Upcoming Events for September

May ~ June ~ July ~ August ~ October ~ November

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September 5th Forage and Feast
Socca with Chanterelle Ragout

10 tickets available.

Let's face it, our favourite mushroom is the Chanterelle. Known for its hidden sweetness, this delicacy is easy pickings for any gourmet meal. And for that it qualifies as our featured main dish. But first we visit the trails where Oyster Mushrooms, Puffballs, Boletes to name but a few await us. We'll collect these along with wild ginger, wild leek bulbs and watercress before returning to The Forest Motel where a hearty four course meal awaits us. The menu begins with Truffle Gouda from Mountain Oak Cheese accompanied with baskets of fresh baguettes from The Downie Street Bakehouse. A light wood sorrel soup is next on the agenda followed by the main course, Socca (flatbread) with Chanterelle Ragout. Dessert will be provided by The Black Angus Bakery while beverages will include craft beer from Black Swan Brewery and wines from Niagara. An Autumn afternoon can't get better than this.

Samples of fresh Chanterelles will be distributed to all participants
for their cooking pleasure.

Start time: 9:45 am
Where: Packham Sports Complex
Cost: $80 per person.

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

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September 6th

11 tickets available.

The Giant Puffball

September continues the season of Puffballs. This time we take to beautiful trails only 15 minutes from Stratford where these large fungi grow under a mixture of ancient apple trees and Hawthorn. Farther down trail the terrain turns to a hardwood forest that renders Summer Oysters, Honey and Bolete mushrooms. Along the creek we hope to find Wild Watercress, Wood Sorrel and Wild Leek Bulbs.

Start time: 10:00 am. Duration: approx. 3hrs
Where: 96 Birmingham Street, Stratford, Ontario N5A 2S9
Cost: $35.00/person

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September 7th

9 tickets availabe.

Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina)

Staghorn Sumac is one of our favourite finds of late Summer and early Autumn. The fruit delivers a fine claret-coloured spice and flavor that is deliciously tart and clean tasting. Staghorn Sumac is also high in vitamins C and A along with antioxidants. Recipes include grinding into powder making an ideal seasoning, boiling it into a hot or cold drink as well as making it into a lemony sauce that rivals maple syrup.

There are all sorts of wild edibles on the trails now. Plants, herbs and, of course, a large variety of mushrooms. We're in and around Stratford for a local harvest before moving on to forested trails only 15 minutes from town.

Start time: 10:00 am. Duration: approx. 3hrs
Where: 96 Birmingham Street, Stratford, Ontario N5A 2S9
Cost: $35.00/person

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September 12th

15 tickets available.

Summer Oyster Mushrooms

This popular member of the Oyster Mushroom Family appears in late June where it continues to grace hardwood forests right through until late October. Its fleshy texture and mildly sweet taste makes it the perfect article for any recipe calling for mushrooms.

To be sure there are other fungi to be found. Hen of the Woods, Shrimp of the Woods, Honey Mushrooms and Puffballs and more. Find out why The Australian included Puck's Plenty in their article on wild food earlier last year.

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

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September 13th

15 tickets available.

Lactarius Deliciosus

Also known as the saffron milk cap and red pine mushroom, Lactarius Deliciosus are one of the best known members of the large milk-cap genus Lactarius in the order Russulales. The cap and stem are a striking orange turning bluish green as they age. Highly sought after in Poland there are a myriad of ways to prepare them. Here are a few recipes we recommend: Frixos Personal Chefing, Lorraine Elliott, Not Quite Negella, Polish Salted Mushrooms.

We will be searching for these right here in Stratford before moving on to trails fifteen minutes from town to collect other wild fungi such as Giant Puffballs, Oysters, Velvet Foot, Gem Studded and more.

Find out why Marriott International listed Puck's Plenty as one of the "Top 10 Adventures to Have this Summer".

Start time: 10:00 am. Duration: approx. 3hrs
Where: 96 Birmingham Street, Stratford, Ontario N5A 2S9
Cost: $35.00/person

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September 19th

15 tickets available.

The Honey Mushroom

They can be found in great clusters growing on and around both conifer and hardwood stumps. When very young they resemble brown Enoki fungi but as they mature the caps become quite large and turn a near rust colour. The favourite mushroom of Russians, Poles and Ukrainians they make a fantastic pierogi. Just check out this recipe and you will see what we mean: Honey Mushroom Pierogies.

Start time: 10:00 am. Duration: approx. 3hrs
Where: 96 Birmingham Street, Stratford, Ontario N5A 2S9
Cost: $35.00/person

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September 20th

15 tickets available.

The Bear's Head Mushroom

The Bear's Head is a member of the Hericiaceae family, or Tooth Fungi, and is found on living and dead deciduous hardwood trees. Found young they are considered a delicacy and labeled as "choice" by many chefs worldwide. They pair well with potatoes, leeks, meats, truffle butter, and apples. But take care as they do not have a shelf life and should be prepared the same day they are found. Besides the Bear's Head we will also be searching for other mushrooms such as Comb Tooth, Summer Oysters, a variety of Boletes, Honey Mushrooms and more. Also included will be wild edible plants and herbs like Wood Sorrel, Wild Ginger and Wild Watercress.

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

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September 26th

15 tickets available.

The Comb Tooth

When you're walking through the forest and come across a branched, whitish mass on a fallen log you might think it was a patch of Winter out of nowhere. In reality it would be the Comb Tooth, another choice mushroom that has a melt in your mouth flavour. Like the Bear's Head they have no real shelf life so they should be consumed the day you find them. They can be anywhere between six to ten inches in length which would give anyone a sizeable meal. You can't find mushrooms like this in the produce section of stores and you will not experience a taste like this unless you go to the wild. Along with the Comb Tooth we will be searching for Bear's Head (another tooth fungi), Honey Mushrooms, Summer Oysters and much more.

Start time: 10:00 am. Duration: approx. 3hrs
Where: 96 Birmingham Street, Stratford, Ontario N5A 2S9
Cost: $35.00/person

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September 27th

15 tickets available.

Lepista Irina

One of the more exciting new finds of 2018 is the Lepista Irina, a large, meaty mushroom that inhabits forest floors from mid-September through the end of the season in November. Like most mushrooms the younger the better for taste. But there's something about the Lepistra that delays decay which means individual mushrooms will be around for some time. With most "choice" wild edible mushrooms there is a sweetness about them. Moreover, they are quite abundant.

We're off to the trails and along with the Lepistas we will be searching for Blewits (Lepista Nuda), Tooth Fungi and both Pear Shaped and Gem Studded Puffballs.

Marriott International listed Puck's Plenty as one of the "Top 10 Adventures to Have this Summer". Join us and find out why!

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

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