Porcini Soup Robin Morris shared this wonderful Porcini soup recipe. Enjoy! ... Boletus edulis. Photo by Hugh Smith When cooking with fresh-picked porcini, I like to peel the cap and cut off the tough outside of the stipe. I include tubes only if fresh and not buggy... Objective: Soup Total Time: 30-45 mins Yield: Suggested Mushrooms: Boletus edulis (porcini, penny bun, king bolete) Ingredients 1 ½ – 2 lbs Porcini, cut in 1/2 in. chunks, dry sautéed till light brown 2 c cream 2 c chicken broth (low sodium style) 2 stalks celery, de-veined and cut small 2 thin carrots, cut small 1 shallot 1/2 red onion, chopped 3 Tbl Plugra or other good butter 1/2 tsp thyme I Tbl parsley Method Heat chicken broth with carrots. Sauté shallot, onion, and parsley in butter 7 minutes. Cover for 3 additional minutes. Combine broth with mushrooms and all else, including cream and celery, reduce 25 mins. Serve with toasted bread and butter or cheese Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Black & White Truffle Cheese Fondue Todd Spanier's cooking demonstration at the 2012 Fungus Fair included this very yummy Truffle Fondue. ... Tuber oregonense. © Noah Siegel (from Mycoweb.com) Todd shared this wonderful recipe with attendees at the 2012 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair. Todd is the owner and founder of King of Mushrooms, one of our long-time Fungus Fair vendors . Objective: Main Course Total Time: Overnight prep + 30 mins Yield: Varies by appetite Suggested Mushrooms: See code Ingredients 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon white truffle oil Black truffle salt to taste 1⁄2 cup white wine 1⁄2 cup whipping cream 1 tablespoon cornstarch 500 gm (about 1 lb.) of Fontina Cheese (Todd recommends Fontina Val d'Aosta cheese from the Italian alps As many freshly sliced black and white truffles as your budget permits. Baguette(s) for dipping. Method Prepare the Cheese (Overnight) De-rind cheese, shred into a bowl and macerate overnight in whole milk (i.e., fully immerse the shredded cheese in milk, cover the bowl, and place in fridge.) Prepate the Fondue Melt butter in a heavy bottomed pot over gentle heat. Add wine and whipping cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low.* Mix shredded cheese with cornstarch and add, stirring constantly, until all of the cheese is melted. Season to taste with black truffle salt and white truffle oil. Before serving, thinly slice enough fresh black and white truffles to cover the surface, and then fold into cheese. Hold over low heat in a double boiler or fondue pot to serve. * Never boil the fondue after the cheese is added (otherwise it will break the sauce). Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Chicken with Olives, Caramelized Onions, and Sage Marje Young’s chicken dinner was wildly successful at one of our Echo Summit forays, with many people clamoring for the recipe. ... Red onions (stock photo) This is a chicken dish, but of course you can also add your own mushrooms! At our Echo Summit foray, this dish was served with green beans with caramelized boletes, quinoa cooked with vegetables, and sautéed kale. We put some of the chicken sauce over the quinoa. A delicious combination! Objective: Complementary Total Time: 2.5 to 3 hours Yield: 8 servings Suggested Mushrooms: See code Ingredients Seasoned Chicken Eight chicken thighs 2 tsp. ground cumin 2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. sweet paprika 1 tsp. turmeric 1/3 cup olive oil White Onions 1 1⁄4 pounds white onions 1 1⁄2 tbs. honey Red Onions 1/3 cup olive oil 1 1⁄4 pounds red onions Sauté red onions until golden and set aside Wine Sauce 1 bottle white wine 9 or more sage leaves 8 or more garlic cloves 3-5 bay leaves Method Season the chicken: Coat chicken with spices and let rest. Sauté the white onions in oil until golden (about 30 min). Add honey and sauté another 15 minutes until browned. Spread in bottom of baking pan large enough to hold chicken in a single layer. Brown the chicken (use the same frying pan) and place on top of the browned white onions. Put the sautéed red onions on top of the chicken. Deglaze frying pan with 1⁄2 cup white wine until bubbling stops. Add remaining wine. Boil about 9 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 2 cups. Pour into baking pan around chicken. Tuck sage, garlic cloves and bay leaves around chicken. Sprinkle with pepper. Taste sauce and adjust (I find I often need a bit more honey depending on acidity of the wine). Cover pan tightly and bake chicken 30 minutes. Sprinkle olives over top of chicken making sure some of the olives get some down into the sauce. Bake uncovered until chicken is tender, basting once or twice. Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Chef Mazi's Perfect Rice A Mazi family favorite, this recipe uses stock and powdered mushrooms with the rice in a standard rice cooker for a more full flavored and medicinal version of a standard starch. ... Queen Boletes (Mendocino 2016. Photo by Katherine Elvin I love collecting my own mushrooms and drying them for later use. Shiitake mushrooms, even the dried ones from the store, have a unique quality of increasing their vitamin D2 content by up to 41,000% when placed in the sun. Fresh mushrooms can be dried in the sun for the same effect. This reaction can ensure plenty of vitamin D during the winter months if you plan it right. I estimate the amount by stuffing as many mushrooms as will fit into my herb grinder and powdering the mushrooms. Note : This recipe was originally published by Chef Mazi in the March 2013 issue of Duff. Objective: Side Dish Total Time: About 5 hours Yield: About 4 servings Suggested Mushrooms: See code Ingredients Chicken (or Mushroom) Stock 1 lb. Onions, chopped 0.5 lb. carrots, chopped 0.5 lb. celery, chopped 5-6 gallons of cold water 5-6 lb. chicken (bones=more body, meat=more flavor) or 0.5-1 lb. of dry mushrooms* or more, varied by your desire. Note : Boletus sure do make a tasty stock, but a good mix is a wonderful way to go! Adding fresh mushrooms will yield more color and more full bodied flavor. Bouquet Garni (bundle of herbs tied up together) 20 peppercorns 6 sprigs thyme 1 large bay leaf 10 stems parsley Optionally, use also sage, lavender, etc. Go wild. Rice 2 C rice (any variety, forbidden and long grain brown basmati have the richest flavor) 4 C stock (chicken, mushroom, or vegetable) 1/4 to 1/2 C dry powdered mushroom (oyster and shiitake are delicious) 1 to 2 T coconut oil or butter Method Chicken (or Mushroom) Stock Place all ingredients in a large stock pot. Bring stock to a boil with all ingredients, reduce to a simmer, and continue to simmer for 3-5 hours or longer, skimming off the surface scum that rises. Rice Put all the rice ingredients and stock in a rice cooker and press go! Makes 4 cups of rice. Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Chanterelle Pancake Crepes Fresh from the forest and down on the table, a delicious chanterelle recipe, contributed by Annie Lang. ... Chanterelle. Photo by Yevgeny Nyden Objective: Main Course Total Time: About an hour Yield: 8-10 pancakes Suggested Mushrooms: Cantharellus sp. (chanterelle) Ingredients 500 g (1 lb.) Fresh Chanterelles, shredded or cut to bite-sized pieces (or you can use any mushroom you like) 125 g (4 oz.) Bacon, diced 2 Onions, diced 1⁄2 bunch Parsley, chopped 200 g ( 3/4 C) Sour Cream check weight/measure Salt, peppr – to taste 300 g Flour (apx. 2 1/2 C) 600 ml (2 1/2 C) Milk 6 Eggs, beaten 1 bunch Chives Method Topping Heat oil in a frying pan. Sauté the onions and bacon. Drain most of the bacon fat. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook 10 minutes, until the water from the mushrooms has evaporated. Add the parsley and sour cream and boil down a little, till slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Batter Put the flour in a bowl, mix with salt. Add the eggs. Gradually incorporate the milk until the batter is relatively smooth. Add the finely chopped herbs and mix well. Note : this will be a thin batter. Not like American pancake batter, think crepes. Heat a pan with olive oil. Add pancake batter and cook until lightly golden, flip and cook until the other side is lightly golden. Place pancakes on the plate, top with the mushroom sour cream mixture, roll and plate. Serve with a salad and enjoy! Bonus : These pancakes can also used for soups in place of noodles. Roll the pancakes, slice to the width of linguine. Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Savory Mushroom Clafouti I learned this recipe from the late Larry Stickney, a phenomenal guy who was instrumental in creating a culture of mushrooming in the Bay Area. ... Bolete. Photo by Yevgeny Nyden The adaptation transforms clafoutis, a traditional French dessert made with cherries, into a savory first course or entrée. Boletes may be switched for Black Trumpets, Agaricus species, or other robustly-flavored wild mushrooms. Objective: Main Course Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes Yield: Serves 6 Suggested Mushrooms: See code Ingredients 3 C (about 1 lb.) bolete buttons, cut into 1 to 1 ½ inch pieces ½ C chopped shallots 1 ½ C half & half or whole milk 3 eggs 2/3 C unbleached all-purpose flour ½ C freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus extra to sprinkle on top 1 tsp grated lemon zest ½ tsp kosher salt Method Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a baking dish or pie plate (about 1 ½ inches deep) with butter or olive oil. Sauté shallots in olive oil until transparent. Cool and reserve in bowl. Mix the batter ingredients in a blender and let rest in the fridge for an hour. The batter can be prepared up to a day in advance. In another pan, sauté the mushrooms in butter until lightly browned. Cool and combine with shallots. Combine the clafouti batter with the mushroom/shallot mixture. Pour into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with cheese. Place in the middle of the oven and bake for about 1 hr. The clafouti will puff up in the oven but will sink a bit when taken out. Serve warm. Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Four Dry Season Mushrooms At the beginning of the season, while we wait patiently for the fall rains to arrive, there are still some interesting sporocarps lurking in our local outdoor spaces. ... Two Princes Oyster mushrooms ( Pleurotus ostreatus ) and the Prince ( Agaricus augustus ) often fruit in the summer fog season, and Dead Man’s Foot or the Dyers Puffball, ( Pisolithus arhizus ) pops up unexpectedly in dry meadows and sandy trails with hardly any moisture. But one of the most spectacular dry season fungi is the Hardwood Sulfur Shelf, Laetiporus gilbertsonii . Chicken roosting In our area, L gilbertsonii is found on eucalyptus, oak, and other hardwood species. It can grow on logs, stumps, or on dead or living trees and can fruit in inland valleys during the driest part late summer without any sign of nearby moisture. It first appears as a small blob, expanding into broad semicircular shelves that can form rosettes or impressive clusters with overlapping layers. The main body is a striking salmon pink to orange color with bright lemon yellow or sulfur yellow pores on the undersides of the tips. When fresh, the colors are vibrant and the texture is soft and spongy. (Members can view photos of a Time Lapsed Laetiporous for examples of this growth.) With age, the fruiting body slowly turns lighter in color and becomes harder and more brittle, eventually turning dull white. Crumbly remnants can persist for months before slowly weathering away. Laetiporus is a brown rot fungus, a type of saprobe which breaks down the cellulose in dead wood. The affected wood will often appear brown, cracked, and shrunken with a soft brittle texture. It is also parasitic, so living trees can be hollowed out and drop large branches or break in strong winds, so you have reason for concern when you find this fungus on that old oak tree that is shading your house. But on a more positive note, when fresh and tender, Laetiporus gilbertsonii is a prized edible, commonly referred to as “chicken of the woods.” It is one of the “foolproof four” wild edible mushrooms recommended by Clyde Christianson in his book Common Edible Mushrooms , first published in 1943. Along with the giant puffball, ( Calvatia gigantea ), morels ( Morchella sp. ), and the shaggy mane ( Coprinus comatus ), “chicken of the woods” was considered to be a choice edible that was both abundant and distinctive enough that a prudent beginner could easily identify it without risk of confusion with any dangerous species. But of course nothing is completely foolproof. Christianson’s “chicken of the woods” was Laetiporus sulphureus , which has since been divided into at least eight distinct species including our L. gilbertsonii and another western species L. conifericola , which not surprisingly grows on conifers. Most of the species are so similar, that they cannot be differentiated by macroscopic or microscopic physical characteristics alone. Looking at the species of wood they are growing on, location on the tree, and region where they are found provides some clues, and DNA sequencing is ongoing to clarify the definitions of this group of similar species. Luckily, all seem to be relatively safe edibles. What is meant by relatively safe, you might ask? Just like chicken, chicken of the woods should be cooked thoroughly. Though it is not fatal, people have been sickened by eating raw or undercooked Laetiporus . Only tender young fruiting bodies or the tender outer tips of older specimens should be eaten. There are reports of gastric upsets caused by fungus harvested on eucalyptus, though many people (including the author) have eaten L. gilbertsonii from eucalyptus without any ill effects. Still it is best to eat just a bit the first time to make sure you don’t have a bad reaction. L. conifericola is equally edible and should be treated with the same precautions. And again, don’t forget to cook it thoroughly. But when well cooked, this mushroom does make a good chicken or meat substitute. With its firm flakey texture and a bit of imagination, some people claim it tastes just like chicken (or snake or turtle etc). There are about as many ways to cook this mushroom as there are to cook chicken. Here is one recipe to start with, Curried Green Beans with Sulphur Shelf . Mushrooms covered: See code Previous Description All Featured Fungi Next Description

