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News & Stories / Field Reports Time Lapsed Laetiporous Time lapse of chicken-of-the-woods growing over 11 days. Phil Carpenter • October 12, 2023 Day 11 (Laetiporus time lapse). Photo by Phil Carpenter I discovered this Laetiporus growing on one of my eucalyptus stumps. To record its growth, I took the same picture every day for 11 days, and sent them out to club members, so we could all watch its growth together. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Phil Carpenter receives Knighton Award at Appalachia NAMA 2023 Field Reports Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Field Reports Busted It was 25 years ago in May that I joined a foray to Yosemite, led by David Arora. Tony Dewey • May 16, 2016 Morels. Photo by Yevgeny Nyden Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Memories of Matsutake Field Reports Reality Check: Dispelling a Myth Field Reports Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / The Wood Wide Web (from the BBC) Most of us know many species of fungi form mycorrhyzal relatonships with plants... but it hasn't always been clear what exactly they are doing and who is benefiting from this relationship. Sue Labiste • November 18, 2014 At Eldorado National Forest (2016). Photo by Anne Dyari Discoveries about chemical warfare, defense communication, protection, food sharing and assistance are all outlined in this fascinating article as part of a "wood wide web" network. This article is written about the ongoing science without a lot of technical detail. So, for anyone who finds the scientific jargon or the myriad of papers difficult to wade through, this is fascinating light reading. This BBC article was suggested by Geary Lyons of BAMs. I hope you enjoy it. https://web.archive.org/web/20141112121629/http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141111-plants-have-a-hidden-internet Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Microscopy of Gilled Mushrooms Chanterelle Look Alike Rewriting Evolutionary History Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Stewardship Culinary Event Updates: February 2000 What a great 1999 - 2000 fungal season for our culinary events. We started with the Holiday potluck in December, and then the Wine & Mushroom Dinner in January. Rene Seltzer • February 1, 2000 Pleurotus ostreatus. © Erica Fleniken (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 328857308) We look forward first of all to the Tapas Tasting Party, Tuesday, February 8 at 7:00 p.m at Blacks Beach Cafe, featuring Chef Robert Morris. Blacks Beach Cafe is located at 15th and East Cliff Dr. in Santa Cruz. Tickets are $25.00 per person. Contact Marjorie Young for reservations. Next is the Wine and Mushroom Festival, Saturday, March 11, from 7:00 - 9:30 P.M. at the Louden Nelson Community Center, 300 Center St., Santa Cruz. The annual Wine & Mushroom festival takes place with your help and the help of our local wineries. It's a fun event, but we can't do it without you. If you plan to attend, fungal members and guests must bring huge quantities of food. Literally! Each person in yoμr party should plan on bringing enough finger food for 10 to 20 people. So if there are 4 people in your party, that's finger food for 40 to 80 people. It might sound like too much, but at the end of 2 1/2 hours and 130 people there won't be a morsel left. A few of the possible wineries participating will be: Santa Cruz Mountain, David Bruce, and Ridge wineries. The participating wineries will bring the wine and we will bring the food. Also coming up is the Continental Picnic, Sunday, April 16. The foray will start at 10:00 AM, and at 12:00 noon we will start the mushroom tasting, potluck and beer. I know a lot of Fungus Fed members are also members of the Sempervirens Fund, a public non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the natural character of California's Santa Cruz Mountains. Sempervirens has purchased an old camp, 6.5 miles up the road from Boulder Creek. The wooded site has tent cabins, an unheated swimming pool, and a volleyball court. Originally this event was held in April, but for the past few years 1t was held in June. We unanimously decided to return to the April schedule, because there's a better chance for finding mushrooms. The Home-Brew Club brings the beer, and Fungus Fed members provide the mushrooms and all the food. Plan to join us on April 16: it's a beautiful drive on a Sunday to the foray/picnic site. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

