Mushroom Classes: Mycelial Mastery Course at TDF

There’s something grounding about working with fungi: their slow growth, their quiet persistence, their invisible strength. Our mushroom classes in Portugal are part of the Mycelial Mastery Retreat, a 7-day immersion in the art and science of mushroom cultivation, guided by expert mycologist Richard Olson. This is your chance to learn, experiment, and grow alongside a thriving community on regenerative land.

Learn to Grow, Heal, and Create with Fungi

During the course, participants will explore every step of mushroom cultivation: from spores to harvest. We’ll grow oyster and shiitake mushrooms for culinary use at TDF, and dive into medicinal species like Lion’s mane, Cordyceps, and Reishi.

What truly makes this experience unique is the setting. The mushroom classes take place in TDF’s very own mushroom farm, built from two repurposed 40-foot shipping containers. 

These climate-controlled growing spaces are designed to demonstrate how small-scale, modular infrastructure can support regenerative food systems. You’ll work directly in these converted containers, learning to manage humidity, temperature, and light conditions for optimal mycelium growth.

In these hands-on classes you’ll inoculate logs, build fruiting chambers, and understand the biological magic that makes fungi nature’s greatest recyclers: the tactile understanding of mycelium at work.

Learning happens both in workshops and through communal practice. Days will start with grounding activities, followed by collaborative projects where participants work side-by-side, sharing discoveries as mushrooms begin to fruit. The goal is simple: empower you to cultivate mushrooms.

I want to join the course.

Who teaches the mushroom clases? About Richard Olson: 

Richard Olson is a self-taught mycologist who has grown into a dynamic career in mushroom cultivation. From late 2018 he began experimenting with edible and medicinal mushrooms such as Oysters, Lion’s Mane, Shiitake, Reishi and many more. 

His approach stands out because it’s rooted in systems: business restructuring, ecovillage governance and off-grid design form the intellectual backbone of his work. In his past experiences such as Fungi Academy in Guatemala, Richard honed his teaching practice, guiding students from groundwork in logs and substrates to full-blown cultivation cycles across species and contexts. 

Today, Richard couples hands-on labs with community-focused mentorship, believing that growing mushrooms is about building resilient ecosystems, empowering people, and ecological literacy. For those coming to the course at Traditional Dream Factory, Richard brings both ground-level expertise and the panoramic view of what fungi teach us about regenerative living.

What is special about the mushroom classes in this course?

Fungi are central to regenerative living. They are a good food source, decompose waste, regenerate soil, and can even replace plastics and pharmaceuticals. Learning to work with mushrooms means learning to collaborate with one of nature’s most powerful allies.

Beyond their ecological role, mushrooms connect us to cycles of transformation. Their underground networks (mycelium) that connect trees and plants are models of cooperation and resilience. Studying them changes how we see the world: less as isolated individuals and more as part of an interconnected system.

At TDF, our mushroom classes are rooted in this philosophy of practical skills tied to ecological awareness and community resilience. Participants often leave with a renewed sense of purpose, understanding that cultivating mushrooms is also a way to cultivate patience, care, and humility. 

Where are the mushroom classes happening?

Set in Abela, Portugal, Traditional Dream Factory it’s a growing regenerative community. Built on a once chicken farm, it now flourishes with gardens, communal buildings, and collaborative projects led by a diverse group of local and international people.

During the mushroom classes, you’ll live, learn, and eat together with others on the land. Meals are made with local produce and soon, with mushrooms grown right here in the containers. Expect shared dinners under the stars, music jams, sauna evenings and lots of learning.

TDF offers a unique environment for mushroom classes. A brand new mushroom farm is waiting for the first batch of mushrooms grown on the land, a temperate climate and a community of passionate people are awaiting for you. 

Two Courses, One Regenerative Experience

In November, TDF is also hosting a permaculture design course, running alongside the mushroom retreat. Each can be booked individually, but if you join both, you’ll get 50% off the courses when staying the whole month.

The connection between permaculture and fungi is deep. Mycelium helps plants access nutrients, creates healthy soil, and plays a vital role in carbon cycling. By learning both permaculture and mushroom cultivation, participants gain a holistic understanding of how natural systems cooperate and how we can design human communities that mirror that balance.

This combination of mushroom classes and permaculture design makes November at TDF a rare opportunity: a full month of living regeneration in practice. Whether you’re a farmer, gardener, or simply curious about sustainable living, you’ll come away with practical tools and a community of like-minded people.

Discover more about both courses here

When and How to Join our mushroom classes

The mushroom classes take place at the end of November at Traditional Dream Factory in Alentejo from November 23-29. Participants can stay for the week-long retreat or the full month to join both courses.

All proceeds support the continued development of TDF’s regenerative infrastructure, natural buildings, food forests and educational spaces. By joining, you will be actively contributing to a growing ecosystem of change.

Accommodation options range from cozy glamping tents to shared eco-lodges, with access to communal spaces like a co-working hub, kitchen, pool, and sauna. Everything is designed to make your stay both comfortable and inspiring.

From Cultivation to Celebration

By the end of the mushroom classes, the first mushrooms will already be fruiting inside the container farm. Together, we’ll harvest and cook what we’ve grown, sharing meals that celebrate both flavor and connection.

These moments are deeply rewarding, watching something that began as spores transform into nourishment through care and collaborations is a simple, grounding joy that captures what regeneration truly means.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn mushroom cultivation in a real-world setting, surrounded by passionate people and guided by experts, this is your moment. Come experience what it feels like to grow food, friendships, and a deeper sense of belonging through the magic of fungi.

Join us

Come to Traditional Dream Factory and join our mushroom classes. Learn by doing, connect with the land, and become part of a regenerative vision for the future. Spaces are limited, so if November calls to you, answer it! 🌱