Chick of the Woods Foraging

Holiday Forest Fair
2023-12-16 10:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Mustard Seed Garden Center, 10000 Great Plains Blvd, Chaska, MN, 55318, United States
Mark your calendars for the one-of-a-kind holiday event brought to you by Chick of the Woods. There is nothing quite like this event in the state of Minnesota. The Holiday Forest fair is an event that will be fun and engaging for anyone with an appreciation for nature. There will be 25 nature-themed vendors, demonstrations, workshops, face painting, pictures with Santa, henna tattoos, and a Mexican Food Truck. Held on Saturday, December 16 from 10am-4pm in the beautiful, warm greenhouses of the The Mustard Seed Garden Center, located in Chaska, MN.
Maybe you would like to get a completely unique gift from one of the 25 local, small business, nature-themed vendors. Or maybe you’d like to attend a demonstration to learn how to make candied Black Walnuts from ForagerChef, cook mushrooms with Borealle, or preserve wild foods from Olena the Mushroom Lady. Maybe you’d like to learn about wild mushrooms from the MN Mycological Society. You could even decorate your body with a henna tattoo or build a Christmas planter to decorate your house for holiday parties. Bring your kids for pictures with Santa, face painting with Sweet Cheeks Face Painting, and the nature-themed coloring station. Don’t forget to fill your tummies with tasty tacos from Tacos La Catrina LLC food truck. They will even have a mushroom taco!
Follow the Holiday Forest Fair Facebook or Instagram page for the most up-to-date information, to view items the vendors will have available, and to see the schedule.
Click to watch a promo for the Holiday Forest Fair.
Some of the vendors and items include:
Forager Chef with his Flora cookbook and wild food creations
Maureen Carlson Studio & Wee Folk Creations Workshop with clay polymer art
Northern Foragers with foraged food products
Ames Farm with natural bee products
Morels & Memories fundraiser for Alzheimer’s
Birch bark hats by Jonas
Pottery by Kilnworks by Kolleen Jenne
Foraged tea blends by Following Cairns
Baked goods by Lori’s Marshmallow Cakery
Metal work by Matt’s Eye Ketchers
Earrings made with foraged items by Pioneer Birchworks
Mushroom cookbook and shirts from Untamed Mushrooms
Forest life books from Crooked Lake Tales
Quilted fabrics from Stem By Seraglyn
Mushroom grow kits from Tavis’s Mushrooms
Mushroom coffee by Elevated Spores LLC
Forest bathing from Natural Awareness Guide
Mushroom calendars by Chick of the Woods.

Tree Identification Workshop
2023-10-22 14:00 - 16:30, 2023-08-23 17:30 - 20:00 UTC | The Trailhead Building at Theodore Wirth Park, 1221 Theodore Wirth Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN, United States
*This class will be a combination of indoors and outdoors and does not require any prior tree identification knowledge.*
Learn how to identify Minnesota trees during the most gorgeous time of year! Tree shape, coloring, bark patterns, habitat, leaves, and twigs all help conclude what kind of tree we are looking at. Mastering your tree identification skill is useful for many reasons, but our favorite reason is to improve your ability to find mushrooms. We will learn to identify native trees found in the twin cities metropolitan area, and focus on those that have prime edible mushrooms associated with them.
We will begin by meeting indoors for about an hour to discuss tree types and features that will help differentiate one from another. The presentation will include the basics of tree features and identification of the elm, oak, cottonwood, ash, and box elder and the mushrooms that are associated with those trees. However, we will identify many other trees along our walk. After the discussion, we will take a slow walk through the woods, staying on trail, and stopping to discuss trees along the way. The walk will be about 1 mile long and last 1 – 1.5 hours.
Tree Identification scroll and handouts will be included.

Food and drink will be available for purchase from Mill Valley Market (located inside the Trailhead building) during the presentation.
Event will be held rain or shine, but will be postponed for severe weather. Credit will be given for a future event if cancellation is needed.