You Want (Bolete) Fries with That?? At one of our Echo Summit forays, Dennis Nolan surprised many with fresh bolete fries – a first for many participants. They (the fries) were quite tasty and a hit on the appetizer circuit. by Dennis Nolan Boletus rex-veris. © Ron Pastorino (from mushroomobserver.org) Method Cut bolete(s) into french fry-like pieces. Fill a large skillet with virgin olive oil, to the depth of the thickness of the fries. Add half a stick of butter. Heat oil and butter hot enough so that the fries sizzle when put in the pan. Test the end of a fry by dipping in the pan to see if the oil is hot enough. Do not put fries in pan until oil is hot enough. Cool oil makes greasy fries! Cook bolete fries a few minutes until fries are fork tender. Tips: If you cook the pores separate from the “white meat” of the bolete, save a piece of white meat to cook with the pores so that you can test when it is fork tender (because the pores will test fork-tender at the start). Overcooking the "white meat” will tend to make the bolete fries leathery, but the pores aren’t bad crispy. Dennis Nolan and bolete fries at the 2010 Echo Summit foray Recipe contributed: October 2010 Objective: Side or first course Total Time: About an hour Yield: Varies Suggested Mushrooms: Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus regineus, Boletus rex-veris) Join FFSC or renew your membership to access the rest of this content. Join FFSC Login as an FFSC member to access the rest of this content. Login Ingredients As many boletes as desired Bottle of olive oil 1/2 stick butter Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Chanterelle Tart with Leeks October is a time for planting winter greens for the table, decorating pumpkins, visiting wineries, landscaping wild grasses, and best of all experimenting with tasty mushroom recipes. by Cait Hutnik Cantharellus californicus. © Stacie Wolny (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 4992848) Method Make the Dough In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt, and pepper. Blend butter into flour mixture until it looks like cornmeal, but with some larger, pea-sized pieces. Drizzle in 3 tbsp, cold water while stirring quickly with a fork. (Add a little more water as needed to bring it together.) Transfer the dough onto one side of a large sheet of plastic wrap, pull the sheet over to protect the dough, then press the dough firmly into a 1" thick disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes. Bake the Crust Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly flour a work surface. Working quickly (so as not to melt the dough), remove chilled dough from refrigerator, unwrap it and place on the floured surface, and gently roll it into a 12-inch circle. Place rolled-out dough in a 9½" tart pan. Trim edges flush with pan edges. Cover dough with a large piece of aluminum foil and weigh down with pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice. Set timer for 20 minutes and bake crust at 375°F. After 20 minutes, lift foil and weights off crust, and continuing baking until the crust begins to turn golden (about 10 more minutes). Remove crust from oven, and let it cool to room temperature. Make the Filling Melt butter in large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add leeks, salt, and pepper, and cook until leeks are soft, stirring constantly (about 3 minutes). Turn heat to high, add mushrooms. Cook, stirring constantly, until mushrooms have given off their liquid (5-10 minutes). Stir in thyme, cream, pepper, then turn off heat. Let filling cool to room temperature. Bake the Tart Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread half of the grated cheese over the tart crust. Top with mushroom-leek mixture and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 375°F until cheese is melted and golden (about 25 minutes). Let sit on the counter for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature. Recipe contributed: October 2006 This savory tart recipe was adapted from a classic recipe in Sunset magazine. Objective: Side or first course Total Time: About 1 ½ hours Yield: 6 to 8 servings Suggested Mushrooms: Black trumpet / black chanterelle (Craterellus atrocinereus, Craterellus calicornucopioides, Craterellus cinereus) Cauliflower mushroom (Sparassis americana, Sparassis crispa, Sparassis radicata) Chanterelle (Cantharellus californicus, Cantharellus formosus, Cantharellus subalbidus) Hedgehog (Hydnum olympicum, Hydnum repandum , Hydnum umbilicatum, Hydnum washintonianum) Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus regineus, Boletus rex-veris) Join FFSC or renew your membership to access the rest of this content. Join FFSC Login as an FFSC member to access the rest of this content. Login Ingredients Crust 1 cup flour ½ tsp. salt ½ tsp. fresh ground pepper 7 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces and chilled 3 Tbsp. cold water Filling 3 Tbsp. butter 3 leeks, halved lengthwise and cleaned, then thinly sliced ½ tsp. salt 1 lb fresh chanterelles*, pulled apart or sliced vertically into 1” chunks or strips 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves 3 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream ¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper 1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated 9½" tart pan Rolling pin * If you don't have chanterelles, perhaps try hedgehogs, yellowfoot, black trumpets, porcini, or cauliflower mushrooms — or a mix of multiple species! Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

