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News & Stories / Fungus Fair Sculpture at the Wharf Santa Cruz Main Beachgoers were presented with an big, bodacious Fungus Fair sand sculpture last weekend courtesy of FFSC member Bill Lewis. Deb • January 6, 2014 Fungus Fair sand sculpture by Bill Lewis. Photo by Joe Paquin. Is this not incredible? Thank you, Bill! Thanks to Joe Paquin for the photo. Volunteer for the Fungus Fair - it's happening this coming weekend! Setup starts on Wednesday. We still need volunteers, so this is an ideal time to sign up. Click and link and go for it! Set Up : http://ffsc.ivolunteer.com/setup Fair : http://ffsc.ivolunteer.com/fungusfair See you there! Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts 40th Fungus Fair: Time lapse of the Island setup A Short History of the Fungus Fair Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Albion I 2009 – A Great Time for All The Albion I foray was attended by 48 wonderful folks, including a first-time contingent of about ten from Russia. This great group of people really know how to work with mushrooms that we tend to kick instead of pick. Richard Rammer • January 1, 2010 Phil with a rare Plungeratus carpenteria verde from Albion. Photo by Lynn Williams Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Albion I, 2010 – A Great Time for All Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Triple Mushroom Soup A variation of this recipe was served at FFSC's December, 2002 Holiday potluck. by Patria Brown Lentinula edodes. © CC BY-NC by Keeper Trout (from inaturalist.org, ID 66490108) Method If you use dried mushrooms, soak them for about an hour, and then add the strained liquid to the broth (total 9 cups of liquid). Pour the mushroom broth into large soup pot. Wash all fresh mushrooms carefully. Slice 1/4 of the mushrooms into thin slivers and set aside. Slice the other 3/4 of the mushrooms thickly, and then cook them in the mushroom broth until they are very tender. Liquify the mushrooms and their broth in a blender. Sauté the remaining 1/4 of the mushrooms in butter until crispy. Combine the liquified and sautéed mushrooms in the soup pot. Add the sherry, and add salt and pepper to taste. Cook another ten to fifteen minutes. Serve the soup hot, using the parsley and a dollop of sour cream or yogurt as a garnish. Some people may like to add more salt or pepper at the table. Recipe contributed: February 2003 Objective: Soup Total Time: Yield: 16 servings Suggested Mushrooms: Portobello/portabella, champignon, cremini, button (Agaricus bisporus) 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 3 lbs of fresh wild mushrooms, or 5-9 oz dried (or a combo of cremini, portabello, and shiitake) 9 cups of mushroom broth (if using dried mushrooms, substitute the reserved soaking liquid for some of this) 1 qt half & half (or whole or low-fat works too) 6 tablespoons butter 3/4 cup dry sherry salt and freshly ground pepper parsley (minced to taste) sour cream or yogurt Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

News & Stories / Letter from the Outgoing CEO As my tenure as the CEO of the Fungus Federation comes to a close, there are a few milestones to note and many people be thanked. Mark Gillespie • May 1, 2003 Mark Gillespie, circa 2003 Over the last two years our web site has been completely revamped by Lisa Tesler. She has done an outstanding job of revising our web site and continues to manage it in a very professional manner. We even have the Duff online now. We are much in her debt. Vernetta McGuire has taken over the culinary committee and is assisted by her husband Bill, Marilyn Fenn and the rest of the outstanding committee. Bob Wynn continues to be one of our most stalwart chefs and a driving force in all of these events. The culinary events have expanded and have gone off very smoothly and successfully. We may have to keep this team on indefinitely. Phil Carpenter has taken over running the Fair and the 2003 event was considered one of our best ever. He took over from Lee Yamada, who did an outstanding job for many years. We don’t have enough ink to thank everyone associated with the Fungus Fair. It is a combined effort of dozens of people. For those I haven’t space to mention here, please forgive me. There are so many people behind the scenes who make these activities the success they are. As I look back, I am very thankful to be part of this group and look forward to spending many years to come with you. Mark