For the Love of Fungi: A Full Sensory Experience!

On July 27, mid-Summer & full-on foraging season, we are hosting the 3rd annual: For the Love of Fungi Mushroom & Arts Festival!! Just a few words here to describe the new format... The morning will begin with group forays throughout the local region, guided by a knowledgeable Mycologist. Early afternoon, we will all meet back at the Ashokan Center with our specimens and stories, to embark on a full sensory exploration. Discover new sounds, textures, flavors and more through different workshops and activities that focus on the many ways we use our senses to perceive the natural world. Brush up on your ID skills, learn to tissue culture, illustrate, or listen to the song of your favorite fungi! Cooking demos and tastings all day long. After sunset we will gather for a bonfire, short film series, music, and UV Foray, with camping and lodging options onsite!

What to Expect:

Featured Contributors (More Announced Soon!):

Roberta Trentin - Listen to Fungi - Interactive Biosonification Station - All afternoon!

Justin Knaub - Concentrate, Breath, Heal - Build your own unique medicinal tincture using mushroom and botanical concentrates made by Justin and Cristian at MMM labs. Free w/ pre-registration (on tickets page).

Renee Baumann - Communal Basket Weaving - Learn traditional basketmaking techniques and work together to weave a beautiful, communal basket. See what we made last year, below, and check out more of Renee’s work!

Wendy Hollender - Learn to illustrate Fungi w/ the guidance and tips from this local rockstar botanical artist! Check out more of her work!

Craig Trester - Composting Workshop - Learn composting techniques to favor the plants you're trying to grow! Craigs knowledge and experience are astronomical and not to be missed!

Delicious Mushroom Tastings and Cooking Demos - All afternoon from several talented chefs including Page Moll of Hash in Stone Ridge, NY, at our Eat More Mushrooms Booth!

Mushroom Cultivation Panel and Q&A - Bring all your mushroom cultivation questions! Indoor, Outdoor, Gourmet, Medicinal, DIY or Commercial!

Demos and Hands-On: Outdoor Cultivation, DIY Indoor Home Cultivation, Tissue Culturing, Korean Natural Farming Techniques, Cooking with Mushrooms, ID Assistance and Microscopy, Illustrating Fungi, Interactive Exhibits…

Marketplace: A juried selection of artisans, working with Fungi and Fungi inspired goods.

Food: Kimchi Harvest Kitchen: Specializing in Korean field fresh dishes!

Raffle winners announced at 5pm (prizes listed below, tickets on ticket page)

Evening Activities: Music, Short Film Series, Bonfire, UV Foray, Camping under the stars onsite (380+ acres).

Camping: $16 per camper (must be booked ahead of time) - Contact Lisa Hurley at The Ashokan Center - retreats@ashokancenter.org (include phone number), or (845) 657-8333 option "0".

*No one will be turned away for lack of funds - Sliding Scale Tickets available upon request!

More info at Mycophilic.net

For the Love of Fungi 2023 Communal Basket (facilitated by Renee Baumann)

Raffle Prize 1: Cultivation Package – 1 full length ready to fruit Shiitake log (can fruit for 5+ years) plus a 1-hour consultation with Luke Sarrantonio (15+ years’ experience as a Mycologist and Cultivator). A chance to ask all your burning mushroom questions or get your backyard mushroom garden going!

Raffle Prize 2: Mushroom Lovers Goodie Bag – 1 mushroom print tote bag (heavyweight and durable, %100 cotton, made by Only Hearts), 1 Turkey Tail+Elderberry 2oz Tincture, 1 Donko Shiitake 2oz Tincture both made by Mycophilic, 1/2oz bag dried Log Grown Shiitake Caps from Eat Flowers Farm.

Raffle Prize 3: Foraging Kit – 1 specimen box (w/movable dividers), 1 folding mushroom knife with cleaning brush, 1 metal loud whistle (so you’ll never get lost in the woods again!), 1 Lion’s Mane 2oz Tincture, 1 ‘Fungi Fix Nature’s Bandage’ 2oz both made by Mycophilic, 1 ‘Edible Mushrooms of the Hudson Valley’ poster designed by Matt Schulze+Dina Kravstov.