Upcoming Events for August

June ~ July

September ~ October ~ November

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August 3rd Forage and Feast

4 tickets available.

One of the featured mushrooms on our menu is the highly rated Summer Oyster. Its delicate fleshy substance renders the perfect texture to any dish. We will also forage for other fungi such as Pheasant Back (one of the few mushrooms eaten raw), Gem Studded and Boletes as well as Wild Leek Bulbs, Wood Sorrel and Wild Watercress. Then we return to the Forest Motel where a four course meal awaits us, served under banquet tents alongside a lovely lake. Truffle Gouda from Mountain Oak Cheese along with baguettes from The Downie Street Bakehouse will be the opening fare followed by Wild Nettle Soup.

Our main course is Wild Mushroom Quiche with mixed salad greens while dessert will be served up by The Black Angus Bakery. Locally brewed craft beer and wines from Niagara are also included.

Start time: 9:45 am
Where: Packham Sports Complex
Cost: $75 per person.

Tickets can be purchased through internet transfer or PayPal. For more information phone 519-271-3726 or email us at pucksplenty@gmail.com

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August 4th

11 spots left.

The Cauliflower Mushroom

The Eastern Cauliflower Mushroom is among our new finds from last season. Another wonderful delicacy rated as choice by most chefs, it can be found in hardwood forests around standing oak. These mushrooms can be anywhere between 6 to 12 inches and are made up of a multitude of flattened "branches". Their creamy white colour makes them easy to spot. Spore print is white. Once again we will be traveling to Sudden Tract outside of Cambridge. Along with the Cauliflower Mushroom we will be searching for Summer Oysters, a variety of Boletes, as well as Coral Mushrooms.

Start time: 10:30 am
Where: 1841 Spragues Rd, Cambridge, ON N1R 5S5
Cost: $35.00/person

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August 5th

6 spots left.

Lactarius Deliciosus

Otherwise known as Saffron Milk Caps, they arrive in early August where they continue to grace conifer floors until the first weeks of October. Bright orange and staining blue, these fungi are highly sought after in Eastern Europe and are THE favourite mushroom of Poland. To understand why you might want to give this recipe a try, Polish Salted Mushrooms.

There are other edible mushrooms and plants along the trails. Summer Oysters, Boletes, Coral Mushrooms, Wild Watercress, Wood Sorrel and more.

Start time: 10:00 am
Where: 96 Birmingham Street, Stratford N5A 2S9
Cost: $35.00/person

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August 10th

9 spots left.

The Gem Studded Puffball

One of the earliest of Puffballs to appear, the Gem Studded is right up there on the chef's list as a prized edible. About the size of a button mushroom it has a meaty texture along with a slight sweet taste. You can find them in clusters on forest floors and decayed hardwood where they will continue to appear through mid Autumn. We'll be foraging for these as well as the Summer Oyster, The Cauliflower Mushroom, a variety of Boletes, Lactarius Deliciosus as well as a variety of wild edible plants.

Puck's Plenty Tours been rated as one of the top foraging adventures in the world by Marriott International and Travel and Leisure Magazine.

Join us and out why!

Start time: 10:00 am
Where: 96 Birmingham Street, Stratford N5A 2S9
Cost: $35.00/person

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August 11th

6 spots left.

Wild Ginger

Wild Ginger can be found throughout most of the season with its heart shaped leaves and pencil thin roots that run along the surface of heavily shaded forest floors. Its taste is quite different from the commerical counterpart, some describing it as almost candy-like. When used in stir fry it is quite potent meaning you don't need a lot of it. The event will take place at Steckly Woods, a five acre forest within the city of Kitchener

Along with Wild Ginger we will also forage for several mushroom types including Summer Oysters, Gem Studded Puffballs, Wood Ear Mushrooms and more.

It's a time of year that will put your Culinary skills to test. What better way than using the wild edibles Mother Nature has to offer.

