Fly Agaric and Friends: Explorations in medicine, food, and magic with Fergus the Forager and Courtney of Hips & Haws Wildcrafts, and guest mushrooms (IRELAND)

A foray coming up in the Wicklow mountains with, interestingly, an emphasis on Amanita muscaria.“So you think you’re changed, do you?” said the Caterpillar.“I’m afraid I am, sir,” said Alice; “I can’t remember things as I used—and I don’t keep the same size for ten minutes together!”

Where: Co Wicklow, Ireland 

When: Thursday 29 September 2022 10am until 9pm (11 hour day) 

Book this date here: https://hipsandhawswildcrafts.clr.events/event/131800:fly-agaric-and-friends-explorations-in-medicine-food-and-magic-with-fergus-the-forager-and-courtney-of-hips-haws-wildcrafts-and-guest-mushrooms-thursday-29-september-2022-wicklow-ireland

AND/ OR Sunday 31 September 2022 10am until 9pm (11 hour day)

Book this date here: https://hipsandhawswildcrafts.clr.events/event/131801:fly-agaric-and-friends-explorations-in-medicine-food-and-magic-with-fergus-the-forager-and-courtney-of-hips-haws-wildcrafts-and-guest-mushrooms-sunday-2nd-october-2022-wicklow-ireland

There is a fantastic array of wild food and fungi in Co Wicklow. We will enjoy a long ramble in a beautiful woodland in the Wicklow Mountains interspersed with wild local seasonal food to drink and eat and a forage for wild mushrooms including Fly Agaric.

We will learn about the allure of the iconic Fly Agaric mushroom and how to safely use it as medicine and as food. There will be demonstrations including lacto-fermentation of mushrooms.  We will also learn about any other wild fungi that we come across. 

We will provide lunch and an elaborate three course wild food dinner with some exciting ingredients for the meal, as of course Fergus is incredible talented and experienced as a wild food experimentalist. He has over 30 years experience as a wild food forager, so your more advanced questions can be answered too.  

We will be starting and ending the day in a location later to be announced to ticket holders but we may be car-pooling or driving to a nearby local woodland for some of the day.  You must dress appropriately for a day spent outdoors, hiking boots and rain gear could be helpful. Sorry for this event no young children or dogs. You must be physically fit for a day spent wandering the wilderness with hills and uneven ground. Please bring snacks and or food to share if you would like. And a foraging basket or knife (if you have one). 

How Much: €220 Early Bird/ €245 Full Price/  Elaborate Wild Food Lunch and 3 course dinner are included.  

Bookings for all of our events will close 6 weeks before the event takes place. In this case, the event will close to all new bookings on the 18 August 2022. We will be in touch with you before the event takes place to share further relevant details with those that have booked their place. 

Here is a link to a podcast with Robin Harford after our last event: 

https://www.eatweeds.co.uk/ep32?fbclid=IwAR2g9N17GLqp0fPCwCBYxxPIK0KCU9SRbodS9E0rWFQghS6JThabLp8i5o0 

Here’s another podcast with me speaking about this incredible mushroom with Manchan Magan on RTÉ

https://podcast.rasset.ie/podcasts/audio/2020/0909/20200909_rteradio1-almanacireland-toadstool_c21832393_21833271_232_.mp3 

And a longer interview with Courtney on Welcome to Mushroom Hour: https://www.welcometomushroomhour.com/blogs/podcasts/ep-98-hips-haws-wildcrafts-irelands-wild-mushrooms-herbal-medicines-explorations-of-amanita-muscaria-feat-courtney-tyler 

Here are some reviews after last years event:  

“Wow, wow, wow!!! Hips & Haws Wildcraft events are a special opportunity to connect with beautiful people in an amazing space. I was fortunate enough to have the privilege to attend a Fly Agaric event hosted by Courtney and Fergus the Forager. From the moment I arrived I felt an instant inspiration and warm welcome. We foraged in the near by woods in fun filled explorations, while learning and connecting with the many species of fungi available. The preparation and dishes we were treated to after our journey in the woods was a unique blend of heart warming tastes and enjoyable community spirit set outdoors. For a revitalising experience amongst a vibrant loving group a Hips and Haws event is the place to be.”-Riain O’Táth 