Gillespie, CEO Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Message From Our Incoming CEO 2009 Demise of the Duff Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Stewardship From the Incoming CEO, 2001 This year I will be taking over from Deb Johnson as CEO. She has left me some very big shoes to fill and as such I would like to begin by thanking her for doing an outstanding job as CEO for the last two years. Mark Gillespie • September 1, 2001 Mark Gillespie She has been a very gracious and talented leader who will be helping me as I transition into this role. We are looking forward to another great year of collecting and getting together at all of our events. I am looking forward to getting better acquainted with everyone in the organization. Last years light rains made for a shorter season than the past few years, so I am sending my pleas for bountiful rains to the gods earlier this year. We are looking forward to the Lake Tahoe forays later in September. There will be plenty of good company, food, and hopefully mushrooms.We also want to encourage more people to get involved as a minister with the FFSC. This is a great group of people that get together once a month for a good meal and each other's company. You will stay informed and get to hear of upcoming events before they appear in the Duff. This spring you can even run for a position when we have elections for new ministers. Hint hint! I would like to take a moment to thank our editor Madeleine Wyke for continuing with us another year. This is the biggest job in the FFSC with a constant deadline. The Duff s have been outstanding and she deserves a round of applause. All members are encouraged to contribute any articles of interest for the Duff early and often. You can call me if you have an idea and are too shy to put something forth. I would be happy to help out. One thing I have appreciated is the new format she has implemented. It's very clean and easy to read. Over the summer. Phyllis Cole passed along a request from the secretary of NAMA: They had a peek at our organization bylaws and wanted to know if they could be offered for use to other NAMA affiliated groups. These would serve as a template for groups to draft their bylaws as they get started. We made a quick check with the ministers using our new mailing list and decided to give them the nod. Most of the group found it a compliment that our bylaws were so highly thought of. They found the titles of minister for our officers very amusing. It was decided leave those titles out to protect our originality. With that lead in, the long promised mailing list for the FFSC is finally here. Please tell any members you speak with that it is now available. Anyone may post a message to the group. I talked with Mike Wood from the MSSF and got a few tips for managing our list, which I would like to pass along. Please only post messages relating to Federation business. Personal messages are not appropriate, i.e. selling one's automobile. One of the topics that has circulated on the mailing list, are continuing updates on SOD (Sudden Oak Death). This plague now has a name from the scientists who first described it in Europe, Phytophthora ramorum . I had a chance to meet Phyllis Cole's niece Shannon Murphy this summer. Shannon is doing research for her masters' degree with David Rizzo at UC Davis on SOD. I mentioned to her that there might be SOD on some oaks near our house that include Quercus wislizenii , the interior live oak. She responded that no cases have been confirmed on interior live oaks and she may return in the fall to verify that our infections are SOD and in interior live oaks. I talked with a local arborist, Maureen Hamb, who pointed out a possible problem. Interior and coast live oaks ( Quercus agrifolia ) can hybridize together and it can be very difficult to distinguish the two. Shannon gave me an ID tip for differentiating the two species. The underside of the leaves contains side veins that branch off the central vein. Leaves with ten or less side veins are coast live oaks and those with more than ten are interior live oaks. We'll keep you posted if her group determines SOD appears to be in interior live oaks as well. I look forward to seeing all of you in the field and at our events! Mark Gillespie, CEO Note from the Editor : Certain info (email addresses, etc.) was subsequently removed from this article due to updates to privacy laws, etc. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Letter from the Outgoing CEO Message From Our Incoming CEO 2009 Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Warm Endive Salad with Chanterelles, Enoki and Asparagus Here is a recipe that you will see in Marjorie Young's and my upcoming book, From Duff to Dinner . by Vince Viverito and Marje Young Flammulina velutipes. © Ulysses M (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 142054993) Method Infuse the Olive Oil Overnight 24 hours prior to serving the salad, heat the oil and basil to 110°F in a saucepan (you can use a kitchen thermometer to monitor the temperature.) Let it cool slightly, cover it, and refrigerate* immediately to steep overnight. Strain the infusion through a fine mesh strainer or paper coffee filter. Return infused oil to the refrigerator until ready for use (consume within 4 days). Pull the oil out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving, so it can warm back up to a smooth liquid. Prepare the Salad Fill a large bowl with enough ice water to submerge the bunch of asparagus. In a large pot, boil water and season with salt and 1 tsp. baking soda. Blanch asparagus in the boiling water for 30 seconds. Immediately transfer the asparagus to the ice water bath, and reserve. Heat 2 Tbsp. of the basil-infused olive oil in pan and cook the chanterelles until they release their water and are soft and aromatic. Season chanterelles to taste with salt and pepper. On a separate cutting board, cut off the woody root base of the enoki, separate the stands, and toss the enoki into a pan with oil or butter to sauté until wilted (about 2 minutes). Arrange the enoki on a plate and allow them to steam for 3 minutes. In the meantime, thoroughly wash the cutting board and your hands before touching other foods.** Cut the chilled asparagus into 1" pieces, and place in a salad bowl or individual plates. Trim the Belgian endive as needed, and place in salad bowl or on the plates. Drizzle the sautéed chanterelles over the salad. Garnish with the enoki** mushrooms and shaved Parmesan cheese. * Note : Fresh basil can carry soil-borne moisture and microbes into the olive oil, such as Clostridium botulinum spores. As 110°F is too low to kill the spores, it's best to keep the oil infusion refrigerated. Alternatively, if you want to save refrigerator space, here's a counter-safe approach that uses dried basil instead: Place ⅓ cup dry basil in a clean, dry, heatproof glass jar, and crush the basil gently to release the essential oils. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan to 180°F. Pour the hot oil over the dried basil, and cap the jar tightly. Steep on the counter at room temperature overnight to build a strong flavor. (3 to 5 days will build a stronger flavor.) Before using, strain the oil through a fine mesh sieve or paper coffee filter to remove gritty herb particles. (If you choose to store the oil for longer, strain it within 2 weeks to prevent bitterness, and to keep the oil clean and bright.) Similarly, fresh garlic, herbs, or peppers can introduce moisture and the risk of botulism. If you want to add such flavors, use garlic powder, dried herbs, dried chili flakes, etc. to keep the oil pantry-safe. ** Note: As of the 2020s, the CDC and FDA warn that raw enoki is prone to carrying Listeria monocytogenes . Traditional Asian cuisines always serve enoki cooked, even in chilled dishes where the mushrooms are blanched and cooled first. Recipe contributed: January 1998 This recipe comes to us from Chef Joseph M. Cirone (former owner of Hay Market restaurant and Over Under bar in San Jose), and is one of many wonderful mushroom recipes we have collected and printed with permission. Editor's Note : From Duff to Dinner is out of print, but you can still find used copies in good condition online. Objective: Salad Total Time: 45 mins plus 24 hours for oil infusion Yield: Serves 4 to 6 as a second course Suggested Mushrooms: Chanterelle (Cantharellus californicus, Cantharellus formosus, Cantharellus subalbidus) Enoki (Flammulina filiformis, Flammulina velutipes) 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 Basil-Infused Olive Oil 2 cups extra virgin olive oil 1 bunch basil (Alternatively, buy infused oil at your local market.) Salad ¼ lb. chanterelles or hedgehogs 1 package enoki 4 to 6 heads Belgian endive 1 bunch asparagus 1 tsp. baking soda Salt and pepper to taste Parmesan cheese, shaved as a garnish Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

