Grow Your Own Mushrooms: Kitchen Mycology

This is an introductory course where learners will explore the fundamentals of mushroom cultivation. The purchase of a mushroom growing kit (approximately $15-20 US) will be required for each student. 

We'll cover the following topics:
Week1: Introduction to Mushroom Cultivation
	•	Mushroom growth and the life cycle of fungi
	•	Safety and sanitation practices when working with mushrooms 
	•	Introduction to different types of edible mushrooms: wood vs organic decomposers
	•	Selecting and purchasing your mushroom kit
Week 2: Starting the First Grow Kit
	•	Selecting the location and opening our grow kit
	•	Humidity, sunlight, carbon dioxide levels prepare DIY fruiting chamber
	•	Incubation and monitoring mycelium growth prepare for harvest in 8-10 days
	•	Identifying pinning and ways to prevent contamination
Week 3: Prepare for harvest before spores drop (Wow that was fast!) 
	•	Continue monitoring mycelium growth, pinning, and looking for contamination
	•	Maintain proper storage location 
	•	Ideal harvesting conditions for oyster mushrooms
	•	How to identify mature mushrooms
Week 4: Where do we go from here
	•	Cleaning and preparing mushrooms for the table
	•	How to dry mushrooms
	•	Prepare substrate for second and third fruiting
	•	Compost spent substrate
	•	Ways to keep the strain alive and growing

Each week, we'll have a live class for approximately 45 minutes depending on the number of students, where each student can discuss the growth of their kit and have the opportunity to ask questions and show progress.  
NOTE: Once the kits are opened, the mushroom growth is very fast and harvesting the first crop usually happens within 8-10 days. Because growing conditions will vary at each home, students are encouraged to submit questions during the week of their mushroom progress or questions or concerns they may have. The instructor will also grow a batch of oyster mushrooms from a kit for students to follow along. In addition, there will be a combination of lecture and slides to teach the material with opportunities for all students to interact and share questions to keep things engaging and fun.

This is a hands-on and practical course, with a focus on making the learning experience enjoyable and interactive. No prior experience or knowledge is required, just an interest in learning about mushroom cultivation!