Fall Mushroom Foraging
2023-10-08 14:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Wood Lake Nature Center, 6710 Lake Shore Dr S, Minneapolis, MN
Join Chick of the Woods for a day of foraging fun just 10 minutes south of Minneapolis. Foraging is not normally allowed in this park, but we will be allowed special permission to pick mushrooms for this event!
We will begin with hands-on learning, looking at samples of common, edible fall mushrooms. After our discussion, we will walk the trails (up to 1.5 miles of walking on flat trails) foraging for fungi while learning how to identify trees that are associated with fall mushrooms. This will be a beginner level class and no experience is necessary. It is not guaranteed we will find any mushrooms, but we will learn “how” to find and identify common fall mushrooms and the trees associated with those mushrooms. If we do find mushrooms, we will split any mushrooms we find with the group.
Event will happen rain or shine. In cases of severe weather or unforeseen circumstances, class will be cancelled and credit will be given for a future class.
Tickets must be purchased through Wood Lake Nature Center at this link.

Fall Into Nature - Women's Retreat
2023-10-08 10:30 - 2023-10-10 13:00 (America/Chicago)
Join us for the opportunity to renew your senses and nourish your soul during this two-day women’s retreat at Big Rock Creek happening October 8-October 10 | $399 per person

Chick of the Woods will be teaching the foraging class and providing the wild mushroom tasting.

This Experience includes:
– Half-Day Kayaking Trip down the St. Croix River
– Beginner Foraging Class w/Wild Mushroom tasting
– Yoga under the stars (or in the barn)
– Guided Nature Hikes at Big Rock Creek
– Fall Wood Craft Painting
– 2 Night Glamping Experience (shared tents)
– Meals Included
More info and registration on Big Rock Creek’s website, www.bigrockcreekwi.com/events.

Fall Foraging
2023-09-30 13:00 - 16:30 UTC | TBD, but within 1 hour south of Mpls
This is an outdoor adventure geared towards the beginner forager interested in becoming confident foraging common fall mushrooms, but this will also be fun for more experienced foragers looking to learn a couple new mushrooms and meet new, like-minded people.
We will begin with a discussion on foraging basics, safety, tips/tricks to successful foraging, species of interest, and answer any questions. A walk in the woods will follow, looking for and discussing any mushrooms or any other edible species that we find. This will be slow-paced, walking off-trail and over uneven terrain for approximately 2 hours. After the hunt, we will meet back where we started to review what we found.
The exact location will emailed to attendees at least 24 hours before the event. We like to wait until the week of the event to decide on a location so we can choose an area that has better conditions for mushrooms (more rain).
The event is non-refundable and the class will happen rain or shine, but in cases of severe weather or other unforeseen circumstances, you will be able to use your credit for a future event.

Fall Mushroom Foraging
2023-09-17 14:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Wood Lake Nature Center, 6710 Lake Shore Dr S, Minneapolis, MN
Join Chick of the Woods for a day of foraging fun in Richfield, MN. Foraging is not normally allowed in this park, but we will be allowed special permission to pick mushrooms for this event!
We will begin with hands-on learning, looking at samples of common, edible fall mushrooms. After our discussion, we will walk the trails (up to 1.5 miles of walking on flat trails) foraging for fungi while learning how to identify trees that are associated with fall mushrooms. This will be a beginner level class and no experience is necessary. It is not guaranteed we will find any mushrooms, but we will learn “how” to find and identify common fall mushrooms and the trees associated with those mushrooms. If we do find mushrooms, we will split any mushrooms we find with the group.
Event will happen rain or shine. In cases of severe weather or unforeseen circumstances, class will be cancelled and credit will be given for a future class.

