News from the
Woods
a monthly digest of
resources, events, and people
in forestry &
agroforestry
June
2016
View
it online: http://news.wellspringforestfarm.com/
Greetings!
Welcome
to the June edition from Wellspring Forest Farm and School. Each month, we share useful information about
methods for improving forest health and increasing productivity and diversity,
along with the happenings of our farm and educational programs.
We
are excited to announce our short courses for this season – each of these
workshops offer a 5-day immersion into the topic and feature hands-on
experiential learning on our farm and in a number of incredible forests in the
Finger Lakes region of New York
Scroll
down to learn more about these offerings:
Forestry & Agroforestry
Short Course
August 12 - 16
Fungi Cultivation &
Foraging Short Course September
16 - 20
For
the trees,
Steve
& Elizabeth
-------------------
In the Woods
-------------------
June
begins the season for wild mushrooms, which will show up as the weather warms.
Wild mushroom foraging is an wonderful way to get to know the woods, as it requires
careful attention to forest ecology, as well as the awareness of the subtleties
of the forested landscape where mushrooms find a home.
While
it can initially feel overwhelming to learn the proper identification of
mushrooms, you don’t need to learn EVERY mushroom you encounter. Most mushrooms
you encounter in the woods are neither edible/medicinal nor poisonous. So while
there are literally thousands of species out there, to become a competent and
safe forage, one has to really only get to know a few dozen species.
Here
are a few tips to get started:
1. Start by
learning the best edible and medicinal species in your area. A few good ones commonly
found in the Northeast US include Morels, Chicken-of-The-Woods, Maitake,
Chanterelle’s, Reishi (pictured above), Puffballs, and Oyster. There are others,
but this list is a good starting point.
2. Then learn the potential
look-alikes that could be harmful.
Some
species include the “Death Angel” and other Aminita mushrooms, Jack O’ Lantern
mushrooms, and several of the Russula species.
Of the list above, Morels,
Chanterelles, and Oysters are the ones you are mostly likely get confused with
another species.
3. Pay careful attention to
not just “what” you find, but “where”.
Many
beginners just grab mushrooms and don’t use their observation skills to capture
all the clues needed to properly ID a mushroom. Consider the following when you
find a mushroom:
-
Was the mushroom growing on the ground, or in wood?
-
What tree species was it growing on or around?
-
What forest type was it found in?
-
Was it growing by itself or in clusters?
-
What is the color of the cap? Gills? Stem?
-
Does the mushroom have a ring (aka annulus)?
Proper
collection, storage, and documentation is important if you want to get a good
ID on a mushroom. Read more here: www.mushroomexpert.com/collecting.html
Use
a key like this one from MushroomExpert.com to figure out the possible species:
http://mushroomexpert.com/major_groups.html
4. Learn from Others.
Mushroom
foraging is not an activity to do alone. Find others who have been learning the
language and learn from them.
Several
expects around the Northeast offer walks and help you learn how to do proper
identification. Some of my favorite folks include:
Catskill Fungi – John is a wonderful guy
and knowledgeable forager and leads a lot of walks in the Catskill region of
New York: www.catskillfungi.com
The Mushroom Forager – Based in VT, Ari and Jenna offer a wonderful blog and photo
library, as well as guided walks around the region. I love their “forage cast”
which comes with their blog posts and helps update foragers on the species we
are most likely to find in
given time of year. http://themushroomforager.com/
The North American
Mycological Association (NAMA) has many chapters of folks around that get together
to find and identity fungi: http://www.namyco.org/
Also,
see our events page: events.wellspringforestfarm.com for several events that
include foraging walks, including:
-
Our July 26th “Forest
Talks” hike, which will feature a foraging class with Olga Tzogas from
Smugtown Mushrooms (http://www.smugtownmushrooms.com/)
-
The 5-day Fungi Cultivation
& Foraging Short Course from September 16 -20 will offer several forays
with Steve and Tradd Cotter from Mushroom Mountain .http://mushroommountain.com/
-
Steve will lead a Fall Fungi
Walk with the Finger Lakes Land Trust on September 24: http://fllt.org/events/fall-fungi-walk-with-steve-gabriel/
More
can be found about these events at: events.wellspringforestfarm.com
DISCLAIMER:
Of course, when in doubt – throw it out!
Articles, books, and advice are not perfect – you need to be absolutely sure
you know what you have before consuming a mushroom!