News & Stories / Mushrooms and Cooking in Oaxaca Last March we learned of a 5-day/5-night foray with cooking demonstrations and classes to be held in the mountains north of the 5000' high city of Oaxaca in July. Phyllis Cole • October 1, 2004 Lactarius indigo (Indigo milk cap). © Jenny Rhea (from inaturalist.org - ID 12549140) The co-organizers were Mark Thomsen (member of the Mycological Society of San Francisco), and American Susana Trilling, a chef who has lived in Mexico for 17 years. Susana's cooking school ( seasonsofmyheart.com ) and family are located 30 minutes west of Oaxaca. We signed up immediately! Tour members included Susana, Mark, our extraordinary driver, Joaquin, a resident of NC living in Cuernavaca for a couple of years, and four FFSC members, the Yamacoles (us), Dan Bava from Stockton and his friend Joanie from Salinas. Mountains of the Zapotec north of the city of Oaxaca. Photo by Lee Yamada Most of the tour was in and around small towns in the steep mountains north of Oaxaca, whose residents are descended from the Zapotec Indians. Many of the towns are "mancomunales" - run collectively - and usually only people born in a village are able to own land. Each year people are elected to hold various annual positions; all positions are considered an honor, even if it is to be in charge of keeping streets clean. We met the Presidente of one town and several Cocineras (head cooks). Susana had made friends with all the hoteliers, restaurateurs and foragers we met. As a result, all those we met were uniformly friendly, excited to learn more about mushrooms, and generous with their time. The Tour We started with Wednesday dinner at Susana's cooking school, where we ate a wonderful meal prepared by those attending Susana's daylong cooking class. Thursday morning we visited Sierra Viva, a project in Oaxaca run by residents of small. mancomunales in the mountains north of Oaxaca. Sierra Viva buys, dries, sells, packages and locally markets a variety of wild mushrooms. These include Boletus edulis (porcini), Lyophyllum decastes (the "fried chicken group") Lactarius salmonicolor (presumably a salmon-colored lactarius), L. indigo (the indigo milk cap), Russula brevipes (short-stemmed Russula), Hypomyces lactiflourum (lobster mushroom), Tricholoma magnivelare (matsutake), Cantharellus cibarius (chanterelle), Morchella esculenta (morel), and Amanita caesarea (Caesar's mushroom). Amanita caesarea of the Oaxacan mountains. Photo by Lee Yamada We found that the Oaxacan A. caesarea were as common as the LBMs (little brown mushrooms) we find locally and looked like those we found in Italy, unlike those found on the USA's East coast. A note from Mushrooms of Northeastern North Americ a, A. Bessette, A. Bessette, & D. Fischer, 1997, p. 62: "North American collections of A. caesarea are often called A. umbonata , A. jacksonii or A. hemibapha ; the group needs more study." Next we drove north to El Punto, visiting woodworkers who turned a single piece of wood on a lathe to create molinos (mills), whose rings turned freely to whip chocolate into froth! Although a cabinetmaker, Lee had to work hard to complete even the first step. At the next village famous tortilla makers demonstrated their style - we were not successful in making tortillas, but we did well at eating them. We stopped briefly where oyster mushrooms ( Pleurotus ostreatus ) had been grown in a dirt-floored hut. Due to a fly infestation, the day before our visit the building had been cleaned up, so no mushrooms were present. We then met our first local forager, Telly, to forage in a private campground owned by his brother. We found Lactarius indigo , Russula brevipes , Amanita caesarea , plus several other Amanitas and lots and lots of Russulas . We returned to Telly's restaurant where we were served the first of many moles, complex sauces requiring more than a dozen ingredients to be individually prepared. We ate both a mole amarillo with commercially grown oyster mushrooms, and a mole coloradito with Caesar's mushroom. After lunch we drove to Itzlán, home of Benito Juárez (Mexico's Lincoln), checked into our hotel, and went to Lulu's, a local restaurant. Lulu and her family (all friends of Susana's) were delighted to see us and graciously allowed us to use their kitchen for a mushroom tasting - we were far too full for a meal! Lee and Mark cooked up a variety of mushrooms, including Lactarius indigo , Russula brevipes , Amanita caesarea and Lepiota procera (parasol mushroom). Friday morning we drove higher into the mountains before arriving at Capulapan, where local foragers and biologists took us