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MSAD 11 Gardiner Area Adult & Community Education (adulted@msad11.org) 207-582-3774



Environmental Education

in Community Enrichment

Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms of Maine and the Northeast (Presentation)

$35

with David Spahr

Calendar Next available session starts Apr 10, 2024 at 6 pm
1 additional session on May 8, 2024

Join self-proclaimed "mushroom Maineiac" David Spahr and get the inside information on the wild mushrooms of the Northeast. Edible and medicinal mushrooms represent an opportunity for sustainably foraging and enjoying healthy, locally sourced food and present a potential for health benefits beyond good nutrition. This presentation will cover finding, collecting, identifying and preparing the safe and common edible and medicinal mushroom species of Maine, New England, and Eastern Canada. Nature enthusiasts, cooks, foragers, herbalists, and others will enjoy and benefit from David's expertise. Topics will include matching species with appropriate foods, discovering mushrooms that contain unique medicinal properties, and exploring information about dyeing fabrics and paper. David's book, Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms of New England and Eastern Canada, will be available.

Learning about the Chaga Mushroom

$35

with David Spahr

Calendar Next available session starts Apr 24, 2024 at 6 pm

Come lean about the Chaga Mushroom the uses, benefits and side effects.

Inonotus obliquus, commonly called chaga, is a fungus in the family Hymenochaetaceae. It is parasitic on birch and other trees. The sterile conk is irregularly formed and resembles burnt charcoal.

Farming with native plants (Presentation)

$35

with David Spahr

Calendar Next available session starts May 15, 2024 at 6 pm

This class is about how you can grow and harvest edible native plants. David has been farming his land (and a nearby public plot) in Washington, Maine for many years, and his PowerPoint will show the native plants he farms with - such as wild high bush blueberries, American chestnut, Viburnums and dozens more - while he provides a discussion of the ecological implications.

Wild Mushroom walk

$45

with David Spahr

Calendar Next available session starts Sep 7, 2024 at 1 pm

This three hour course includes a walk through the woods to find edible mushrooms along with detailed descriptions of habitat and structure of mushrooms. Most mushrooms found in nature are not edible, but learning this is more important than knowing which ones to eat. David Spahr has collected edible mushrooms for 45 years and is a member of the Maine Mycological Society and North American Mycological Association. He is on the Maine Mushroom Task Force developing rules for the foraging and sale of wild mushrooms. Minimum age is 12 with an adult. 





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