Fall Foraging, Optional Tasting
2023-09-16 13:00 - 17:00 UTC | TBD, but within 1 hour N or NW of Mpls
This is an outdoor adventure for the beginner forager interested in becoming confident foraging common fall mushrooms and other wild edibles. We will first take about one hour for intros and to discuss foraging basics, safety, tips/tricks to successful foraging, cover species of interest, and answer any questions. Then we will wander down the trail and into the woods looking for and discussing any mushrooms or edible plants that we find. If we do find mushrooms, we will split them evenly with the group. We will then meet back where we started to wrap up and go over what we found. Foraging and identifications will last approximately two hours. **Please note we will not be picking any plants since it is not allowed in the area we will go, but if we find some, we can observe and identify!**
After we are done foraging, those that have purchased the tasting option will include a brief cooking demo and be served a light tasting of seasonal mushrooms. This may include gluten and dairy, but will be vegetarian. If you did not purchase the tasting option, feel free to hang out as long as you wish. Everyone is encouraged to bring a bag lunch to eat in addition to the light tasting.
Approximate Itinerary:
1-2pm: Intro and Discussion
2-4pm: Foraging and Identifications
4-5pm: Cooking and Tasting
Please do not sign up for this class if you expect to find hoards of mushrooms and berries. It’s possible we will find a large patch, but that is not the purpose of this adventure. We always hope to find some, but that is never guaranteed. We are here to learn and if we do come up empty handed, we do guarantee you will learn enough to increase your confidence and chance of finding mushrooms and berries at another time!
The exact location of the event will emailed to attendees at least 24 hours before the event.
The event is non-refundable and the class will happen rain or shine, but in cases of severe weather or other unforeseen circumstances, you will be able to use your credit for a future event.

End of Summer Foraging with Light Tasting
2023-08-26 09:30 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Jordan, MN, 415 Broadway St S,, Jordan, MN, 55352, United States
Learn to identify and forage safely for common, edible summer mushrooms with Chick of the Woods. The class will begin with an educational discussion about mushrooms and foraging followed by a walk in the woods searching for mushrooms. We will end our time together with a light tasting of wild, summer mushrooms. Feel free to pack a picnic lunch to enjoy while Chick of the Woods cooks up the mushroom tasting, whether you choose the tasting option or not.
Approximate Itinerary:
9:30-10:30 – Educational Talk
10:30-1:00pm – Woodland Walk
1:00pm-2:00pm – Light Tasting and (bring your own) picnic lunch
We will focus our learning on mushrooms, but we will also point out other edible plants, nuts, trees, and berries we find along our journey.
Expect to have a relaxing day walking slowly through the woods and meeting new friends. It will not be difficult walking, but it will be uneven and we will be walking in the woods for up to 2.5 hours.
This is a learning adventure and not a competition, so we will split any finds evenly with the group.
Exact location and more details will be emailed to attendees at least 24 hours prior to event.
*Parking fee may apply.
*We are not allowed to harvest plants, but we can harvest mushrooms, nuts, and berries.
*This is a rain or shine event, but if conditions are severe, the hunt will be cancelled and credit can be used towards a future event.
*The location may require a parking fee.
*If you have any food restrictions, please email us to see if we can accommodate before signing up. The tasting may include gluten and/or dairy, but will be vegetarian.
*We will be walking off-trail and on uneven terrain.
*We are never guaranteed to find mushrooms although we will do our best to find a spot that has some.

CHICKS ONLY!! Mushroom Hunt and Wild Mushroom Lunch
2023-08-12 09:30 - 13:30 (America/Chicago) | TBD, but within 1 hour south of Mpls
Bring your mom, grandma, daughter, sisters, aunties, nieces, girlfriends, or just yourself to this “Chicks Only” day! Even though no guys are allowed, we will be searching for fungis. We might even find an Old Man of the Woods.
Besides having a ton of fun, you will learn the basics of mushroom hunting while gaining in-person experience and confidence hunting for common edible mushrooms. We will also discuss tree identification, plants, and berries we come across while we are in the woods. After our time foraging in the woods, we will sit down for a delicious picnic lunch with wild mushrooms.
Approximate Itinerary:
9:30-10:30 Discussion
10:30-12:30 Mushroom Hunt
12:30-1:30 Lunch
*This hunt may be filmed by Minnesota Bound TV show. If you have concerns about being on film, please contact us before signing up.
*Exact location of the hunt will be emailed to attendees by 4pm one day prior to the hunt, but will be located within an hour of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
*This is a rain or shine event, but if conditions are severe, the hunt will be cancelled and credit can be used towards a future event.
*The location may require a parking fee.
*If you have any food restrictions, please email us to see if we can accommodate before signing up.
*Please bring your own beverages.
*We will be walking off-trail on uneven terrain.

