We’ve all seen it in either cartoons or movies: the character puts on a straw hat, some boots, a woven basket and marches into the forest in search of mushrooms. Perhaps even the traditional Little Red Riding Hood picked a few to put in her basket on her way to her grandmother’s. Well, now there’s a chance for all mushrooms lovers — and not just necessarily mushrooms lovers — to learn how to grow their own mushrooms with classes offered at the Windham Town Hall through December.
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| Michael and Kristina Allen, who have a small two-acre farm called Yellowbird Love Farm in Windham, will be instructing a mushroom growing class at the Windham Town Hall. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
Everything that the Allens grow is organically and naturally grown. Michael and Kristina Allen have four children between them and are just your ordinary family who have been Mainers for almost all of their lives.
Kristina Allen has lived in this area since she was a child and Michael Allen has been here since 2013, originally from Bowdoinham. The Allens have also worked with Maine Foodscapes in Windham to help learn and grow.
“There is an incredible number of benefits surfacing of the multiple uses mycelium and mushrooms have to offer us,” says Kristina Allen. “We believe we - as a collective - are just hitting the surface of what they can do.”
Some Maine books like “David Spahr Edible and Medical Mushrooms of New England and Eastern Canada” and “Greg Marley of Mushrooms for Health: Medicinal Secrets of The Northeastern Fungi,” are very inspiring to the couple, they say.
“Some other reasons that come to my mind are the growing cost of groceries, knowing where your food comes from, what exactly is in it and empowering others to gain knowledge that our food is also part of our self-care that we choose every day,” says Allen. “We’d like each person to ask what they think their ancestors ate? It sure wasn’t that box of Kraft Mac & Cheese or those Doritos on top of your fridge.”
Mushroom growing classes will be offered from about 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17 in the Windham Town Hall Gymnasium and if there is enough interest, there will also be classes offered from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7 and Wednesday, Dec. 21.
The classes will start with the very basics, like learning the difference between a spore, mycelium and what exactly fruit means in the mycelium world. Participants will take steps to grow their own mushrooms and all the supplies will be included for in-class and “homework” activities.
“At the end of the last class, our goal is that each participant will have the knowledge to continue to practice their own mushroom farming at home,” says Michael Allen.
They said that everyone is welcome to join.
“Anyone wanting to nerd out with us and is interested in the how’s of the mycelium network is welcomed. We will be using agar, Petri dishes, making still air boxes and so on,” Michael Allen said. “We welcome older kids whose parents feel their child can be responsible with these tools as well. We also welcome seniors to come nerd out with us.”
The class is intended for those that have some knowledge of growing mushrooms but are still in the beginner's stage or for anyone who wants to practice how to grow mushrooms from spore to full fruiting body. The fee for the class is $200 and $175 for seniors and kids.
The best way to join is by preregistration emailing Michael and Kristina Allen at 2yellowbirdlove@gmail.com to do so. A non-refundable payment is expected to hold your spot in the class.
“We will have recipe ideas of ways mushrooms can be incorporated into daily life, and without anyone, like picky kids, realizing it,” said Kristina Allen.
To join the class, please send an email to 2yellowbirdlove@gmail.com to reserve a spot. <
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