Tricholoma Murrillianum (Matsutake) Of all the choice edible mushrooms that occur in our area, none eluded me longer than the matsutake, Tricholoma murrillianum . ... Tricholoma murrillianum (matsutake). Photo by Hugh Smith The name "matsutake" literally means pine mushroom, from the habitat in which it is found in Japan. Formerly called Armillaria ponderosa and Tricholoma magnivelare , our California species is a close relative of the Japanese form. For years I had scoured the mountains looking for my own secret patch of this much esteemed fungus. Every year l would stare with envy at the dozen or so which mystically appeared at each Fungus Fair knowing that they came from some place nearby. The preferred local habitat is tanoak, or so I was told. Yet all my years of searching had failed to turn up any. These must be the best-kept secret in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Why? I didn't want to be forced to drive north to Mendocino Co. just to find my first matsutake. Where were they? While it might be true that tanoak is the preferred habitat, l found my first specimen and subsequent others on Christmas day (nice present. huh?) in the kind of place you would normally pass by for hunting. The kind of place that a jack rabbit or a covey of quail hiding from a larger predator would take refuge in. The kind of place that leaves you with battered shin bones. telltale scratches. and shredded clothing. The kind of place where your progress is measured in feet/ min. rather than feet/sec. There must be square miles of dense impenetrable thickets of manzanita and scrub oak in the Santa Cruz mountains. Throw in a few chinquapins, pines and sandy soil and you'll begin to visualize the habitat l'm describing. Imagine crawling on your belly with barely enough room for you and your basket, or banging your shins against umpteen manzanita burls and you get the idea. Yet this is where they grow and why they had eluded me for so long. The matsutake clan comprises at least 3 species: the white matsutake, T. murrillianum , our local representative; T. caligatum , which has a darker fibrillose cap and occurs east of the Great Lakes and under conifers in the Pacific NW; and T. matsutake , which occurs in Japan and the Orient and closely resembles T. caligatum . Our version of the matsutake is a firm, dense, robust mushroom standing up to 6" tall with a cap as large as 8"-10" in diameter. The cap is initially white, dense and firm, but soon develops cinnamon to brown fibrils. The cap margin is inrolled when young. The gills are white but usually discolor brownish with age. The spore print is white. The stem is l"-2" thick, hard and tough, white above, but scaly below and colored like the cap. There is a thick white veil forming a prominent ring that flares outward from the stem. The most unique feature of the matsutake, however is its odor - what David Arora refers to as "a provocative compromise between 'red hots’ and dirty socks." There is definitely a cinnamon component to it. I thought this odor was unique to the matsutake group but there is another local mushroom I found with the same fragrance but vastly different appearance called Inocybe fraudans (formerly known as Inocybe pyriodora ). Matsutake are highly esteemed in Japan. The demand for these mushrooms is so great that individual specimens command prices as high as $300 (in 1989) depending upon their size and condition. A lucrative export business has developed in the Pacific Northwest for matsutakes which are air freighted directly to Tokyo where there is an ever increasing market for these "exotic" fungi. Last month (December 1988) I saw our local matsutake selling at the Monterey Market in Palo Alto for $27/1b., quite a bargain compared to Japanese prices ! You would expect a special treat from such a high priced mushroom, and the matsutake is probably worth it. It tastes like it smells (without the dirty socks) and keeps its somewhat chewy texture when cooked. It is wonderful simply sliced razor thin and grilled with soy sauce. I also like it finely shredded in a stir fry dish and have used it in small quantities to season white rice. Mushrooms covered: See code Previous Description All Featured Fungi Next Description

Gomphidius in the Rain (spike cap). Photo by Jim Austin Gomphidius in the Rain Jim Austin More about Gomphidius: Gomphidius , Wikipedia Spikes (genus Gomphidius) , iNaturalist Camera Nikon D5300 Focal L. 48mm Aperture f/10.0 Shutter Sp. 1/200s ISO 1000 Flash Off Photo taken on December 6, 2014 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Stephanie S. Jarvis, MSc Director of Mycology R & D | M2 Ingredients Founder | Pacific Truffle Growers Stephanie Jarvis is an interdisciplinary mycologist and executive cultivator with over 20 years of leadership in solid-state fermentation, fungal biotechnology, and ecological restoration. With a Master of Science in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology from San Francisco State University, her groundbreaking thesis on the Lycoperdaceae of California included statewide fungal surveys, DNA sequencing, and the discovery of two new species. Stephanie has since built a career at the intersection of applied science and regenerative agriculture. She is the founder of Pacific Truffle Growers, where she leads orchard restoration, truffle DNA diagnostics, and mycorrhizal cultivation strategies across the U.S.A. Her dual background in taxonomy