Grow Your Own Mushrooms
Imagine stepping into your backyard this summer and harvesting fresh mushrooms you’ve grown yourself.
Join Dr. James Reznich and Julie Botsford as they guide you in making shiitake and oyster mushroom logs. In the beautiful setting of J2 Farms at Cedar North, gain hands-on experience in preparing, inoculating, and caring for the logs and benefit from James and Julie’s decade of experience in working the logs on their farm.
You’ll also learn about the underground network of mycelium, the fascinating system that connects mushrooms, trees, and plants. Plus, you’ll explore different strains of shiitake and oyster mushrooms to enhance your harvest.
Whether you’re a curious homeowner or wondering how to get started in a small operation, this is a good place to start!
Each workshop participant will take home three inoculated logs and one oyster totem. One of the shiitake logs will be from last year’s batch and ready to fruit this year. The others, made in this workshop, will fruit next summer and for up to 4-8 years into the future.
To round out the experience, enjoy a delicious farm-to-table lunch featuring fresh, locally grown mushrooms.
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Meet Your Instructors:
Dr. James Reznich and Julie Botsford
James and Julie of J2 Farms and Cedar North, in Cedar Michigan are committed to serving humanity and the planet as both healthcare professionals and landstewards. Among other land based pursuits, James and Julie have been growing mushrooms for 10 years.
Following organic, regenerative, and permaculture practices on their farm, they cultivate fertility with resources provided by the land and animals such that the process never ends. Compost made from cleaning the barnyard and byproducts of the farm is fantastically fertile. Thinning the sugarbush of competing maple trees provides the ideal substrate for cultivating shiitake mushrooms; after two or three years of mushroom production the logs are cut to firewood and used in maple syrup production. Their ashes replace potassium in the compost pile. And so it goes.
Class Details:
Location: Green Door Folk School (and outside at Cedar North at J2 Farms) – 2312 E Kasson Rd, Cedar, MI
Date/Time: April 18th @ 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Prerequisites/Skill Level/Age Requirements:
- No prior experience required.
- Ages 18+
Booking Information:
What happens after I book the class? After you book, we will send you a confirmation email that you are IN! A week out from the class, we will send you an email with more details about our meeting locations and some housekeeping items.
Where can I stay if I’m coming from out of town? If you’re traveling for a class, we highly recommend a stay at Cedar North, a cozy farm-stay just steps from the Green Door Schoolhouse. Nestled on a permaculture farm in Leelanau County, Cedar North offers peaceful garden views, the charm of a working goat farm, and room to roam and reflect. NOTE: Indicate you are a Green Door student at checkout for a discounted rate.
Policies:
Go for it! If you love to cook with locally grown foods, or are looking to bring your mushroom foraging a little closer to home, this is the class for you!