Summer Foraging 101 and Light Tasting
2023-08-09 17:30 - 20:30 UTC | Jordan, MN, 415 Broadway St S,, Jordan, MN, 55352, United States
Learn to forage safely for common, edible summer mushrooms, plants, and berries with Chick of the Woods. The class will begin with a presentation, followed by a walk in the woods searching for edible species and ending with a light tasting of wild, summer mushrooms. Class will be within 10 minutes of Jordan and we will be walking on uneven terrain. Bring home any mushrooms we find!

Summer Mushroom Identification Workshop and Tasting
2023-07-30 12:15 - 15:45 UTC | The Trailhead Building at Theodore Wirth Park, 1221 Theodore Wirth Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN, United States
Become confident identifying common, edible summertime mushrooms including chanterelles, chicken of the woods, hedgehogs, and lobster mushrooms. We will also discuss foraging basics, safety, tips/tricks to successful foraging, and answer any questions.
After our discussion we will have a brief cooking demo and light tasting of seasonal wild mushrooms. This may include gluten and dairy, but will be vegetarian.
The light tasting will be followed by a hike in the woods looking for and discussing any mushrooms that we find. If we do find mushrooms, we are unfortunately not able to harvest them due to park rules, but we can take pictures and observations.
Approximate Itinerary:
12:15-1:30: Identification presentation
1:30-2:00: Light Tasting
2:00-3:45: Mushroom Walk
We always hope to find mushrooms, but it is never guaranteed. The event is non-refundable and the class will happen rain or shine, however in cases of severe weather or other unforeseen circumstances, class will be cancelled and you will be able to use your credit for a future event.

Wild Berry Foraging 101
2023-07-26 18:30 - 20:30 UTC | Jordan, MN, 415 Broadway St S,, Jordan, MN, 55352, United States
Join Chick of the Woods to learn how to safely forage wild berries in an urban park setting in Jordan. Starting with a discussion about wild berry foraging followed by a walk through the park looking for wild edible berries. Berries covered will include wild raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, choke cherries, gooseberries, wild grapes, and other berries we find along the way. Handouts will be provided and berries will be tasted!

Wild Berry Workshop for Beginners
2023-07-16 15:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | The Trailhead Building at Theodore Wirth Park, 1221 Theodore Wirth Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN, United States
Wish you were confident enough to pick wild berries you find along the trail? Join Chick of the Woods for a walk in the woods, learning how to identify common wild berries. We may find raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, wild grapes, gooseberries and more. We will also make sure to point out the non-edible berries that we see. **Please note! Foraging is NOT allowed in Theodore Wirth Park, so we will not be able to pick anything that we find, however we can take pictures! This will be a fun learning experience that you will be able to utilize the rest of your life.
Fact sheets will be provided and Chick of the Woods will bring some berries to taste.

SOLD OUT - Summer Mushrooms and Berries Foraging, Optional Tasting
2023-07-15 09:00 - 13:00 UTC | within an hour west of Minneapolis, MN
This is an outdoor adventure for the beginner forager interested in becoming confident foraging common summertime mushrooms and edible berries. We will first take about one hour for intros and to discuss foraging basics, safety, tips/tricks to successful foraging, cover species of interest, and answer any questions. Then we will wander down the trail and into the woods looking for and discussing any mushrooms or edible berries that we find. If we do find mushrooms, we will split them evenly with the group. We will then meet back where we started to wrap up and go over what we found. Foraging and identifications will last approximately two hours. **Please note we will not be picking any plants since it is not allowed in the area we will go, but if we find some, we can observe and identify!**
After we are done foraging, those that have purchased the tasting option will include a brief cooking demo and served a light tasting of mushrooms that are in season. This may include gluten and dairy, but will be vegetarian. If you did not purchase the tasting option, feel free to hang out as long as you wish. Everyone is encouraged to bring a bag lunch to eat in addition to the light tasting.
Approximate Itinerary:
9-10am: Intro and Discussion
10am-12pm: Foraging and Identifications
12-1pm: Cooking and Tasting
The exact location of the event will emailed to attendees at least 24 hours before the event.
The event is non-refundable and the class will happen rain or shine, but in cases of severe weather or other unforeseen circumstances, class will be cancelled and you will be able to use your credit for a future event. Also, we are never guaranteed to find mushrooms.

