, there will be a participatory hands on experience and preparing these for fermentation. Instructions on how to incubate each of these will be covered.

Together, we shall deepen our understanding of our hormonal cycles within our bodies, illuminating the vital seasons of death and decay and the life they bestow—akin to the wondrous mycelial realm. We will explore how various mycology terms can enlighten our understanding of womb sovereignty and honor our cyclical essence.

The scent of conifers and other plants is a well-known aspect of forest bathing, but so are the scents of forest fungi! You'll learn how to make mushroom-based perfumes for forest-bathing-on-your-wrists. We'll also dive into fungal aromatics, nerding out on what some of the most common scented mushroom chemicals are, what they smell like, what they do for the fungi, and what they might do for us.

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.

We will talk about the hows and whys of mushroom journaling, a practice that allows us to stay connected to mushrooms (and nearly all aspects of the natural world) throughout the year, even when walking the woods and fields is impossible or impractical. Almost as important, your mushroom journal will remind you when it’s time to head back into the woods to revisit your good spots.

This fun interactive class allows you to choose your own ethnomycological adventure! The class will be able to choose the outline of this session from a list of topics from flying reindeer, to mushrooms of immortality, and so much more! If folk tales, supernatural beings, and even conspiracy theories intrigue you, this is the class for you.

Making paper is magical; the medium holds boundless potential. In this hands-on session we will apply the basic process of making paper using a (fungal) chitin base to create beautiful, earth-toned sheets of paper and learn the basic papermaking process. This session will introduce you to some mushrooms you can use for a variety of hues.

The easiest and sometimes the only way to take in the healing and delicious qualities of mushrooms is by starting with dried mushrooms. Rehydrating gives you a tasty liquid (that you might call tea or broth) but you can create something even better when you take some simple steps to improve the texture of the liquid. We'll work with creams, syrups, and other healthy add-ins to make some amazing sipping potions.

As women, our hormonal tides ebb and flow throughout our lifetimes, and change is a guaranteed constant as we navigate a healthy and whole existence at any age. Discover how select medicinal mushrooms and herbal allies can help to holistically balance challenged hormonal tides, nurture our bone structure, calm our “fight or flight” response, and boost our brain and neurological systems!

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 have long known that beneficial bacteria promote gut and overall immune health. Mounting evidence is now suggesting that fungi also play a crucial role. In this workshop, we will take a deep dive into the microorganisms. We will discuss approaches to enhancing gut and immune health, dealing with health issues related to the mycobiome, and strategies for encouraging our funga allies four our overall health.

Even with centuries of traditional medicinal use around the world, we are just beginning to understand the science behind the enzymatic and chemical genius of fungi. Learn how we can begin to harness the healing properties of mushrooms from a mycophilic physician who has been gradually incorporating them into her clinical practice.

Learn about the healing value of mushrooms and how to prepare them for optimal nourishment and healing. This presentation will be multifaceted, offering information about both mushroom nourishment and mushroom medicine. An overview of the health benefits and the medicinal qualities of mushrooms will be shared and the instructor will offer a cooking demonstration.

This experiential workshop invites us to enter the mycelial forest of grief, where loss is not something to fix or avoid, but to compost. Through embodied practices, communal ritual, and deep listening, we'll honor personal, collective, and ecological grief, allowing what is dying to be laid down with reverence.

Zoom into the wonderfully weird world of fungi, with a microscope as our guide. Discover the colors and patterns that fungi weave beneath our feet, in this hands-on laboratory. We will compare spores and mycelium from local mushroom species, and explore the ecological role of these ancient creatures and some of their lesser-known relatives.

Explore the wide range of color that can be obtained from two common mushrooms. In this live dye demo, learn how to recognize Dyer’s Polypore and Lobster mushrooms, where to look for them, when to harvest for maximum dye potential and how to extract the colors. We will also explore how to work with mineral salts like alum and iron as well as pH modifiers to achieve a nearly full spectrum of color.

We can utilize mushroom’s mycelial powers to decompose toxic wastes and pollutants (mycoremediation), catch and reduce pathogens in agricultural and urban watersheds (mycofiltration), control insect populations (mycopesticides), and generally enhance the health of our forests, gardens and local ecosystems (mycoforestry). We will discuss each of these four branches of what Paul Stamets coined “Mycorestoration."

Discover how mushrooms can nourish and support your skin naturally. Many fungi are rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, and polysaccharides that help hydrate, soothe, and protect the skin. Mushrooms offer a wide range of benefits for skin care and healing. In this class, we'll explore the skin-supporting properties of different medicinal mushrooms and create a couple of samples.

