Sherlock Shroom

The hills are alive—with mushrooms! December, January and February's waterlogged terrain is just what the wild fungi need to flourish, but you've gotta know the difference between the delicacies and those that guarantee a trip to the emergency room. Be a Sherlock of the shrooms with "Wild Mushroom Basics," a three-hour hunt organized by Forage SF, typically at an undisclosed location in the East Bay hills (exact coordinates given upon registration). Local mushroom guru and part-time forager, Kevin Feinstein, shares the secrets of differentiating mushrooms using his own basket of pre-picked goodies. A slow-paced hike will have you searching for maple syrup-scented candy caps, lilac-hued blewits and the Amanita muscaria—rumored to be a Smurf favorite! Stops along the trail to investigate mushrooms will reveal how color, gills, sponge and teeth solve the mystery of good and bad mushrooms. But, as Kevin is quick to note, a three-hour lesson is only the tip of the Portabello in the field of edible foraging. It's more than elementary, my dear Watson.

TIP: Wild Mushroom Basics walks are scheduled for January 16th and 23rd (more dates may be added in the future.)

Wild Mushroom Basics is $55 per person. For more info, check out ForageSF.com.