Summer Tree ID Workshop
2023-06-10 13:00 - 15:30 UTC | The Trailhead Building at Theodore Wirth Park, 1221 Theodore Wirth Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN, United States
*This class will be a combination of indoors and outdoors and does not require any prior tree identification knowledge.*
Learn how to identify Minnesota trees! Tree shape, coloring, bark patterns, habitat, leaves, and twigs all help conclude what kind of tree we are looking at. Mastering your tree identification skill is useful for many reasons, but our favorite reason is to improve your ability to find mushrooms. We will learn to identify native trees found in the twin cities metropolitan area, and focus on those that have prime edible mushrooms associated with them.
We will begin by meeting indoors for about an hour to discuss tree types and features that will help differentiate one from another. The presentation will include the basics of tree features and identification of the elm, oak, cottonwood, ash, and box elder and the mushrooms that are associated with those trees. However, we will identify many other trees along our walk. After the discussion, we will take a slow walk through the woods, staying on trail, and stopping to discuss trees along the way. The walk will be about 1 mile long and last 1 – 1.5 hours.
Tree Identification scroll will be included with ticket.

Food and drink will be available for purchase from Mill Valley Market (located inside the Trailhead building) during the presentation.
Event will be held rain or shine, but will be postponed for severe weather. Credit will be given for a future event if cancellation is needed.

Memorial Day Mushroom Hunt and Light Tasting
2023-05-29 13:30 - 16:30 (America/Chicago) | TBD, but within 1 hour south of Mpls
The last mushroom hunt of the year with hopes of finding morels! This is a beginner level class learning about and searching for springtime mushrooms, including but not limited to morel, oyster, and pheasant back. We will also learn about tree identification and other edible plants while we are looking for mushrooms. The mushroom hunt will be followed by a light tasting of springtime mushrooms. Feel free to make it a picnic and pack a lunch to eat while the mushrooms are being prepared for you. Bring home any mushrooms we find!
*We will be walking off trail and over uneven terrain.
*Event will happen rain or shine. In the event of severe weather, class will be cancelled and credit can be used for future events.
*We can never guarantee we will find mushrooms, but in the rare chance that were to happen, we can guarantee you will leave more knowledgeable on how to find and identify them on your own.

Springtime Wild Mushroom Identification Workshop and Tasting - CANCELLED
2023-05-27 13:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | The Trailhead Building at Theodore Wirth Park, 1221 Theodore Wirth Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN, United States
This is a workshop for the beginner mushroom forager interested in gaining confidence identifying common, springtime mushrooms.
We will start the day indoors with a presentation discussing identification of the common, edible springtime mushrooms, including oysters, pheasant backs, and morels. We will also discuss foraging basics, safety, tips/tricks to successful foraging, and answer any questions.
After the presentation, we will have a light tasting of springtime mushrooms which includes a brief cooking demo. The mushrooms may be cooked in butter and served with bread and cheese. I’m sorry but there are no substitutions besides removing the bread and/or cheese.
After the presentation and tasting, we will wander down the trail and into the woods looking for and discussing any mushrooms we see along the way, which will last approximately 1-1.5 hours. We will also focus some time on tree identification. Theodore Wirth Park unfortunately does not allow foraging, so we can’t pick mushrooms but we can certainly take pictures and memories!
The event is non-refundable and the class will happen rain or shine, but in cases of severe weather or other unforeseen circumstances, you will be able to use your credit for a future event.