We will explore a traveling library of mycology books on many themes and handle fresh mushrooms. Creative tools will be provided. Recipes, poems, observations, facts, quotes, stories and drawings can all go in. All experience levels are welcome. We may then allow our pages to be digitally recorded (or not) and then take ours home or give them away.

You’ve just returned from the woods and are faced with the daunting task of dealing with all those mushrooms you’ve found. What to do, what to do? In this workshop, we’ll demonstrate various methods of preserving your harvest: drying, freezing, pickling, and canning. We’ll walk you through a couple of mushroom jerky and pickled mushroom recipes, as well as provide some samples to taste along the way.

Intermediate and exploratory course that will contrast and compare the 3000 year old clinical history of Reishi with published world research. Become familiar with the subtle energies of the Mushroom of Immortality, as well as able to identify herbal allies that complement the Imperial Tonic in formulation, and learn to incorporate Reishi’s adaptive influence into wellness protocols and individualized wellness plans.

Sleep and relaxation are fundamental to our health, yet they can be elusive in our modern experience. Join me for a deep dive into the mechanics, physiology, and psychology of sleep. We will discuss why we are so challenged as a society with this critical aspect of health, explore strategies that may help improve our relationship with sleep, and discover herbal and mushroom allies that may optimize our rest.

Take a deep dive into the world of Parasitic Plants. Take a historical journey of scientific literature and botanical art of medicinal parasitic plants found around the world.

In this class we will learn how to paint mushrooms and unleash our creative potential through our womb space. Starting with a guided meditation that will help inspire you to birth your own watercolor mushroom womb piece, this class will observe elements of mushrooms from a different perspective. Molly will discuss her personal process of painting mushrooms and their interrelation of our own creative life force.

Katherine MacLean will teach the basics of psychedelic facilitation, including issues of safety, maintaining healthy boundaries, the ethics of engaging with sacred substances, providing unconditional support and compassionate presence, and navigating difficult experiences that may arise.

This talk is a broad introduction to the many benefits of mushrooms for our gardens and our bodies as well as a glimpse into how our planet has evolved thanks to the help of these organisms. The general characteristics of mushrooms and their life cycle, the medicinal properties of some common mushrooms, how to grow them in your garden and how we are starting to work with these organisms to help heal the world.

Mounting evidence is suggesting that fungi play a crucial role in promoting gut and overall immune health. In this workshop, we will dive into the microorganisms that we coexist with. We will discuss approaches to enhancing gut and immune health, dealing with health issues related to the mycobiome, and strategies for enlisting or encouraging our funga allies in the interest of overall health.

Together, we'll weave myth and medicine, science and ceremony, tracing Psilocybe's mycelial threads from sacred rites of the past to the therapeutic practices of today. Whether in ceremony or as a microdose, we'll explore how these fungal teachers help mend trauma, ease transitions, expand consciousness, and root us more deeply in the ancient wisdom of the Earth.

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

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.

How do mushrooms forcibly eject spores with accelerations in excess of 10,000 g? How do mushrooms actually create their own breeze for spore dispersal? Why do stinkhorns, well, stink? This lecture leverages scientific findings to reveal weird and wonderful ways that fungi live their lives, exposing mechanisms often invisible to the naked eye.

A general education course designed to introduce fundamental concepts to the fungally-uninitiated and to the novice practitioner. Our exploration will span from the lifecycle of mushrooms, to how mushrooms impact immune function. This course dispels common mycophobias, reviews the basics of mushroom cultivation & medicine making, & illuminates several key species and their affinities to act upon specific body systems

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!

Learn the basics of foraging for wild edible mushrooms in this beginner-friendly lecture. We'll cover 14 species commonly found in Wisconsin (and much of North America), focusing on key identification features, practical foraging tips, and how to distinguish them from look-alike mushrooms. This is a great way to kick start your journey into safe and satisfying mushroom foraging!

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?

Does lion’s mane promote neurogenesis? Can purslane substitute omega-3s found in fish and eggs? What benefits and potential harms does foraging have on our nervous system? How do we increase equitable access to wild foods and strengthen the self-reliance, sustainability, and well-being of our community? Learn how wild foods alter our nervous system, foster a sense of belonging, and create resilient communities.

Menopause is a natural transition rather than the disease it's often made out to be. However, chronic stress, pervasive environmental hormone disruptors, and other factors can make it a bumpy ride for many. Mushrooms provide nutrients and other bioactive compounds that are supportive during perimenopause and post-menopause. We'll dive into some of my favorites, which I'll pass around in extract form for sampling.

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.