----------------
On the Farm
----------------
Shiitake log soaking is underway! A great companion to wild
foraging mushrooms as discussed above is to grow your own. Of the mushrooms one
can grow, log shiitake has proven to be the most reliable, as one could produce
mushrooms weekly from June -
October in the Northeast US. The process that allows for this to occur is known
as “shocking” or “forcing” inoculated hardwood logs in order to get them to
fruit.
We soak about 120 logs each
week and produce anywhere from 20- 40 lbs which we deliver to CSA members and
restaurants. Our ability to reliably fruit shiitake on logs is the cornerstone
of our forest farm business.
Here
is a link for a youtube video more about forcing logs. You’ll notice that the
page offers a list of several videos to help you get starting in shiitake
growing on your own:
-------------------------
Upcoming Events
-------------------------
We
are pleased to announce two short courses for the summer that will enhance your
understanding of forest ecology and equip farmers, landowners, and educators
with the tools to manage their forested lands for productivity and
sustainability.
**SPECIAL
OFFERS**
Sign
up for either course by July 8 and
receive a free copy of Farming the
Woods.
Sign
up for both courses anytime and save $150 and receive free camping, and a free copy of Farming the Woods.
Forestry & Agroforestry
Short Course
August 12 - 16
Learn forest ecology and management techniques for eastern woodlands from Farming the Woods co-author Steve Gabriel and renowned forester Mike Demunn along with tree propagation and nursery techniques from Sean Dembrosky of Edible Acres.
Visit local old growth and heritage forests and farms and practice tree ID, stand assessment, marking, and felling techniques. Learn about forest medicinals, and visit farms practicing silvopasture and mushroom cultivation.
This course is designed for woodland owners, famers, extension professionals, Permaculturists, and homesteaders who want to gain a better understanding of the intricacies of management in northeastern woodlands and build their skills in forest mapping, stand assessment, tree selection, and removal of trees with minimal damage.
August 12 - 16
Learn forest ecology and management techniques for eastern woodlands from Farming the Woods co-author Steve Gabriel and renowned forester Mike Demunn along with tree propagation and nursery techniques from Sean Dembrosky of Edible Acres.
Visit local old growth and heritage forests and farms and practice tree ID, stand assessment, marking, and felling techniques. Learn about forest medicinals, and visit farms practicing silvopasture and mushroom cultivation.
This course is designed for woodland owners, famers, extension professionals, Permaculturists, and homesteaders who want to gain a better understanding of the intricacies of management in northeastern woodlands and build their skills in forest mapping, stand assessment, tree selection, and removal of trees with minimal damage.
Cost: $550
includes lunch each day, plus $50 if camping onsite
Fungi Cultivation & Foraging Short Course
September
16 - 20
Explore the wondrous world of fungi and learn how to grow and forage mushrooms with Farming the Woods co-author Steve Gabriel and special guest instructor Tradd Cotter of Mushroom Mountain and author of Organic Mushrooms Farming & Mycoremediation.
During this 5-day intensive course participants will identify wild mushrooms and learn tree ID and forest ecology, inoculate logs, straw, and grain, learn low-tech propagation techniques, build a stormwater biofilter, create a styrofoam substitute, and, of course, cook and eat mushrooms.
Participants will build their skills in mushroom identification, cultivation, and propagation and leave the course with mushrooms to grow at home.
Cost: $600 includes lunch each day and lots of fungi to take home, plus $50 if camping onsite (optional)
Explore the wondrous world of fungi and learn how to grow and forage mushrooms with Farming the Woods co-author Steve Gabriel and special guest instructor Tradd Cotter of Mushroom Mountain and author of Organic Mushrooms Farming & Mycoremediation.
During this 5-day intensive course participants will identify wild mushrooms and learn tree ID and forest ecology, inoculate logs, straw, and grain, learn low-tech propagation techniques, build a stormwater biofilter, create a styrofoam substitute, and, of course, cook and eat mushrooms.
Participants will build their skills in mushroom identification, cultivation, and propagation and leave the course with mushrooms to grow at home.
Cost: $600 includes lunch each day and lots of fungi to take home, plus $50 if camping onsite (optional)
REGISTER at events.wellspringforestfarm.com
---------------------------------------
Quote of the
Month:
---------------------------------------
“The clearest way
into the Universe
is through a forest
wilderness.”
― John Muir
― John Muir
---------------------------------------
“News from the Woods” is
brought to you by:
Wellspring
Forest Farm & School
leaving
forests in our footsteps
Steve & Elizabeth
Gabriel
Mecklenburg, NY
farmers@wellspringforestfarmcom
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