Springtime Foraging, Presentation, and Wild Mushroom Lunch
2023-05-21 11:00 - 15:00 UTC | Jordan, MN, 415 Broadway St S,, Jordan, MN, 55352, United States
This will be a fun and completely unique adventure for someone interested in foraging and tasting wild foraged food! We will begin the day with a discussion about foraging, safety, and learning how to find and identify morels and other forest fare, followed by a wild mushroom lunch. There will be time to scope out the mushroom store before we head out into the woods.
We will caravan to a nearby park to practice our new foraging skills. Please note we do not guarantee to find mushrooms (although very possible and likely since we will go somewhere that has been known to have them). This class will focus on learning how to find and identify common springtime edible wild foods with every intention of finding some. **Please note we will not be picking any plants since it is not allowed in the area we will go, but we can observe and identify! Mushrooms are allowed to pick.**
Approximate Itinerary:
11-12pm: Intro and Discussion (at Strains of the Earth building)
12-1:30pm: Wild Mushroom Lunch and shopping in the mushroom store
1:30-3pm: Foraging (caravan to a nearby park)
The park will be within 15 minutes of the store.
The the class will happen rain or shine, but in cases of severe weather or other unforeseen circumstances, class will be cancelled and/or postponed and you will be able to use your credit for a future event.

Springtime Foraging 101 and Light Tasting
2023-05-17 17:30 - 20:30 UTC | Jordan, MN, 415 Broadway St S,, Jordan, MN, 55352, United States
Safely forage for edible plants and mushrooms! Mushrooms covered will include morel, oyster, and
pheasant back and plants including stinging nettle, ramps, and fiddlehead ferns. The class will begin with a presentation, followed by a walk in the woods searching for edible species and ending with a light tasting of morel mushrooms. Foraging will be within 10 minutes of Jordan and we will be walking on uneven terrain. Bring home any mushrooms we find!

Morels and More! Springtime Foraging 101 - SOLD OUT
2023-05-13 13:00 - 16:00 UTC | within 1 hour south of Minneapolis, MN, United States
This event is SOLD OUT, but please view our other events at chickofthewoods.com/events.
A fun outdoor adventure for the person interested in gaining confidence foraging for their own food. We will discuss foraging basics, safety, tips/tricks, and answer any questions and wander through the woods looking for mushrooms and edible plants. We hope to find plants like ramps, fiddlehead ferns, stinging nettle, or garlic mustard and mushrooms like oysters, morels, or pheasant backs. If we do find mushrooms, we will split them with the group. We will not be picking any plants since it is not allowed in the area we will go, but we can observe and identify.
The exact location and more details of the event will emailed to attendees at least 24 hours before the event but will be held within 1 hour south of Minneapolis.
The event will happen rain or shine. In cases of severe weather or other unforeseen circumstances, the class will be cancelled and you can use your credit for a future event.
We always hope to find lots of mushrooms and plants, but it is never guaranteed. However, we do guarantee you will learn and increase your confidence foraging.

Edible Springtime Plants 101 - Online Class
2023-05-11 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Be excited, prepared, and confident to venture out this spring and harvest edible plants! Learn how to find and identify four common and delicious, nutritious, springtime plants including ramps, fiddleheads, stinging nettle, and spruce tips from the comfort of your home.
We will cover foraging basics, identification, safety, cooking, preservation, technology, and look-alikes.
Attendees will receive the recording and electronic copy of the presentation to keep. If you are unavailable at the time of the live presentation, you can watch the presentation on your own time.
A link for the class will be emailed to attendees the morning of the event.

Morel Mushroom Hunting - Online Class
2023-05-10 18:30 - 20:00 UTC
Even if you’ve never mushroom hunted before or seen a morel in person, this online class will leave you confident and prepared to find and identify morels before the season begins! This is the perfect time to learn with just enough time to start scouting out your spots. We will cover everything you need to know in order to find morels, including where to look, when to look, tips and tricks, identification, look-alikes, foraging basics, safety, cooking, and tree identification.
We will focus on the common yellow morels, touch a little on black morels. We will not be discussing burn morels. My experience is morel hunting in the southern half of Minnesota, which will be applicable to surrounding states as well.
Even if you are not able to attend at this time, you can sign up and watch the presentation at a later date that is more convenient for you. Attendees will receive an electronic copy of the recording and presentation to keep after the presentation.
A link for the class will be emailed to attendees at least 24 hours prior to the event.

