FFSC Events Archive

This isn't one of our regular monthly gatherings.

Our very own members, Phil Carpenter and Susan Labiste will be on the KKUP radio “Old Time Farm & Garden Show” with Jim Maley. They will be talking about forging from both the Plant and Fungi Kingdoms. The program will be aired on KKUP FM 91.5 on Thursday, October 27th from 10 AM to 1PM Pacific time. The programs title is “West Coast Foraging/ Walk on the Wild Side".

Please tune in and tell your friends.

This class is full.

BAMS Co-Founder Debbie Viess presents, "California Myco-Wizard in the Land of OZ", a fun and engaging talk about the marvelous natural history of the Eastern Coast of Australia, from steamy Tropical Queensland to the chilly shores of Phillips Island. Fungi both familiar and utterly strange as well as a sampling of the curious creatures which dwell on this island/continent/country will be shown and discussed. Let Amanitarita be your guide to the magic of OZ, which is what the Aussies call their magnificent and dazzlingly different home. Prepare to be enchanted!

This is a 4-night series of classes.

Our weather is not good right now for mushrooms - it is way too warm still and few mushrooms are up. It will certainly be a challenge to find specimens to bring to the class to work on, so it is important that everyone who signs up for the classes make a diligent effort to find something to bring along to each class. Hopefully, we'll see some rain soon but not much is in sight yet, especially for the first class.

The class is open only to paid-up Fungus Federation members. If your membership has lapsed, it is important to renew it! There is no charge for the class for members and it is not open to non-members.

Autumn beckons and we await the first fungal fruitings. In the meantime, the FFSC Culinary Committee welcomes you to celebrate the season with our annual Fall Mushroom Dinner. Chef Bob Wynn and Chair Margaret Carpenter are cooking up a scrumptious menu for the evening.

We’ll start with a celebratory cocktail and hors d’oeuvres. Salad, Chicken Ricotta Roulade, Farro-Porcini Risotto and Roasted Fall Vegetables will be featured for the main course. Dinner will come to a sweet ending with Candy Cap Apple Crisp & Cream.

More info about our Fall Mushroom Dinner.

Northern California is known for its seemingly endless wet winters which make the mushrooms flourish and its majestic forest. Not only do we have the biggest trees we also have the largest known Chanterelle and Porcini!

Six years in the making, the newly published Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast is the definitive guide to mushrooms in the diverse ecological zones of this region. Gain a better understanding about the mushrooms of northern California, hear some of the stories behind the book, and enjoy a selection of breathtaking photographs; from common edibles to rare and remarkable species.

Noah’s field mycology skills are extensive – he has spent over two decades seeking, photographing, identifying, and furthering his knowledge about all aspects of macrofungi. He has hunted for mushrooms throughout the United States and Canada, as well as on multiple expeditions to New Zealand and Australia. He is one of the premier mushroom photographers in the nation, having won numerous awards from the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) photography contest. His technique and attention to detail are unrivaled, arising from a philosophy of maximizing utility for identification purposes while maintaining a high degree of aesthetic appeal. His photographs have appeared on the covers and have been featured in articles of multiple issues of FUNGI Magazine and Mushroom the Journal, the primary mushroom enthusiast magazines in the United States, numerous mushroom books, as well as many club publications. He just finished, along with Christian Schwarz, Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast, a comprehensive guide for the northern California coast. Noah travels and lectures extensively across America, following the mushrooms from coast to coast, and everywhere in between.

Foray cancelled. Unfortunately, reports of bone dry conditions and few sign ups compelled us to cancel this annual foray. Next year we hope for better dates and weather!

For info about this foray, visit the Alaska Long Distance Foray page.

Visit the Suds n Shrooms page for details.

Dr. Nguyen's topic this month is: Species identity crisis in the genus Suillus: why many Californian species slip from our identification.

Mushrooms in the genus Suillus are often hard to identify because of the lack of distinct morphological characters, and when present, these characters fade away with age and environmental conditions such as rain. DNA sequencing of a large set of specimens, as well as type specimens help us understand why certain species are so difficult to tell apart. I will talk about why it's difficult to identify Suillus, the species that we may encounter in western North America, particularly in California, why certain of these species look so similar to each other and how certain names might change in the future.

Nhu Nguyen earned his BS in Biological Sciences at Lousiana State University (summa cum laude) in 2005, and came to UC Berkeley to work on his PhD under Dr. Tom Bruns, where he earned his PhD in 2013. He worked in the lab of Peter Kennedy at the University of Minnesota in 2014-2015.

Every year as the snows melt and the ground warms, some very delicious mushrooms coax their way up through the ground. One of those is the coveted morel, others include Spring King boletes, and often Coccoras. This year's weather and snow pack has every indication that we will have a very successful foray.

Read more about the Spring Long Distance Foray.

This lecture will introduce you to California's morels, give tips on when and where to look for them, and an oversight on the recent Morchella taxonomy in North America.

Noah’s field mycology skills are extensive – he has spent two decades seeking, photographing, identifying, and furthering his knowledge about all aspects of macrofungi. He has hunted for mushrooms throughout the United States and Canada, as well as on multiple expeditions to New Zealand and Australia.

He is one of the premier mushroom photographers in the nation, having won numerous awards from the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) photography contest. His technique and attention to detail are unrivaled, arising from a philosophy of maximizing utility for identification purposes while maintaining a high degree of aesthetic appeal.

Noah recently worked with Green Mountain Digital as a consultant for the Audubon Guide to Mushrooms of North America Macintosh/Apple application, and supplied over 300 photographs for it.

His photographs have appeared on the covers and have been featured in articles of multiple issues of FUNGI Magazine and Mushroom the Journal, the primary mushroom enthusiast magazines in the United States, numerous mushroom books, as well as NAMA and other club publications. He is currently working on, along with Christian Schwarz, Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast, a comprehensive field guide for the northern California coast.

Noah travels and lectures extensively across America, following the mushrooms from coast to coast, and everywhere in between.