hunting in a protected area. We took our finds to the local Concinera, where we had lunch. We drove on to a school of herbal medicine for massages before a traditional Zapotec sweat lodge with herbs. Returning to Itzlán, we spent the night and had dinner at Lulu's, where Lee and Mark again did a tasting of our finds. Saturday morning we visited a trout farm (one of two in the area) before driving higher into the mountains to Lachatao, where Lilia, supervisor of several natural resources in the area, and her assistants took us on a foray. We found lots of Amanitas and Russula brevipes , but only 1-2 matsutake. Enthusiasm for the habitat took us to a second site before we returned to town and cleaned the mushrooms. In the equivalent of a small, open-air town kitchen beside the town hall, the local Cocinera demonstrated various ways to cook over the traditional Zapotec wood-burning stove. After some wonderful chats with the cordial and hospitable Presidente, we took two quick side trips to check out some shiitake logs - they were not fruiting. In Cuajimolojas, Doña Lucia at her traditional Zapotec wood-fired stove. Photo by Lee Yamada By now, rain was falling and it was getting dark: we can-celed a 4-hour hike on a pre-Hispanic path. Instead we piled into our van: Joaquin safely drove us on narrow dirt roads in steep mountains through pouring rain. Our destination was Yolanda's small restaurant, which doubled as the kitchen of her home; it had a dirt floor and the traditional Zapotec stove. Here for the first time we had squash-vine soup, rice served with sautéed plantains and a foil-baked whole trout stuffed with beans, carrots, and shiitake. After dinner we traveled a bit further to rustic cabins heated by fireplaces in Cuajimolojas, a small village in the cloud forest. Following a delicious breakfast we met Joel, our guide for the day. Alas, the only porcinis on our foray were in the hands of a family of foragers. We ooh-ed and ahhh-ed over their finds and somehow fit the family into our van to give them a lift back to town. Back at the restaurant we had a wonderful meal: including two different moles, rice, and special local potatoes, all with wild mushrooms. We celebrated Joel's birthday with songs in both English and Spanish and presented him with small mushroom-related gifts. Joaquin then drove us back to Oaxaca, where we checked into our hotel, and then met for an excellent farewell dinner at a restaurant chosen by Joaquin, our underground gourmet. Mushrooms in Oaxaca Oaxaca and Chiapas are the poorest two states in Mexico. While select wild fungi can help small poor villages augment diet and meager incomes, the local people have few ways to learn about edible mush-rooms. In our brief visit to a half-dozen towns, we introduced some residents to new edible mushrooms: an almond-scented Agaricus , A. subrufescens , (local residents had not previously eaten any Agaricus ), and Lepiota procera . Hunting and commercially raising mushrooms are limited because of lack of knowledge. Perhaps NAMA's Education Committee or another group might consider "mycological outreach", e.g., teaching local people how to identify other edible mushrooms and how to produce shiitake spawn. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Setas Silvestres in San Sebastian Foray to Mexico Mushrooms of Australia and New Zealand Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Learn About Mushrooms The Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz is all about educating its members and the general public about the dangers and delights of collecting, studying, consuming , and creating art with wild mushrooms. We understand that people learn in different ways. We aim to offer something for everyone! Winter Chanterelles Bunch. Photo by Yevgeny Nyden Classes & Speakers FFSC members take ID classes & workshops from our science advisors to learn the systematic procedures of mushroom identification. This is particularly critical for anyone planning to eat wild mushrooms. We host monthly speakers , and also invite speakers to present at the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair and some of our Long Distance Forays . Plus, we share recipes for mushroom dishes, along with information about external classes for people interested in photographing mushrooms, cooking mushrooms, and even creating crafts with mushrooms! Online Learning Our Featured Fungi pages highlight some of the local (and few not-so-local) mushrooms that you may find in your wanderings, courtesy