Springtime Wild Mushroom Identification Workshop and Tasting - SOLD OUT
2023-05-07 12:00 - 15:30 UTC | The Trailhead Building at Theodore Wirth Park, 1221 Theodore Wirth Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN, United States
This is a workshop for the beginner mushroom forager interested in gaining confidence foraging common, springtime mushrooms.
We will start the day indoors with a presentation discussing identification of the common, edible springtime mushrooms, including oysters, pheasant backs, and morels. We will also discuss foraging basics, safety, tips/tricks to successful foraging (especially morels), and answer any questions.
After the presentation, we will have a light tasting of springtime mushrooms (morels if I have them!) which includes a brief cooking demo. The mushrooms will be cooked in butter and served on bread with cheese. I’m sorry but there are no substitutions besides removing the bread and cheese.
After the presentation and tasting, we will wander down the trail and into the woods looking for and discussing any mushrooms we see along the way, which will last approximately one hour. We will also focus some time on tree identification. Theodore Wirth Park unfortunately does not allow foraging, so we can’t pick mushrooms but we can certainly take pictures and memories!
The event is non-refundable and the class will happen rain or shine, but in cases of severe weather or other unforeseen circumstances, you will be able to use your credit for a future event.

Edible Springtime Plants Workshop
2023-04-30 14:45 - 17:15 UTC | The Trailhead Building at Theodore Wirth Park, 1221 Theodore Wirth Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN, United States
This class is intended for the beginner forager. Be excited, prepared, and confident to venture out this spring and harvest edible plants! Learn how to find and identify four common and delicious, nutritious, springtime plants including ramps, fiddleheads, stinging nettle, and spruce tips.
The day will begin indoors for a presentation. We will cover foraging basics, identification, safety, cooking, preservation, technology, and look-alikes. For the plants that are in season, we will have samples to pass around if they are growing – which they should be! The presentation will be held at the Trailhead building of Theodore Wirth Park. The Trailhead does offer food and beverage (specialty coffees, mimosas, beer, wine, etc) and you are welcome to eat and/or drink during the presentation.
After the presentation, we will go for a hike looking for these and any other edible plants (or mushrooms!) that we run into. Note we will not be harvesting any plants, just observing, identifying, taking pictures, taking in the forest smells, consuming oxygen, meeting new friends, and enjoying a beautiful walk in the woods.
Attendees will receive an electronic copy of the presentation to keep.

Morel Mushroom Hunting - Online
2023-04-23 18:30 - 20:00 UTC
Even if you’ve never mushroom hunted before or seen a morel in person, this online class will leave you confident and prepared to find and identify morels before the season begins! This is the perfect time to learn with just enough time to start scouting out your spots. We will cover everything you need to know in order to find morels, including where to look, when to look, tips and tricks, identification, look-alikes, foraging basics, safety, cooking, and tree identification.
Attendees will receive an electronic copy of the presentation to keep.
A link for the class will be emailed to attendees at least 24 hours prior to the event.

Edible Springtime Plants Workshop
2023-04-22 13:30 - 16:00 UTC | Strains of the Earth, 415 Broadway St S, Jordan, MN, 55352, United States
This is an indoor/outdoor workshop intended for the beginner forager. You will leave excited, prepared, and confident to venture out this spring and harvest edible, wild plants! Learn how to find and identify at least four common, delicious, nutritious, springtime plants including ramps, fiddleheads, stinging nettle, and spruce tips.
The day will begin in the brand new Strains of the Earth event room discussing foraging etiquette, identification, safety, cooking, preservation, and look-alikes.
After the presentation, we will go for an easy, urban walk looking for these and other edible plants. Note we will not actually be harvesting any plants, but we will be observing, identifying, taking pictures, meeting new friends, and enjoying a walk through the beautiful, historic town of Jordan, MN.
Attendees will receive an electronic copy of the presentation and Chick of the Woods’s favorite wild plant recipes.
You may want to block off some time before or after the class to explore more of downtown Jordan. Strains of the Earth has a mushroom store, CBD store, and THC Dispensary. You’ll also find Delia’s All-In-One authentic Mexican restaurant, Roets Brewery, Pickled Pig Pub, Mousse Winery, Pekarna’s Meat Market, and several adorable boutique and antique stores all within walking distance.
The beautiful Strains of the Earth Building where we will begin our day.

