Course Description

Course Dates 26th July Fungi grow all year round and as with plants some fungi are seasonal, fungi follow environmental events. It is not possible to locate some Spring and Summer fungi in the Autumn when prime mushroom season arrives. This is a specialist fungi foraging course designed to teach about highly prized warm season edible fungi. WHAT YOU WILL BE LEARNING ABOUT In the Summer we will be on the hunt for choice edible Summer fungi including Chicken of the Woods, Beefsteak Fungi, Dryads Saddle, Chanterelles and Agarics. At this time of year we also have a good chance of finding yellow swamp brittlegills and summer oysters. We will cover the safe identification of the edible fungi we find, what potential lookalikes you will need to be aware of and ways to use the fungi in cuisine at home. One of Chris's specialist areas is ecology, understanding the habitats these types of fungi thrive in. He uses professional land and habitat mapping software to to isolate potential habitats they grow, once a habitat has been identified it's merely a matter of going out to look. You'll get plenty of tips on how to find these fungi yourself. COURSE DETAILS The course will be held within a 30 minute drive from Worthing and are run at various locations. The locations are cherry picked for each course, the one which is most abundant for your course date will be the one we are visiting. This course includes 2 hours of fungi hunting and 1 hour cooking the edibles we find. The walk will be gentle along country tracks and off paths, you will need to be fit enough to walk the routes. An email will be sent two days prior to the event with the exact location and anticipated conditions for the day. It would be convenient to drive as the locations are remote. On occasions lift shares can be organised. Under 18's are free. WHAT TO BRING Wear appropriate clothing for the weather conditions and seasons. Bring any refreshments you may need such as water and snacks. Wear comfy walking shoes. If the conditions are expected to be muddy you will be advised suitable footwear in the email Bring a basket or container or cloth bag to store any foraged food you would like to take home. We discourage the use of plastic bags to store foraged food in. A note pad and pen to write down information with. Alternatively; A camera to take pictures or for filming.