Guided Mushroom/Ecology Walk at Swiftwater Farm

Join Conserving Carolina for an interpretive nature walk to look for mushrooms with Olga Katic, owner of Mushroom Mountain!

The event will take place along the Green River in Mills Spring, NC, below the Lake Adger dam on Saturday, August 30th from 9:00-11:00 a.m. In order to make this an enjoyable and educational experience for participants, space is limited to 20 and pre-registration is required.

Olga grew up mushroom hunting with her relatives in Bosnia and Hercegovina. When her parents were at work, her grandma watched her and her sister, and they had the freedom of being in the woods all day long. At one moment they would be digging up leeches out of the fresh water well and feeding them to chickens, and the next moment, they would get chased by grandma’s rooster. But they also spent a lot of time picking boletes, milk mushrooms, and other varieties of mushrooms. They’d bring them to their grandpa and he would get rid of the ones he thought were not edible, the rest they would cook on the wood stove and eat! Moving to the present, Olga is the proud owner of Mushroom Mountain and she has an amazing team working with her. They produce mushroom spawn for many different edible and medicinal varieties. They also make several different medicinal mushroom extracts and medicinal mushroom honeys under the name Mycomatrix. Mushroom Mountain also runs a Wild Mushroom Food Safety Certification Program. This program was accepted by Health Departments of 7 states, and counting, and also endorsed by the FDA. In her free time, Olga loves to be in the woods, picking mushrooms and wild plants, and of course taking tons of pictures of anything she finds. She is fascinated by nature in every possible aspect.

For your safety, do not attempt this activity if it is beyond your ability and experience. Participants should wear appropriate clothing and footwear and bring a snack, water, and any personal medication that may be required. A loop/hand lens may be helpful, if you have one to bring!

In case of inclement weather, please contact Pam Torlina by e-mail, pam@conservingcarolina.org, by 8 a.m. on the day of the walk and/or check the Conserving Carolina website calendar event to see if the walk will take place.

Space is limited. RSVP required below! For more information email pam@conservingcarolina.org. More information and details will follow after registration.