Common Mushroom Knowledge for Uncommon Folk with John and Claudette Lamprecht

This talk will focus on the basics and will help the neophyte as well as more casual mushroom enthusiast establish a good foundation of knowledge about what mushrooms really are, how they get their nutrition and basic identification skills. This is much of the essential knowledge you need before you even think to ask “THE QUESTION”, “can I eat it?” Our focus will be on down-to-earth terms, but you will hear some science talk as well. Even more seasoned citizen scientists may learn or at least be reminded of some things, but our newer members would be the primary target audience.

John and Claudette have more than 100 combined years as mushroom foragers, Claudette since the age of 3 and John since marrying into her family. They have hunted mushrooms in many areas of the US –much of the upper Midwest and Missouri, Pacific Northwest, Florida, Texas, Georgia, Maine, New York, Colorado and the Mid-Atlantic region, Blue Ridge Mountains and Arizona; as well as having hunted mushrooms in Germany as guests of a mushroom certification school and on vacation in Australia and Italy. John and Claudette are currently members of the Minnesota Mycological Society board – membership coordinator and Past President, and Treasurer respectively; as well as members of three other mycological societies. They are part of a team that teaches certification classes in cooperation with the MDA, and have been presenters and educators regarding edible and dangerous mushrooms at: the State Fair DIRT Stage, Minneapolis Home and Garden Show, St. Paul Home and Patio Show, Chippewa National Forest Visitor’s Center, Gooseberry Falls and Sibley State Park Naturalist Program, community education classes, several garden clubs and community celebrations, several high school and junior high school science classes, the Minnesota Arboretum, Tamarac Wildlife Refuge, for Master Naturalist groups and have done radio and print interviews and have appeared on Minnesota Bound and a KARE-11 news segment with Laura Betker.

A Zoom link to access this meeting along with instructions and password will be emailed to MMS members the day before or the morning of the meeting date.

This meeting is free and open to the public.  If you are not a member, contact webmaster@minnesotamycologicalsociety.org to get details on how to join this virtual meeting.  Please do so no later than an hour before the meeting.

If you haven’t used Zoom before and don’t want to miss anything, you may want to click on the meeting link to download Zoom and familiarize yourself with it at least 15 minutes prior to the meeting.

How to join a Zoom meeting – You do not need a Zoom account, but you will need the Zoom app installed on your desktop or mobile device. You can either download the Zoom app in advance here. Or, you will be automatically prompted to download and install the Zoom app when you click on a meeting link for the first time. You can also join a test meeting at any time at https://zoom.us/test.  Watch a video on how to join a Zoom meeting here.