Mushroom Hunting Field Trip

Is there fungus among us? There's only one way to find out!

Cal-Folk is thrilled to join the 13th Annual Los Alamos Mushroom Festival by hosting a Sunday morning outing in the Los Alamos hills. This morning experience will lead you on a path less travelled in a local park property that's conducive to growing wild mushrooms. Will we find any fungus on this particular morning? Maybe, maybe not. But we will all come away with an understanding of where and how to forage wild mushrooms.

The morning includes home-roasted mushroom coffee (yes, you read that right) and candy cap mushroom scones provided by festival organizer Stephan Bedford of Bedford Winery.

What You Will Learn

• An introduction to natural mushroom ecology
• The types of environments and conditions in which wild mushrooms can thrive
• What to look for, and where to look, for wild mushrooms
• Ample warning about eating (or not eating!) wild foraged mushrooms

Head Folkies for the Day

Our guides for the morning are Helen Daniels, a local forager with decades of experience in North County mushroom hunting, and Michelle C. Torres-Grant, a professional photographer by trade who has worked with the San Luis Obispo Botanical Gardens (see a video of a recent forage here).

We will meet in the Los Alamos County Park on Drum Canyon Road at 9 a.m. sharp for coffee, scones, and orientation before hitting the wooded trails on the south side of the property. Please note that we might not find any mushrooms on this morning. Wear comfortable, water-resistant walking shoes and layered clothing (check weather forecast). Dogs allowed on leash only. Children under 12 free.