With less than 4 weeks of winter, spring is in the air! Tuesday, February 17th marks the spring mushroom cultivation classes being offered at Mendocino College in Ukiah. If you have ever had an interest in mushroom cultivation this is your opportunity! To make things even more special the Spring Mushroom Cultivation class is taught by Gourmet Mushrooms’ lead mycologist, Glenn Walker.

Glenn takes a “learn by doing” approach to all the classes he teaches. Students will learn the basics of mushroom cultivation which begin with starting the culture, progressing through methods for stimulating fruiting and the production of mushrooms. Methods taught will emphasize home cultivation, but commercial production mushrooms will also be discussed. The class will also include field time at a few small to mid-sized mushroom farms in the area.

Professor Glenn Walker earned his degree with a BA in Biology from UC Santa Cruz and a MS in Mycology from the University of Washington. After college Glenn spent some time working for a local mushroom farm and became interested in wild mushrooms through books and classes by the well-known mycologist, David Aurora. In late 2004, he was hired by Mendocino College to teach mycology. By 2007 Glenn was hired by Gourmet Mushrooms as the lead mycologist. Today, Glenn maintains his position at Gourmet Mushrooms and is still able to teach a spring/fall semester mushroom identification and cultivation class.

Classes for the Spring Mushroom Identification class start next Tuesday, February 17th at 6:00PM-8:50PM and extend through April 28th. One Saturday field trip is also required on March 21st from 9:00-1:00PM. If you are interested in signing up, please visit the college website at www.mendocino.edu . Space is extremely limited. If you missed the opportunity to sign up this semester, please remember Glenn also teaches his mushroom identification and mushroom cultivation courses during the Fall semester as well. Gourmet Mushrooms welcomes the next generation of mushroom cultivators!

Written by Sean McGinity