Cornell Cooperative Extension have announced a Shiitake Mushroom Cultivation Workshop has been set for Saturday, September 29, from 10 am to 1 pm, at Paul Smith’s College VIC; 8023 State Route 30; Paul Smiths.

The workshop is designed to introduce gardeners, market growers, and woodland owners who would like to grow low-maintenance shiitake mushrooms as a home hobby or small fresh-market business venture to the principles and techniques used for successfully inoculating and cultivating delicious, healthy shiitake mushrooms on logs in outdoor environments.

Attendees will learn how to cultivate gourmet mushrooms at home. The shiitake mushroom cultivation segment of this workshop will be a hands-on session in which participants will be given the opportunity to inoculate their own hardwood logs, which they’ll bring home. Each inoculated log will produce harvests of fresh, delicious garden shiitake mushrooms for years to come.

It’s easy and fun to cultivate edible mushrooms using logs, stumps, or other mediums (i.e. straw, corn cobs), and the moist shade of your wooded property. Each mushroom variety offers its own unique, often nutty flavor. Mushrooms are packed full of nutrients; things like B-vitamins, including riboflavin (an essential dietary nutrient which plays a major role in red blood cell formation and energy production, and strengthens the immune system), niacin (a digestive aid that can help maintain good blood circulation, healthy skin condition, and brain function), and pantothenic acid (one of the most versatile and flexible vitamins).

Pre-registration is required. This workshop costs $20/person; which includes handout materials and an inoculated log to take home.

For more information or to register, click here or call (518) 483-7403.

Photo of Shiitake Mushrooms provided by Warren County Soil & Water.