About us
Join us for our popular class series on mushroom diversity, identification and cultivation!
Check out our Facebook community for more information: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2158912837512402/
Classes will alternate between traditional mushroom information/identification classes and hands-on cultivation and food/medicine preparation workshops, as well as several opportunities to sign up for day trips and overnight camping trips.
We will often have a variety of freshly collected specimens for you to handle and get familiar with, as well as several knowledgeable community members on hand who can answer your questions and give you time saving tips and tricks for foraging or growing your own mushrooms at home.
Our main host, Mario Gabiati, is a long-time educator who aims to transform your relationship to science and mathematics through fun, community building events where YOU get to find the specimens, make the art, cook the food, grow the stuff and build the robots!
Mycelial mass wants to encourage as many curious minds to attend as possible, so we educators have decided to present this class free of charge and use donations to sponsor future classes. Please consider donating $10-$20 so that you can sponsor a future class attendee (or attendees!) with your donation!
Upcoming events
4
- $75.00
DIY Mushroom Cultivation Class Module 1: "Grain Spawn"
Circuit Launch, 8000 edgewater drive suite 200, Oakland, CA, USSunday March 8th - Join our DIY Edible Mushroom Cultivation Class Series!
Turn your kitchen into a mycology lab! This hands-on course guides beginners through the full cultivation cycle—from preparing sterile grain and learning 'aseptic' inoculation, to bulk spawning and harvest. Master low-cost, DIY techniques to grow gourmet and medicinal mushrooms at home with zero prior experience required.
Module 1: Preparing and Sterilizing Grain Spawn
Master the foundation of growing mushrooms by selecting and prepping grains like rye or corn. Using the "Drippy Corn" method and a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, you’ll learn hydration, jar assembly, and high-heat sterilization. This module ensures your mycelial "food" is perfectly prepped, sterile, and ready for a successful inoculation.
Course Fee : $75/module or $260 for entire 4 module series (visit https://www.mariogabiati.com/service-page/cultivation-course-complete-series to sign up for the full series and save!)
Time 2-4pm
Cultivation Club Potluck Social After Class 4-5pm
Location: Circuit Launch - 8000 Edgewater Dr Suite 200 Oakland CA
Course Instructors:
Mario works in professional horticulture and has been teaching mycology and biology laboratory skills for over a decade with groups like the SF Microscopical Society and Circuit Launch.Misha has traded the closet for the commercial field, working professionally in mushroom cultivation. A true lover of the outdoors, Misha spends downtime hiking the SF Bay trails or supporting the West Coast music festival scene.
4 attendees - $75.00
DIY Mushroom Cultivation Class: Module 2 "Liquid Culture"
Circuit Launch, 8000 edgewater drive suite 200, Oakland, CA, USSunday March 22th - Module 2: Aseptic Technique and Liquid Culture Inoculation
This is part 2 of our mushroom cultivation course only!
*Some prior knowledge of mushroom cultivation or prior completion of Module 1 recommended*
In this course you will be given a tour of our mycology lab at Circuit Launch and we will cover the critical step of introducing the liquid culture (LC) to the grain with an emphasis on creating and maintaining a sterile environment. This module builds the laboratory habits necessary to keep your cultures clean and your mycelium thriving. We will describe HEPA filters and 'laminar flow', as well as low-cost alternatives to these lab-quality pieces of clean air equipment. We will also cover aseptic technique fundamentals (masks, gloves, isopropyl alcohol) and offer a hands-on demo on safe handling and resterilization of syringes and demonstrating the proper technique for inoculating a grain jar.
If you complete this module, you will be able to implement a full aseptic process and successfully inoculate a sterilized grain jar without introducing contaminants. All materials will be provided.
Course Fee : $75/module or $260 for entire 4 module series (visit https://www.mariogabiati.com/service-page/cultivation-course-complete-series to sign up for the full series and save!)
Time 2-4pm
Cultivation Club Potluck Social After Class 4-5pm
Location: Circuit Launch - 8000 Edgewater Dr Suite 200 Oakland CA
Your Instructors:
Mario Gabiati is a professional horticulturist with over a decade of experience teaching mycology and laboratory sciences. He runs the training programs at Circuit Launch BioLabs, teaching vocational skills to hopeful future biotech entrepreneurs and scientists. When he isn't helping the next generation of bionerds get jobs in the bay area, he teaches mushroom identification and cultivation with Mycelial Mass Mushroom Science Club and inspires people with microscope art with the San Francisco Microscopical Society.