News & Stories / Tapas Tasting at Blacks Beach Cafe, February 2000 We gladly welcomed some enthusiastic new members to the 1st annual Tapas tasting party. Rene Seltzer • March 1, 2000 Cantharellus cibarius. © beepboop (CC-BY-NC) (inaturalist.org, obs. 13671576) Our February culinary fungal event was held at Blacks Beach Cafe. The attendance was high (there were only 3 spaces left at the tables). Hats off to Chef Robert Morris and his staff for great food and a job well done. Special appreciation to members Bob Wynn for suggesting and arranging Blacks Beach. Margie Young for reservations and hostessing, and Debbie Johnson and Bob Wynn for the local foray to find mushrooms used in the feast. Robert, the chef and owner, also supports local artists. Lynn Pio's colorful fantastic art was on display and I understand the 'French fries' are not to be missed. I wouldn't be surprised to see Blacks Beach Cafe on the culinary calendar for February 2001 for the 2nd annual Tapas tasting party. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Candy Cap & Sage Pork Tenderloin This savory Candy Cap dish delighted members at one of our long-distance foray dinners. by Bernard Glim Candy caps. Photo by Hugh Smith Method Meat Directions Rub the tenderloins with salt and pepper.  Mix the candy caps and sage, and apply as a dry rub all over the tenderloins. Melt butter in a large skillet (with lid for later use). Cook over medium heat, turning occasionally, until deeply and evenly browned. Reduce heat to low, cover skillet and simmer for about 45 minutes, turning occasionally. Center of tenderloin should reach 145°. Transfer meat to a warmed serving dish and keep warm while finishing the sauce. Sauce Directions Stir the mustard into the pan juices. Pour in the cream to deglaze the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until hot but not boiling. Serving Suggestion Carve meat into serving pieces. Arrange some boiled and halved baby red or white potatoes around meat. Pour part of sauce over tenderloin slices and potatoes; garnish with parsley. The remaining sauce can be served in a gravy boat. Recipe contributed: February 2005 This savory Candy Cap recipe is the creation of Bernard Glim. It was served at one of our epic El Dorado Long-Distance Foray potlucks to great acclaim. Objective: Main course Total Time: 1 hour Yield: 6-8 servings Suggested Mushrooms: Candy cap (Lactarius fragilis, Lactarius rubidus, Lactarius rufulus) Join FFSC or renew your membership to access the rest of this content. Join FFSC Login as an FFSC member to access the rest of this content. Login Ingredients 2 lbs. pork tenderloin 2 - 3 Tbl dried, finely chopped candy caps 2 Tbl finely chopped fresh sage Salt & freshly ground black pepper 4 Tbl butter 2 - 3 Tbl Dijon mustard 1 1/2 c heavy cream Baby red or white potatoes (garnish) Parsley (garnish) Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Greek Rice with Boletus Easy, fast, dependable and good. I first tried this after a long, cold day in a marsh hunting ducks. Later, I discovered it is a good vehicle for Boletus edulis . by Ed Eulice Boletus edulis var. grandedulis. © Shahram Tavakol (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs 179467987) Method Melt and slightly brown the butter in a large skillet. Add the rice and stir until lightly browned. Quickly add the broth, lemon juice, and Boletus strips. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Recipe contributed: February 1985 Objective: Side or first course Total Time: About 45 mins Yield: 6 servings Suggested Mushrooms: Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus regineus, Boletus rex-veris) Join FFSC or renew your membership to access the rest of this content. Join FFSC Login as an FFSC member to access the rest of this content. Login Ingredients 1/2 stick butter (or 2 to 3 Tbsp. green olive oil) 1 cup white rice 1 can (15 oz.) beef broth or prepared bouillon 1 lemon, juiced and strained 6 to 10 dried Boletus strips, torn into two or three pieces Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Breaded Bolete Caps When the Echo Summit foray is only a few weeks away, thoughts of delicious boletes are on everyone’s mind. by Bo Letos Boletus rex-veris. © Alan Rockefeller (from mushroomobserver.org) Method Combine all ingredients except mushroom caps and mix well. Coat bolete caps with the seasoning and broil 4-8 minutes until lightly browned. Turn and broil the other side until tender and golden-brown. Enjoy. Save the stems for another dish! Maybe try bolete fries ? Recipe contributed: September 2009 Objective: Side or first course Total Time: 30-45 mins Yield: 10 servings Suggested Mushrooms: Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus regineus, Boletus rex-veris) Join FFSC or renew your membership to access the rest of this content. Join FFSC Login as an FFSC member to access the rest of this content. Login Ingredients 1/2 cup olive oil 1 Tbl. chili paste or 3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste 4 cloves garlic 2 tsp. mellow miso 1 tsp. rosemary, ground 1/2 tsp. thyme, ground 1/2 tsp. turmeric (optional) 1/4 tsp. black pepper or to taste 10 cups king bolete, other choice bolete caps, or other mushrooms Seasonings can be varied—add your favorites flavors for a create-your-own flavor. Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

News & Stories / Writings Lost: The Companion's View ...By now, the thunder was getting more intense, frequent and close. Henry still was not back. With the weather deteriorating rapidly, I knew something was wrong... Phil Carpenter • January 27, 2015 Caldor Fire Recovery. Photo by Katherine Elvin (Reprinted from FFSC's original Duff newsletter, 1998) Now that you have read Henry’s account of being lost in the wood, I’ll tell you my side of the story as the companion and the various thoughts that prompted my actions. Caldor Fire Recovery. Photo by Katherine Elvin Henry and I had driven up Friday night, slept on the ground and had risen early for a full day of hunting. The plan was to first look for morel at the burn north of our campground and then look for boletes on the way home that evening. We spent the majority of the day walking up and down the steep hillside between the two roads that bordered the burn we were hunting. We had been having mixed success in finding morels, but overall we were doing very well. At lunch, we had noted how quickly the predicted stormy weather was coming in. We also talked about the need to leave the area before it started raining since the road we were on was in such poor condition. We had gone out on another leg of the search, splitting up, as is usual for us. A little later we met again halfway down the ridge (again, as is usual for us) and discussed our “plans”. I was going to go down to the road below the burn and Henry was going to work his way further east at the same elevation. After working down the slope and finding little worth keeping me there, I worked my way back up, slowly moving eastward as well. By this time the wind had picked up and it was getting noticeably cooler. I was still picking lots of nice fresh morels but I heard some distant thunder and decided that it was time to get back to the truck and get out of there. I worked slowly back up the steep ridge, picking as I went. Something seemed wrong about the direction I was going. I felt like I was going too far east and needed to move more to the west. Even with that, I found that I was at least half a mile east of the truck. When I got back, Henry was not there. That really did not concern me since it is not unusual for Henry to be the last one in. I dropped off my haul of morels and went back out on a short loop to kill some time waiting for Henry. By now, the thunder was getting more intense, frequent and close. When I returned, Henry still was not back. Now I was concerned! With the weather deteriorating rapidly, I knew something was wrong from our earlier discussions about departing before the rains. I dropped off my basket and went to the area where we had met in the woods and searched the entire region east of there, both up and down that ridge. We have long-established calls, whistles, etc. that we use to “communicate” and I was using them but with no answers. I made my way back to the truck, hoping of course that Henry would be there. No such luck. That was the crucial decision point: do I assume that he is just really slow in getting back or do I assume the worst? Given the previous discussions, I made the fairly simple decision that something was wrong. At that point, it was about 4:00 and I knew that I needed more people to cover the area where he might possibly be. I never for a second thought that he was lost; I was convinced that he was hurt and unable to answer my signals. Henry and I had hunted together for many years and never in all those years had he ever been lost, and that was in parts of the world where it was much more likely to get lost. Remember that the area we were hunting was a slope between two roads: impossible to get lost, right?! Go uphill, hit a road, go downhill, hit a road – no problem; therefore no compass, no survival gear, no water and no extra clothes in case of bad weather. All that went through my mind in a flash and formed the basis of my decision to walk out and get help. I had to walk since Henry had driven and he had the keys. ( Lesson #1: Take a spare set of keys and give it to your hunting partner ) I knew that he needed to be found