of our current and past science advisors and foray leaders. As tech evolves, we're also experimenting with new ways to share tips and advice to help people learn about mushrooms! Check out our free FFSC Online Learning area for our first few programs on how to get started with collecting and identifying mushrooms. Note: The educational content we provide on this website is intended to supplement (not replace) formal classes, published books and field guides. Informal Knowledge Sharing Many FFSC members enjoy sharing their knowledge and experience via our Google Group mailing list, as well as in person at our club events, and at our biggest event: The Santa Cruz Fungus Fair. Knowledgeable members of FFSC make themselves available to provide mushroom ID services to others. (In fact, local hospitals have consulted with a select group of our science advisors for many years, to evaluate mushroom poisoning cases.) Special Projects & Scholarships Are you working on a mycology project at your school? FFSC offers scholarships and grants to support STEM and mycology research. See our Scholarships page for more information. More Resources Other Mycological Clubs Other Nonprofit Resources Members Only Content Login Join FFSC

News & Stories / Mycology & Art News A Very Mushroomy Halloween To You, Too! Halloween is fast approaching, and this is Santa Cruz’s favorite holiday. Are your kids dressing up? Are you? Deb • September 27, 2013 Omphalotus olivascens (western Jack o'Lantern) at the Fungus Fair Julian and Gabriel sported magnificent Muscaria costumes while out trick-or-treating with their family and some friendly elves last year. We can’t wait to see what they do this year, and would love to see your costumes, too! Send photos to our Google Group or Facebook group. Larger images are preferable, thanks. For further inspiration, visit Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=mushroom%20costume Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Haikus Celebrating the Secret Life of Fungi Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Painted Portobellos in Puff Pastry A smoky-sweet and tangy pastry, with a mild to medium spicy heat. by Deb Agaricus bisporus. © Christian Schwarz (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 10379455) Method Preheat oven to the puff pastry brand's recommended temperature (or 425°F). Beat egg lightly with 1 Tbsp. of water to create an egg wash. Roll out a puff pastry square on a floured surface, large enough so that the ends can be easily folded up over a mushroom cap. (Since portobellos vary in size, you may have to roll out the puff pastry to different sizes. Avoid rolling thinner than 1/8", so you don't crush the butter layers.) Paint the portobello caps and gills liberally** with the puréed chipotle, and place cap down on the puff pastry.*** Fold the puff pastry ends up so they meet and complete enclose the mushroom cap. Turn the pastry over and place on a lined baking sheet. Brush each pastry with egg wash. Optionally, cut a decorative design into the pastry. Place in oven and bake at the pastry brand's recommended temperature (or 425°F) until pastry is golden. ** Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked red jalapeño chiles. They are usually sold canned in a tangy tomato-and-vinegar adobo sauce, most commonly pureed. Thus, the sauce will have a mild to medium heat. Since you'll be "painting" the mushrooms (not putting normal jalapeños in the pastry), you can adjust amount of sauce to taste. *** Revision : Newer food safety guidelines recommend avoiding undercooked mushrooms. To address this, either first gently sauté the caps until they soften, or roast the painted caps at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes. Allow the caps to cool before placing them on the rolled out dough (so they don't melt the fat in the dough). Depending on your puff pastry brand and oven, precooking the mushrooms (and thus evaporating excess moisture) may also help to make your pastry more crisp and flaky. Recipe contributed: October 1995 This recipe was adapted from a newly published cookbook, A Cook's Book of Mushrooms by Jack Czarnecki. Jack is the owner/chef of Joe's Restaurant in Reading, Pennsylvania and The Joel Palmer House in Dayton, Oregon, and at least a second generation fungal forager. Jack prepared and shared several elegant recipes from his new book at a cooking demo/lunch in Carmel recently. The recipes are geared to exotic mushrooms now available in stores such as