This year the MMS is featuring Mushrooms 102 for the first time ever. Join us Saturday, October 24, in room C180 for a fun day of fungi. Mushrooms 102 runs from 8:00 to 10:30, and after a break, Mushrooms 101 runs from 11:30 to 2:00.
Both classes are FREE for MEMBERS ONLY. No guests.
Space is limited to 70 attendees per session, and classes fill quickly. Please register for either a 101 or 102 session — not both — so more members have a chance to attend a class. Registering in advance is required. No exceptions. Members will receive the registration link on Saturday, September 26. The link will also be in the upcoming events list at the bottom of all MMS emails until registration closes on Thursday, October 22, at 5 pm.
Mushrooms 101: A Mushroom Class for Beginners or Near Beginners
This class is for new members or members who are beginners in mushrooms and mycology, with little or no prior knowledge. It will cover:
- An introduction to the science of mycology
- How to sort mushrooms into six major categories
- The basics of mushroom identification
- Poisonous mushrooms that every mushroom forager should know
- Some common mushrooms found in Minnesota, including the “Safe Six” edible mushrooms
The “Safe Six” edibles are Chicken of the Woods, Giant Puffball, Morel, Lobster Mushroom, Black Trumpet, and Hen of the Woods. The instructors will bring some interesting mushrooms to class for examination and discussion.
Mushrooms 102: Going Deeper, an Intermediate Class
New this year. Mushrooms 102 is for members who have taken 101 or already know the fundamentals and want to dig into the science and stewardship side of mycology. It will cover:
- Mushroom taxonomy and how fungi are classified
- Fungal ecology and the roles fungi play in the landscape
- An introduction to mushroom cultivation
- Toxins and the chemistry behind poisonous mushrooms
- Citizen science and how members can contribute through the Funga Scientific Committee
Meet the class instructors
John Lamprecht
John has more than 40 years of experience as a mushroom forager, all of it since marrying into a forager family. John is a past president of the MMS, having retired from this position in 2019 after 6 years. John currently serves on the Board as Financial Chair and Membership Coordinator. He remains active as a member of the MMS Education Committee, where he is the Certification Class administrator and instructor, assists with the State fair, the Fungal Discovery Day, serves as foray leader and foray educator, and serves as Raffle Ticket pusher at the banquet and photo contest identification assistant.
Claudette Lamprecht
Claudette has been a member of the MMS since 2007 and has served on the MMS Board for 15 years in various positions. Even though she has left the board, she still serves on the Scholarship Committee, the Foray Committee, and the Educational Committee, where she planned and led the Fungal Discovery Day, assisted with the State Fair Display, and teaches classes for mushroom certification and mushroom ID. In 2024, NAMA honored Claudette with the Harry and Elsie Knighton Service Award for service to the MMS.
Heather Erickson
Heather is our vice president and has been a member since 2018. She is the Editor of the Toadstool Review, chair of the Communications & IT committee, and enjoys MMS outreach events and speaking on the history of the MMS and mycology. Heather’s favorite mushroom-related activities include foraging, cultivation, mycophagy, and researching how mycology has impacted our culture throughout history.
Aaron Berg
Aaron’s mushroom obsession started in 2007, when morels appeared in his backyard after he cut down an old American Elm in 2006. He has been a member of MMS since 2015 and NAMA since 2022. He serves as Recording Secretary on the MMS board. Aaron led the Lake Carlos State Park camping foray in both 2023 and 2024, and is an active member of the MMS Funga Scientific Committee.
Erica Tava Johnson
Erica Tava is the Education Chair, working to make fungi feel welcoming to beginners and fun to learn about. She focuses on helping new foragers know where to start and how to break identification into simple steps you can use right away. Erica is also involved with the MMS Funga Scientific Committee, and she supports a range of classes and community events each year.
Jason Webb
Jason is a naturalist and engineer who loves finding unusual forms, patterns, and textures in nature and digging in (sometimes literally) to the real-world processes that create them. As a volunteer across several MMS committees, he works to help members connect with the natural world and each other in new and creative ways. He can usually be found taking macro photos of slime molds, making silicone molds of fungi and bark, or working on some other creative project.