Course co-instructor Misha Frankly’s journey with fungi began with a long line of Soviet foragers and a very crowded home closet. Today, Misha has traded the closet for the commercial field, working professionally in mushroom cultivation. A true lover of the outdoors, Misha spends their downtime hiking the SF Bay trails or supporting the West Coast music festival scene. He's here to help you bridge the gap between "hobbyist" and "harvest."
2 attendees - $75.00
DIY Mushroom Cultivation Class: Module 3 'Spawning'
Circuit Launch, 8000 edgewater drive suite 200, Oakland, CA, USSaturday April 4th - Module 3: Substrate Preparation and the 'Spawning' Technique to make Grow Bags
*This is only part 3 of our cultivation series*
Transition from lab to bulk growth by matching species to substrates like coir or wood. Learn to hydrate media to "field capacity" and pasteurize effectively. You’ll practice the "spawning" technique—mixing colonized grain into bulk bags—to trigger the massive expansion required for a heavy harvest using the fully colonized grains from Module 2.
All materials will be provided.
Course Fee : $75/module or $260 for entire 4 module series (visit https://www.mariogabiati.com/service-page/cultivation-course-complete-series to sign up for the full series and save!)
Time 2-4pm
Cultivation Club Potluck Social After Class 4-5pm
Location: Circuit Launch - 8000 Edgewater Dr Suite 200 Oakland CA
Your Instructors:
Mario Gabiati is a professional horticulturist with over a decade of experience teaching mycology and laboratory sciences. He runs the training programs at Circuit Launch BioLabs, teaching vocational skills to hopeful future biotech entrepreneurs and scientists. When he isn't helping the next generation of bionerds get jobs in the bay area, he teaches mushroom identification and cultivation with Mycelial Mass Mushroom Science Club and inspires people with microscope art with the San Francisco Microscopical Society.
Course co-instructor Misha Frankly’s journey with fungi began with a long line of Soviet foragers and a very crowded home closet. Today, Misha has traded the closet for the commercial field, working professionally in mushroom cultivation. A true lover of the outdoors, Misha spends their downtime hiking the SF Bay trails or supporting the West Coast music festival scene. He's here to help you bridge the gap between "hobbyist" and "harvest."
2 attendees - $75.00
DIY Mushroom Cultivation Class: Module 4 'Harvest'
Circuit Launch, 8000 edgewater drive suite 200, Oakland, CA, USSaturday April 18th - Module 4: Fruiting, Harvesting, and Troubleshooting
This is the final class module 4 of our cultivation club series only.
Bring your mushroom crop to life by dialing in humidity, light, and airflow by setting up a basic fruiting chamber. Instructors will demonstrate a live harvest of mature mushrooms. You will learn to identify the signs of full colonization and "pinning," harvest at peak maturity, and properly preserve your yield. We will also cover methods for reusing or expanding grain spawn for future grows and troubleshooting common contaminants, as well as using agar to save or clone genetics, effectively completing your first full home cultivation cycle!
All materials will be provided.
Course Fee : $75/module or $260 for entire 4 module series (visit https://www.mariogabiati.com/service-page/cultivation-course-complete-series to sign up for the full series and save!)
Time 2-4pm
Cultivation Club Potluck Social After Class 4-5pm
Location: Circuit Launch - 8000 Edgewater Dr Suite 200 Oakland CA
Your Instructors:
Mario Gabiati is a professional horticulturist with over a decade of experience teaching mycology and laboratory sciences. He runs the training programs at Circuit Launch BioLabs, teaching vocational skills to hopeful future biotech entrepreneurs and scientists. When he isn't helping the next generation of bionerds get jobs in the bay area, he teaches mushroom identification and cultivation with Mycelial Mass Mushroom Science Club and inspires people with microscope art with the San Francisco Microscopical Society.
Course co-instructor Misha Frankly’s journey with fungi began with a long line of Soviet foragers and a very crowded home closet. Today, Misha has traded the closet for the commercial field, working professionally in mushroom cultivation. A true lover of the outdoors, Misha spends their downtime hiking the SF Bay trails or supporting the West Coast music festival scene. He's here to help you bridge the gap between "hobbyist" and "harvest."
2 attendees
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