and field management has made her a trusted consultant for landowners, mushroom farms, and food innovators alike. Additionally, Ms. Jarvis is the Director of Mycology for the largest functional mushroom farm in North America, M2 Ingredients, where she spearheads many R&D projects to improve the efficacy of the functional mushroom industry. A recognized authority in functional mushroom cultivation, Stephanie has developed substrate efficiency protocols for species like Hericium erinaceus , Cordyceps militaris , and Ganoderma lucidum , leveraging qPCR and NGS to validate species purity and optimize biological efficiency. Her passion for sustainable systems includes pioneering the reuse of wine industry byproducts for Shiitake and Oyster mushroom cultivation. Beyond the lab and field, Stephanie is an award-winning educator, keynote speaker, and lifelong mentor. She has led university biology clubs, authored public-facing educational programs, and served as an advisor to the North American Truffle Growers Association. Certified as both an arborist and fermentation specialist, she brings rare fluency in science, soil, and storytelling — cultivating not only fungi but futures. 2026 Stephanie Jarvis in Spain with Tuber melanosporum 2018 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets Truffles: The Egos, Ecology, and Economics of Cultivating and Hunting Nature’s Nuggets of Gold Because these fungi are far more than gourmet ingredients — they’re ecological power players, political lightning rods, and the ultimate test of patience for… Show More Saturday, January 10, 2026 7:05 PM - 8:05 PM Room 3

Noah Siegel Noah is one of North America’s foremost field mycologists; he has spent over three decades seeking, photographing, identifying, and furthering his knowledge about all aspects of macrofungi. He travels and lectures extensively across America, following the mushrooms from coast to coast. Noah was the recipient of the 2022 North American Mycological Association’s Award for Contributions to Amateur Mycology. His primary research interest is on the taxonomy and systematics of fungi. He authored, along with Christian Schwarz, " Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast ", and " Mushrooms of Cascadia ", as well as " A Field Guide to the Rare Fungi of California's National Forests ". He is currently working on " Mushrooms of Alaska ", with Steve Trudell and Kate Mohatt. 2026 Noah Siegel 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast From towering redwoods to live oak woodlands, northern California has diverse habitats which host a dazzling array of fungi. From the worlds largest chanterelle,… Show More Saturday, January 11, 2025 10:45 PM - 11:45 PM Room 3 Adventures of a Mycohobo Ever wonder what mushrooms occur in the jungles of tropical Africa and South America, or the dripping, moss covered Antarctic Beech forests of New… Show More Sunday, January 12, 2025 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM Room 3

2026 Fair Speakers We had a great lineup of distinguished and up-and-coming speakers for 2026. To browse talks by day and time, see the 2026 Speaker Schedule . Alan Rockefeller Researcher and Photographer Alan is a researcher, educator, consultant and speaker specializing in DNA bar-coding, field photography, and fungal microscopy. With a bilingu… Andrew Ratz Field and Lab Technician | University of Minnesota I am fascinated by biogeography and the dynamic ways life shapes its environment; as well as how these environmental conditions,… Chad Hyatt Chef and Author Chef Chad Hyatt, the author of " The Mushroom Hunter's Kitchen ", is an expert forager and classically trained chef who ha… Christian Schwarz Research Associate | UCSC Christian Schwarz is a naturalist based in California, the land of milk (caps) and honey (mushrooms). He teaches Natural History… Dr. Bill Schoenbart Practitioner of Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture Dr. Bill Schoenbart is a practitioner of Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture with over 30 years of experience. He has… Henry Young FFSC Science Advisor Foray and ID Specialist | Willamette Valley Mushroom Society Henry moved to Salem, Oregon in 2016 from Santa Cruz. He is active with the Willamette Valley Mushroom Society teaching… Jason Raiti Botany-Mycology Graduate Student Pringle Lab | University of Wisconsin–Madison I’m Jason Raiti—a mycologist, educator, and creative technologist. I’m currently pursuing a graduate degree in Botany at the University of… Jeff Emery Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard Jeff Emery is the proprietor, winemaker, truck driver, barrel washer, paper pusher and just about everything else for Santa Cruz… Stephanie S. Jarvis, MSc Director of Mycology R & D | M2 Ingredients Founder | Pacific Truffle Growers Stephanie Jarvis is an interdisciplinary mycologist and executive cultivator with over 20 years of leadership in solid-state fermentation, fungal biotechnology,…