Edible Springtime Plants 101 - Online Class
2023-03-30 18:30 - 20:00 UTC
Be excited, prepared, and confident to venture out this spring and harvest edible plants! Learn how to find and identify four common and delicious, nutritious, springtime plants including ramps, fiddleheads, stinging nettle, and spruce tips from the comfort of your home.
We will cover foraging basics, identification, safety, cooking, preservation, technology, and look-alikes.
Attendees will receive an electronic copy of the presentation to keep.
A link for the class will be emailed to attendees at least 24 hours prior to the event.

Fungi Hour!
2023-03-15 17:00 - 20:00 UTC | Pickled Pig Pub and Strains of the Earth, 205 Broadway St S, Jordan, MN, 55352, United States
RESCHEDULED TO MARCH 15, DUE TO BLIZZARD!
Start the evening eating, drinking, and talking about mushrooms with Chick of the Woods and other people that “get you” at The Pickled Pig, a small-town pub. Truffle flavored tots, chicken wings, porcini pizza, morel pizza, and 2 drinks will all be included with your ticket!! Food will be served between 5:30-6:45pm.
At 7pm, we will walk a couple blocks through historic Jordan to the gorgeous old brewery which is now home to Strains of the Earth. Originally a CDB store and THC dispensary, they recently added a room specific to mushrooms! They have a huge variety of quality mushroom products, including fresh & dried edible mushrooms, supplements, tinctures, psychoactive products, coffees, apparel, jewelry, art, décor, and mush more! You will receive a gift bag, 10% discount coupon (which can also be used in the CDB/THC store), and a private tour of the beautiful mushroom store and amazing products. Staff will be available to answer all your questions at the store and also at the pub. If you’d like to leave earlier, you are welcome to visit the store at any time on your own, but the tour will be at about 7:10pm.
Come anytime or for the whole time.

Winter Tree ID Workshop
2023-03-05 12:00 - 14:30 UTC | The Trailhead Building at Theodore Wirth Park, 1221 Theodore Wirth Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN, United States
SOLD OUT – CHECK OUT OUR SUMMER TREE ID CLASS ON JUNE 10! More info at chickofthewoods.com/events.
*This class will be a combination of indoors and outdoors and does not require any prior tree identification knowledge.*
Learn how to identify trees in winter! And from a distance! Tree shape, coloring, bark patterns, habitat, and twigs all help conclude what kind of tree we are looking at. Mastering your tree identification skill is useful for many reasons, but our favorite reason is to improve your ability to find mushrooms. We will learn to identify native trees found in the twin cities metropolitan area, and focus on those that have prime edible mushrooms associated with them.
We will begin by meeting indoors for about an hour to discuss tree types and features that will help differentiate one from another. The presentation will include the basics of tree features and identification of the elm, oak, cottonwood, ash, and box elder and the mushrooms that are associated with those trees. However, we will identify many other trees along our walk. We will spend extra time on the elm tree, which is important for finding morel mushrooms. After the discussion, we will take a slow walk through the woods, staying on trail, and stopping to discuss trees along the way. The walk will be about 1 mile long and last 1 – 1.5 hours.
Food and drink will be available for purchase from Mill Valley Market (located inside the Trailhead building) during the presentation.
You will receive a free tree identification scroll that will be helpful for identification while out in the woods. Bring a sharpie to make notes on your scroll.
Event will be held rain, snow or shine, but will be postponed for severe weather, which includes temperatures less than 10 degrees Fahrenheit, extreme wind, or unsafe driving conditions. No refunds, but credit will be given for a future event if cancellation is needed.
