Wild Foraging: on the lookout for mushrooms

Keen to explore the woodland for the earthy smells and mushroomy tastes? Come along Join us for a relaxed woodland forage exploring the fascinating world of wild mushrooms and fungi! We’ll spend around two hours exploring woodland and rougher terrain, learning about different species, their habitats and the basics of identification. Our faciliator, Liam Black will share about his journey of learning to forage, with the aim of helping others get started and feel more confident exploring the world of fungi. He will share his knowledge around easily identifiable mushrooms, times of the year and habitats they can be found it. For those interested to stick around after our walk, we will be looking over our finds, chatting and, if we have a successful forage, having a little cook-up with the mushrooms we confidently identified. Session structure: Foraging: about 2 hours Shared chat and cook-up: about 1 hour 📸 What to bring: A camera or phone for photographing the fungi we discover. A small bag/basket (optional). 🥾 What to wear: We’ll be heading off the beaten track, so expect mud, brambles, thorns and uneven ground. Long trousers, long sleeves and sturdy footwear with good grip are strongly recommended. Dress for getting stuck into the woods! Whether you’re interested in learning about edible mushrooms, discovering fascinating fungi or simply enjoying a few hours outdoors, everyone with an interest in the natural world is welcome. Come along to get outdoors, learn something new, discover some interesting fungi and have a good time! 🌲🍄 Meet up point: Parking Chopwell Public Transport: Bus 47, Bus 10A Tyne Valley (includes 25min walk) Car sharing available (limited) from Newcastle City Centre and Gateshead Metrocentre. If you can offer car share, please select the approapriate ticket. Quick safety information: Liam is not a professional mycologist, and foraging and eating wild mushrooms carries inherent risks. Liam will be sharing his own knowledge and experience, and everyone is responsible for their own identification and decisions about what they collect or choose to eat. Any cooking of finds will be optional, and only appropriately verified edible species should be consumed. Important rule: If you’re not completely confident about a mushroom, don’t eat it. About Common C: Common C is an open collective of doers, initiated by Roxana Caplan. We bring people together to creatively celebrate our connection to nature, land and one another through craft, collaboration and collective care. Our mission is to connect and empower individuals and communities through creative opportunities, building skills, nurturing nature and shared resilience.