before dark and for that I needed help. Just as I wrote a note (just in case he DID come back late), the heavens opened with a vengeance. The next five hours were really frustrating since it took a long time for the search and rescue team to mobilize and get there from Placerville. All this time it was pouring rain and I was envisioning Henry in a heap somewhere in a T-shirt, freezing. Once the authorities were involved, I was not allowed to go back out to hunt (this was REALLY frustrating). I did take a couple of El Dorado County Sheriff deputies out in a search right at nightfall, only to have them announce that they would take up the search the next morning since they didn’t search the woods after dark. Their “plan” (standard issue, I guess) was to drive the roads with lights and sirens – a fine plan if someone is lost, warm and can get around to find the road again. Of course, I was jumping up and down trying to get through to those guys that all of that was worthless since he would already have come out if he could since he NEVER gets lost. I really believed that unless we continued to search through the night, by morning he would not have survived. My frustration level was really going off-scale and I started second-guessing my decision to get help in the first place. I felt like I had just wasted all the daylight left in the day and had nothing to show for it. If only I had continued to search by myself, I would have at least felt like I was doing something positive. All of that ended abruptly when I heard that radio call from the search vehicle that had gone off in the wrong direction but was successful in finding him. “Lost? What do you mean, he’s lost? You mean he isn’t hurt?” I had all these mixed emotions going at once: relief as well as disbelief that he really was actually lost and that they had actually found him. The fact that he was found strictly by accident only adds to the incredulity of it all. I must say that I really was impressed to see that Henry had come out with his basket – full of morels. But, you know, we never did have time to go look for boletes. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Reality Check: Dispelling a Myth Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Mushroom Bisque I usually look at my recipes and then wing it, so quantities are guesstimates. The liquid needs to be varied to get the right consistency of the bisque. by John Spaur Mushroom Bisque in a Teacup. Photo by John Spaur Method 1. In a heavy skillet, heat butter. Add the onion and sauté to caramelize; add garlic during the last 1-2 minutes to soften but do not brown the garlic. Put the onion garlic mixture into a blender or food processer. 2. Sauté the shitake mushrooms in butter to brown a bit and put into the blender or food processor reserving a few to use as garnish. 3.Sauté the maitake mushrooms in butter to brown. I cook these separately because they are moister and take longer to brown than the shitake. Place the mushroom in the blender or food processor reserving a few for garnish. 4. Add the vegetable stock to the onion/mushroom mixture in the food processor or blender and puree or blend until smooth. Be careful when starting the blender because the hot mixture will expand and blow the top off of the blender and spill the hot mixture. Pulse quickly before blending on high speed. You may need to do this in batches and add more vegetable broth. This is where you can add the porcini broth with water and white wine. The porcini broth will add salt so be careful. 5. Pour the blended mixture into a soup pot and add the white wine if you have not added it already. Add the bay leaf and thyme. Simmer for a few minutes to a boil or just under. Add the cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne to taste. Heat up and cook a few minutes longer. 6. Remove the bay lead and stir in the sherry just before serving with the reserved mushrooms as garnish. Recipe contributed: December 2014 Objective: Soup Total Time: 30 minutes Yield: Serves 4 Suggested Mushrooms: Matsutake (Tricholoma magnivelare, Tricholoma matsutake, Tricholoma murrillianum) Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus regineus, Boletus rex-veris) Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) Join FFSC or renew your membership to access the rest of this content. Join FFSC Login as an FFSC member to access the rest of this content. Login Ingredients Butter as needed divided use 1 onion, diced 1 small clove of garlic, minced 8 oz maitake mushrooms, sliced 3-4 shitake mushrooms, sliced 1 14.5 oz can vegetable broth (more or less) ½ C heavy cream (more or less) ½ C white wine (more or less) ½ cube porcini bullion dissolved in a little water 1 sprig fresh thyme 1 small bay leaf Salt and pepper to taste Ground nutmeg - smidgen Cayenne pepper - smidgen 2 Tbls dry sherry (to taste) Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe