Explore the Magical, Mysterious World of Mushrooms Sunday

A wild mushroom, likely an Amanita muscaria, is seen here at the Berry Flat trail in Koke‘e.

Learn how to coax majestic angel wings from a bucket of coffee grounds. Join Tammy Davis as she shares her love and fascination of the unbelievable world of edible and medicinal mushrooms.

This Sunday, Tammy will teach through hands-on activities how to get started on cultivating a homegrown crop of edible mushrooms. The workshop is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Kaua‘i Food Forest in Kalihiwai Ridge, Kaua‘i’s North Shore.

You’ll find out the latest on how mushrooms are being used for bioremediation to clean up hazardous wastes and for non-toxic pest control. You’ll also come away having learned how to incorporate mushroom cultivation into your garden or permaculture site.

The workshop includes:

• Slideshow highlighting the role of fungi in the ecosystem, many of the amazing properties of mushrooms, and many of Tammy’s past projects using cultivated species
• Learn to grow mushrooms on coffee grounds and learn to clone some local varieties of Oyster mushrooms
• Inoculation of ‘bunker spawn’ on wood chips with Garden Giant Stropharia Mushrooms, and discussion bioremediation filters.
• Solutions for using mushrooms to break down compost, boost the vitality your garden vegetables, and filter your greywater
• Learn the most important identifying characteristics of fungi and how to utilize identification keys.

Bring water, mosquito protection (long sleeved shirt and pants, bug repellent), snacks and/or lunch, notebook and pen or digital note-taking device, camera.

To get to the Kaua‘i Food Forest, coming from the south, pass Kilauea Town and make the next left onto Kahiliholo Road, right after the Mini Golf Course at Anaina Hou. Coming from the north, cross Kalihiwai bridge and make the next right onto Kahiliholo Road.

Once you are on Kahiliholo Road, drive half-mile and look for a “Pepperwood Plantation” sign on the right. Pass it, and as the road curves to the right take the next left into a large driveway with a yellow flag. Go through the stone gate, and drive straight ahead. You will pass the community garden on your right. Park on the right just beyond the garden.

Tammy Davis

You can also take the bus and walk from the bus stop to the workshop. The nearest stops are in Kilauea and across from the Shell station and at Anaina Hou Community Park.

Tammy recently served as Permaculture Land Manager at the Resonance Project Foundation’s 13-acre estate in Kilauea. She ran the volunteer program for this non-profit for three and a half years, growing food, mycelium and tending the landscape.

She began her relationship with Permaculture by attending several courses in New Mexico from 1996 to 1999, and continued practicing, teaching and learning as the Garden Program coordinator at Lost Valley Educational Center in Oregon, and Farm Manager at The Regenerative Design Institute in Bolinas, Calif.

Tammy participated in the Telluride Mushroom Festival for 16 consecutive years, expanding her knowledge and love of the fungal kingdom with mentorship from Paul Stamets, Gary Lincoff and Andrew Weil.

The registration fee for the workshop is $25 at ribg.org. Call Tammy at (541) 510-9658 for more information.