“I was lucky enough to join Hips and Haws Wildcrafts on the amanita forage day yesterday. It exceeded all expectations I ever had. Right from the beginning the communication before the event was so helpful and made the whole day run smoothly as it ran like clockwork. I arrived and was warmly greeted and welcomed to the space along with the group. We spent the day covering so much foraging information but it felt so relaxed fun and full of adventure. I’ve attended a good few similar themed foraging events in Ireland at this point and this was possibly my favourite due to the amount of work and effort Courtney and Fergus put into the packed schedule. It was more than just an ID and forage day… it was so much more! We not only learned about identification/ foraging but then info how to cook/preserve in many different kinds of ways like: lacto-fermentation, sweet dishes, ice cream, rice balls, savoury dishes, dumplings, pasta sauce, soup and more. After learning all that we had a big feast in all the mushroom themed foods.I cannot wait for the next course it was truly out of this world! Thank you for the most incredible day.” -Ashleigh Connors  

************************************************************
FAQ’s /Terms and Conditions:

************************************************************
All ticket sales are final, we do not offer refunds or rescheduling. 

This is in order to care for our energy in organising and running events as well as due to the fact that otherwise this place could have been offered to someone else.
*******************************************************************
**COVID precautions in relation to ticket sales: all ticket sales are final according to the policy above. However if you are exposed to Covid or in quarantine, you may choose to gift your ticket to someone else in your place. 
*******************************************************************
If we have to change the date of an event due to severe weather warnings or government guidelines, or for any other reason- we will issue you with a voucher which can be used on a future workshop.

13th November 2021 – Foraging Series: Wicklow Wild Mushroom Forage and Wild Food Tasters with special guest forager

We will forage for and learn about edible, toxic and medicinal fungi. We will enjoy some grounding time in nature and some cooked edible mushroom tasters at the end of the session.

I invite you for a day spent in the Wild Wicklow hills and woodlands to forage for mushrooms and wild food with me. We will find a selection of edible species that we will cook up and taste together at the end of the day. We will learn how to identify and look out for toxic mushroom species and also discuss the medicinal qualities of mushrooms.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
This event will run from 1000-1430 on Saturday 13 November 2021. We will be joined by a special guest UK forager. Michael is a very qualified wild food forager with many years of experience and has so much to offer in sharing his skills and wisdom.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
There is a fantastic array of wild fungi in Co Wicklow. I am so excited to share what I have learned with you.
You must dress appropriately for a day spent outdoors, hiking boots are helpful. You must be physically fit for a day spent wandering the wilderness with hills and uneven ground (although we may not . Please bring a packed lunch and snacks. And a foraging basket (if you have one).
_________________________________________________________________________________________
How much: €75 Early bird/ €90 Full Price
Early bird tickets are €75 per person early bird until the 2nd October and after that will be full price at €90 per person. Wild food tasters and my medicinal mushroom drink are provided on this walk.
Bookings for all of my events will close 2 weeks before the event takes place. In this case, the event will close to all new bookings on the 30th October 2021.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
I will be in touch with you before the event takes place to share the location with those that have booked their place.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Ps I am holding a Fly Agaric in the photo, hopefully we find one but we will not be eating it, just so you know! This mushroom is particularly rich in folklore and history.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
I also offer shorter events in mushroom foraging from €30 for a shorter intensive 2 hour session if this might interest you more, please see my other events.
 ________________________________________________________________________________________
About me: I am Courtney Tyler. I live in County Wicklow, happiest surrounded by trees and observing the changing seasons. I am a keen forager and spend much time wandering the hedgerows and forests for wild local food to preserve as food or medicine or to add to my fermented food and drinks.
I am a proud member of The Association of Foragers. I am not a mushroom expert nor a mycologist. However I have safely foraged for and consumed about 75 wild mushrooms as food or medicine. I can identify many toxic or deadly fungi and show you what to be careful of. I have processed wild plants and fungi into herbal tinctures, teas and salves. I am passionate about the learning process and am able to clearly communicate what i know and the passion I feel for the hard won knowledge and experience that I have acquired.
I tend to dive head-long into the things that interest me and I am largely self-taught, however I also have had many teachers and many who inspire me greatly. It is not unusual for me to fall asleep each night with a mushroom book in hand. (Don’t ask me how many mushroom books I have!!)
I have just completed some training provided by Wicklow Partnership and Leader funding for a Forest Bathing Certification and plan to share some of this practice on my some of my walks as a stand alone practice or also to compliment some of the the wild food and foraging walks.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
You can follow me on:
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Here’s a podcast with me speaking about the Fly Agaric mushroom with Manchan Magan on RTE https://podcast.rasset.ie/podcasts/audio/2020/0909/20200909_rteradio1-almanacireland-toadstool_c21832393_21833271_232_.mp3
FacebookTwitterLinkedInEmail

Bookings for this event will close at 00:00 on 31 Oct 2021