Maitake Mushroom Hunt

Head into the woods in search of Grifola frondosa, better known as hen of the woods, maitake, or ram's head at Maitake Mushroom Hunt on Sunday, Oct. 18 from 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. at the McDonald Family Trails trailhead.

During this 2.5-hour guided hike, Instructor Lee will teach you how to find and identify maitake and other fall mushrooms. You'll learn about their life cycle, preferred habitats, tree hosts, how to distinguish edible species from toxic lookalikes, and ways to prepare and cook your harvest.

If nature cooperates, you'll even head home with fresh maitake to enjoy yourself. If conditions aren't right for maitake, students will still discover and learn about a variety of other fall mushrooms—both edible and inedible.

Each participant will receive a pocket field guide featuring the most common North American mushrooms to use during the hike and take home afterward .

$35/person*. Registration closes 1 day prior or when capacity has been reached. All sales are final.

* The class will log finds on iNaturalist in our Allerton Park and Retreat Center Fugal Survey. Feel free to create an iNaturalist account if you'd like to participate.

PLEASE NOTE: Foraging at Allerton is not allowed except as part of this class.

Learn more about the space where your course will take place . If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email [email protected].

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.

About the Instructor

Lee Schuler recently moved from Illinois from Pennsylvania, where she taught fungal identification and edibility at environmental education centers for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and for private land owners. She is certified as a wild edible mushroom expert and licensed to harvest and sell to restaurants and markets in the State of Pennsylvania. Schuler is also a contributing culinary author for a wild mushroom trade journal.

A graduate of East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, Lee has worked as a field biologist and environmental educator, and currently works in public health. She is an artist and cook and enjoys acquiring new and useful skills as much as she loves sharing them.

About The Farms

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Find the complete Fall schedule .