Start time: 10:30 am
Where: Homer Watson Blvd. Parking Lot, Steckle Woods, Kitchener N2C 2G2
Cost: $35.00/person

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August 17th

9 spots left.

The Giant Puffball

Mid August and we are returning to a stretch of The Bruce Trail as Mother Nature heralds the arrival of the monster fungi, The Giant Puffball, another highly sought after mushroom rated as "choice" in the Culinary world. There are scores of recipes from Puffball Lasagna to Puffball Pizza to simply sautee in butter. They'll be available well into September and, let's face it, easily spotted. Along with the Puffball we will be searching for Summer Oyster Mushrooms, Corals, Boletes and more. No plants please.

Start time: 10:30 am
Where: The Bruce Trail (exact location to be announced).
Cost: $35.00/person

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August 18th

7 spots left.

The Honey Mushroom

When young the Honey Mushroom resembles the Enoki, with smallish caps and stems fused together. As they mature the cap grows larger in proportion to the stem. Either way they are quite delicious and thankfully can be found right through October. You can find them inside rotted sections of hardwoods, the base of living and decayed trees and oftentimes around grassy areas of forest paths. Along with these beauties we will also forage for Summer Oysters, a variety of Boletes and Coral Mushrooms. Wild edible plants will also be on our agenda. Wild Ginger, Wood Sorrel, Watercress and Day Lily Tubers all only fifteen minutes from Stratford.

Start time: 10:00 am
Where: 96 Birmingham Street, Stratford N5A 2S9
Cost: $35.00/person

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August 24th

SOLD OUT.

The Chanterelle

We have to confess, this is our favourite mushroom. It has the perfect texture, the exact sweetness and a limited window of growth that makes the search so exciting. Found mostly under Hemlocks their yellow golden colour makes them fairly easy to spot. But it's their taste. Sauteed in butter and just a bit of garlic with a splash of white wine. We need not say more. For these mushrooms we are venturing once again to Sudden Tract on the skirts of Cambridge, Ontario. Along with the Chanterelles we will search for Honey Mushrooms, an assortment of Boletes, Puffballs and Summer Oysters.

The well groomed trails of this forest are home to many delicious fungi. Join us and you will see what we mean.

Start time: 10:30 am
Where: 1841 Spragues Rd, Cambridge, ON N1R 5S5
Cost: $35.00/person

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August 25th

SOLD OUT.

Chanterelles - Day 2

Chanterelles are one of the most sought after mushrooms and so we've decided to make this weekend all about this delicious fungi. So this Sunday we're back to Sudden Tract as well as Dryden Tract where we will also search for Summer Oysters, Honey Mushrooms and several varietis of Boletes.

August has always been a marvelous month for mushroom hunting. And so, the trails await.

Start time: 10:30 am
Where: 1841 Spragues Rd, Cambridge, ON N1R 5S5
Cost: $35.00/person

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August 31st Forage & Feast

10 tickets available.

Late August offering feature several types of Boletes including what some call The Wild Porcini. This family of mushrooms is quite easy to identify simply because it has no gills. Instead there is a "spongy" substance that bruises olive to blue when touched. They are quite delicious especially when harvested young. These will be one of the many mushrooms we will forage for along with wild leek bulbs and amazing wild ginger. After our foraging segment we return to the Forest Motel where a four course meal awaits us, served under banquet tents alongside a lovely lake. Truffle Gouda from Mountain Oak Cheese along with baguettes from The Downie Street Bakehouse will be the opening fare followed by our popular Summer Sorrel and Potato Soup. Our main course will be a Wild Mushroom Bolognese followed by fresh peach pies from The Black Angus Bakery. Locally brewed craft beers and wines from Niagara are also included.

Start time: 9:45 am
Where: Packham Sports Complex
Cost: $75 per person.

Tickets can be purchased through internet transfer or PayPal. For more information phone 519-271-3726 or email us at pucksplenty@gmail.com