Oysters, Chanterelles, Portobellos, etc., though they are certainly adaptable to other wild mushrooms. A bit more sophisticated than the usual mushroom cookbook, this is a great book for the veteran chef and a good introduction to wild mushroom cookery for new foragers who feel confident gathering a few varieties and purchasing the rest. Happily for us, thanks to FFSC member Phyllis Cole and Athena Reschke, it is currently available in stores, a great holiday gift. Check it out at the next club meeting! Jack will also be speaking at one of our club meetings this year, he's a great chef and very entertaining. Editor's Note: A Cook's Book of Mushrooms won a James Beard Award in 1996. The original cookbook with 100 recipes is out of print, but it's still available at thrift bookstores. A newer book by Jack Czarnecki, J oe's Book of Mushroom Cookery is also available with over 300 recipes; as well as mushroom-specific cookbooks, Truffle in the Kitchen: A Cook's Guide , and Portobello Cookbook . Objective: Side or first course Total Time: 30 to 60 mins Yield: 4 servings Suggested Mushrooms: Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus regineus, Boletus rex-veris) Portobello/portabella, champignon, cremini, button (Agaricus bisporus) 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 4 x 5 inch squares of all butter puff pastry dough 4 fresh portobellos* (3 - 5 inches wide caps, no wider) 2 Tbsp. pureed chipotle peppers in adobo** 2 Tbsp. Chinese oyster sauce 1 egg Water Flour Baking sheet (full or half sheet, big enough to fit your mushroom caps with room to spare) Parchment paper or silicone mat to line the baking sheet * Jack notes that this can also be made with any of the larger wild mushrooms, and is particularly good with porcini. Due to the spiciness of the chipotle peppers, avoid mild mushrooms such as oysters. Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Hugh Smith There's a whole world out there waiting to be discovered! FFSC TITLE : Minister emeritus MEMBER SINCE : maybe 2007 ... started out as a child... growing up in the tide pools of the Pacific coast with my marine biologist mother. Since before he could remember, Hugh acquired an intense interest in all of the wonders that nature has to offer. Latin became his second language. Later Hugh became interested in photography, and then his brother took him on his first mushroom hunt in Fort Bragg, California. It was a very successful mushroom hunt! It was a full blown Boletus edulis season. Hugh had never seen a mushroom so big! And there were so many. Being already accustomed to the Macro world he was hooked. Photographing mushrooms is much easier than photographing Nudibranchs in the tide pools. Living in Northern California (Yuba City) he does most of the hunting there and the Pacific Coast. Hugh carries his camera everywhere he goes. There's a whole world out there waiting to be discovered! https://www.hughsmith.org/ 2026 Hugh Smith 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets

Coccoras Coccoras are one of my favorite mushrooms to see and collect. The distinctive colors, thick cottony cap and striation on the cap edge makes this Amanita a little easier to ID. If I am unsure at any point, it stays in the ground and I take away the memory, image and sometimes a photo. by Katherine (Kitty) Elvin Amanita calyptroderma Debbie Viess has a very informative link on the BAMMS web site which tells more about this species. You can visit mushroomobserver.org and iNaturalist for observations. Amanita calyptroderma - Fall Coccora - tan to light brown Amanita vernicoccora - Spring Coccora - light yellow When I was first learning I ran into a lovely patch, while walking my dog Lexy, which I thought where coccoras. But I was new, so I collected a few of them to get some positive ID. I came home and posted pictures of my finds along with another Amanita sp. found in the Spring favoring oak trees on google groups. I got some interesting comments warning me to be very careful. I did take my coccora sample and got a positive ID. Kitty with Coccoras Since then I have been enjoying both Fall and Spring coccoras found on the coastal ranges and in the Sierras. They are beautiful and delicious and best of all one large specimen provides a tasty addition to any meal. Be picky and selective. I choose only firm young ones and take only what I can use right away. Mushrooms covered: Amanita calyptroderma (coccora) Amanita vernicoccora Previous Description All Featured Fungi Next Description