Midcoast Conservancy is offering a virtual workshop, Foraging for Wild Mushrooms: The Season Begins, on Thursday, May 20 from 6:30-8 p.m., led by Greg Marley.

Collecting and eating wild mushrooms is an intimidating prospect for the beginner. There are so many different mushrooms, and some of them are devilishly difficult to tell apart. Some are poisonous; a few are dangerously toxic. However, there are a number of mushrooms that are great edibles, easily identified and without toxic lookalikes, and these may provide foragers with all the mushrooms they’ll ever want! Mushrooming author and teacher Greg Marley will welcome in the foraging season with a focus on common “foolproof” mushrooms found in Maine. This virtual talk will be especially valuable for someone who is just starting out or who wants to learn mushrooming.

Marley has been collecting, studying, eating, growing and teaching mushrooms for over 45 years.  He has spread his love of mushrooms to hundreds through walks, talks and classes held across New England over the past 30 years.  He is the founder of Mushrooms for Health, a small company providing mushroom education.  Marley is the author of “Mushrooms for Health; Medicinal Secrets of Northeastern Fungi,” (Downeast Books, 2009) and the award-winning “Chanterelle Dreams, Amanita Nightmares; The Love Lore and Mystic of Mushrooms,” (Chelsea Green, 2010).  As a volunteer mushroom identification consultant to Poison Centers across New England since 2001, he provides expertise in mushroom poisoning cases. When not mushrooming, Marley works as a mental health clinician and behavioral health consultant specializing in suicide prevention across Maine.

The class is $10 for Midcoast Conservancy members and $15 for non-members. Registered attendees will receive a package of downloadable handouts supporting mushroom identification. To register, go to https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/events/foraging-for-wild-mushrooms-webinar/