Mushroom Logs Inoculation, Community Workshop

Mushroom Logs Inoculation, Community Workshop

Date: Friday, May 10th

Time: 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Location: Alderbed Woodland, Inside Cothelstone Estate on the edge of the Quantock Hills. Terhill Lane, Taunton, UK

Join us: for a fun and educational mushroom logs inoculation workshop!
Learning how to grow mushrooms on logs.

Our community event is perfect for beginners and enthusiasts alike. Meet fellow mushroom lovers, get your hands dirty, and take home your very own inoculated log to watch your mushrooms grow. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to connect with nature and learn a new skill. See you there!

Food: Please bring a packed lunch. You will need to stay resourced with yummy food to ensure you all have the energy for the activities throughout the day. We recommend you bring a flask of tea/bottle of water to stay hydrated.

Health & Saftey:

1. Please make sure, if you have long hair, that you arrive with your hair tied back
2. No gloves or scarfs to make sure they don’t get caught in the drill
3. Make sure you wear suitable shoes, boots would be best, covered toes. Think muddy woodland and power tools.
4. Depending on the weather wear waterproof clothing - we will have an area of shelter and we will also be outside all day.
5. Bring water to stay hydrated.

Drills:

If you have a drill please bring it, if you don’t have one no bother just let us know when you book in. We will provide the Japanese drill bits.

What mushrooms will we be working with?

Non-native strain: Shiitake, Lentinula edodes

Native strains of: Chicken of the woods, Laetiporus & Turkey Tail, Trametes versicolor 

What you can expect to learn on the day:
How to;
Drill the logs with holes

Plug the holes with the sawdust spawn using an inoculation tool

Seal the plugs with wax 

How to stack the logs

About our micro mushroom farm and the mushrooms we are growing.

Testimonials from our Workshops in 2023

"The volunteer days I joined at Alderbed Mushrooms were a great way to meet other people whilst learning new skills. The day was really well organised. Skyla and Freddie were well prepared, welcoming and knowledgeable. I left feeling energised about the beauty of nature and much more connected with people, purpose and place. Thanks for the wonderful experience"

"New to the area I was thrilled to take part in the mushroom innoculation weekend, spending some time learning and having fun with new people, Skyla and Freddie expertly held the day with nourishment and welcoming all as well as teaching the workshop. Hands on skills and nice memories stay with me and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to gather in the woods with some neighbours building a more resilient food and health forward future. I had a great time, look forward to meeting again in the woods sometime soon."

"It was the perfect experience after a manic week in the office, and I really needed time outside away from a screen, to recalibrate and recharge. I loved the social aspect of the experience (as I am a remote worker and often only interact via the medium of Zoom meetings on a day-to-day basis). I met new people, and enjoyed working with my hands. "

“I loved that I felt part of something bigger than me. It was a lesson in community effort, meeting people from different walks of life, curious to be in the woods with the mushroom spores, all sharing the same hope that mushrooms will grow. We were guided beautifully through the tasks, encouraged with singing and fed and watered well. Having recently been off work due to cancer treatment the experience gave me a lift and a sense of purpose that I had been missing.”

“It was so great to meet other people in the community, friendships were built and grew, having the space and activity to stimulate conversation and connection was really special. My husband especially benefitted having shielded for the pandemic he now feels quite isolated at times and this was one of the first group activities we did together.”