I think this would be an interesting class; however, I would strongly advise anyone interested in foraging wild mushrooms to buy a field guide to help in identification. Our favorite (and many other mushroom affectionados) is the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms
Generally speaking, Billy and I are familiar with about 5 - 7 "choice" edible mushrooms and focus our attention on those. The easiest to identify - morels, chanterelles, chicken of the woods, oysters, hen of the woods, puff balls, and wood ears. Under no circumstances should you eat a wild mushroom unless you are absolutely sure of what it is. In addition, the mushrooms should always be cooked. Morels have a look-alike (false morel) that can be poisonous unless well-cooked. The chanterelles have a look-alike (jack-o-lantern) that will cause severe stomach upset. Chicken of the woods needs to be picked fresh or it can cause some tingling on your lips.
Another rule that I would give is to learn what the deadly poisonous mushrooms are and be able to identify them. There are two at the top of my list and I have found one at our farm -- Destroying Angel and Death Cap. Both of these are in the Amanitaceae Family. The problem with these mushrooms is that they make you a bit ill at first and then you think you are better. All the while, the mushroom has caused severe liver damage and by the time it is diagnosed, it is often too late.
Finally, just because a mushroom is edible in one part of the world does not make it ok in other parts of the world.
It IS okay to pick a wild mushroom and look at it, smell it, admire it; however, the rule of thumb is that unless you are absolutely sure on the identification (or someone that has experience has identified it) - DON"T EAT IT.
A good site that talks about mushroom poisoning is:
http://www.sph.umich.edu/~kwcee/mpcr/
And a fun and informative mushroom site:
http://tomvolkfungi.net/
There's my take .... thanks all!
