We will host a potluck on Thursday June 17th at 6 pm at the Cedar Mountain Canteen. Please bring a covered dish to share and your own non-disposable place setting. Plant-based meals are encouraged and all dishes are welcome. Everyone is welcome to join us. We look forward to getting together. At 6:30 pm we will enjoy an informal talk by Leif Olsen about applied mycology and focus on having plenty of Q&A about topics people are interested in.

Leif Olson is an environmental scientist and educator with a background spanning ecological field research, environmental chemistry, soil health management and mushroom farming. He worked for two years as a cultivation manager at Pisgah Gourmet, a local mushroom farm in Brevard, NC and currently operates Integrated Land Enhancement, an environmental consulting and education business based in Asheville, NC.  Leif has taught all over the country about fungi, soil, plants, compost and more.

He also started co-hosting the Applied Mycology podcast earlier this year, a show featuring discussions with co-host Craig Trester, a microbiologist and environmental educator based in New York City and a variety of guests who work with fungi in one way or another.  It covers topics like mushroom cultivation, medicinal mushrooms, mycoremediation, soil health, citizen science, community food production and more.  Listen to the show on your favorite podcast app or by following this link: https://anchor.fm/appliedmycology

Additionally, Leif will be teaching a 3 Day workshop from June 25th-27th at the new event venue and educational space in Penrose, The Barn.  This class will feature hands-on instruction for a variety of fungi related topics like mushroom growing, making medicinal mushroom tinctures, and foraging.  You can sign up for this immersive experience into “The Hidden World of Fungi” here: https://www.thebarninpenrose.com/workshops