Beer and Mushrooms Picnic As our stories turn to morel hunts and spring kings, we gather for a co-op potluck picnic with the Central Coast Zymurgeeks , a local homebrew group. (Wouldn't you go just to say you had MET a "Zymurgeek"??) But seriously, these people make some fine brew and cider! The überchefs of FFSC grill up a storm, and FFSC members bring main dishes and lots of mushroomy sides as well. The 2026 Beer and Mushrooms Picnic will be held on Saturday, May 16. Members can access more info below. Fried Morel Corn Fritters at Suds n Shrooms. Photo by Katherine Elvin The annual Beer and Mushrooms Picnic (formerly called "Suds 'n' Shrooms") is a great time to gather, enjoy the end of the season and the usual array of great potluck food that our excellent cooks in the FFSC provide. What's more, you'll have the opportunity to sample some fine, award-winning beers made by the excellent zymurgists (brewers) of the Central Coast Zymurgeeks. If you want to learn or share information about the art of brewing, the Zymurgeeks are extremely knowledgeable and can address your questions. Asking brewers how their beer was crafted will be greeted with enthusiasm and a detailed procedure This is a members only event. Of course members of FFSC and the Zymurgeeks may bring family and friends of all ages, and well-behaved pets on leash! Visit this website around March-April each year (or join our Google Group mailing list ) to find out when the next picnic is scheduled! As with all our potlucks, please be sure to review any specific requirements outlined in the event announcement, as well as the guidelines in our Potluck Essentials page. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC

News & Stories / September Seasons and October Rains I pause to reminisce about September and the beginning of our mushroom season. What a start, with our wonderful 25th anniversary dinner followed closely by the beautiful Echo Summit foray at Lake Tahoe. Wendy Wells • October 2, 2009 Volvariella bombycina. Photo by Taylor Lockwood (taylorlockwood.com) Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Stories from the April 1, 2009 Issue of Duff FFSC members foraged far to fetch mycological miscellanea for this month's issue of Duff ... Sue Willis • April 2, 2009 Amanitas. Photo by Bob Sellers New Supplement Makes Virtually Every Foray Fruitful! One of the first questions I encounter when identifying a mushroom for beginners is, "Is it edible?" Well, edible or the Latin word edulis means fit to be eaten, and is often used to contrast with unpalatable or poisonous examples. However, edibility is in the mouth of the beholder, because a lot of fungi are edible but not "tasty" (my narrow experiential definition of edible). So herein is the dichotomy, "Yes, the mushrooms are edible, but so is cardboard with leftover pizza sauce" (often more tasty than the fungus my novices are inquiring about). Is it edible? Photo by Bob Sellers This dichotomy is about to change. Handheld Enterprises , a large vitamin and food supplements pro-ducer in Scotts Valley, CA will soon be marketing a capsule that makes nearly every mushroom edible! Called Fungedible ™, this herbal supplement containing the compound sillymarin, derived from silk thistle, will when ingested, make Russulas refreshing, Sarcodons scrumptuous, those jumbo Gymnopilus gustatory (it's about time!), Paxillus prominently palatable, Leucopaxillus lip smackin' good, and Cortinarii comestible. Have you got a favorite patch of Entolomas?Never mind, a couple capsules taken before cooking will render those fruiting bodies extremely enticing to eat. The package insert says to ingest several capsules at least an hour before eating any mushrooms to give the silly-marin time to deaden the user's nervous system and taste buds. However, the supplement is not to be used with hepatotoxic Amanitas and others because it doesn't neutralize mushroom toxins in these species. The FFSC expects to have this supplement in its stores in time for next year's mushroom season. Happy April Fool’s Day! Bob Sellers Minister of Local Forays and longtime toadstool tester Wandering in the Wilderness With(out) Bob! Foray to Snipehunt State Park. Bring a compass and water. Foray leader Bob Sellers will lead a group into, but not out of, this uncharted territory, leaving only a trail of morels as your guide back to the parking lot. Participants on the foray will do their best to ditch you — yes, you! — and pretend they forgot you stepped off the trail for a moment to ... you know. Guaranteed to be fun for those in the know! Meet at the Snipehunt State Park, Futility Trailhead at 10 AM, Wednesday, April 1st. Confirm details before you depart. New Rules for State Parks Starting September 2009, it will be a misdemeanor to leave established trails in state parks, according to new rules established by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Parks Director Ron Sterns says, “when people get off trail, it’s usually an excuse to do bad things, like pick mushrooms and wild berries. This has to stop!” Marks added that, “taking mushrooms and berries from our parks is a bad, bad thing. It’s just plain theft of state park resources.” Every time a mushroom is taken from the park, an animal goes hungry, he claims. Sterns says he is aware of mushroom collecting tricksters who wear binoculars and carry copies of Sierra maga-zine to throw off rangers. “Seen every trick in the book,” says Sterns, “and my binoculars are bigger.” Mushroom Named for New President A mushroom new to science was recently found on the outskirts of Washington DC recently. To honor President Barack Obama, the mushroom will be named Barack obamaensis . The fruiting body has a large cap with evenly spaced gills and sits on a firm stalk. This mushroom which is believed to be mycorrhizal with the common Aprilus foolus tree. Well Known Author to Host Dinner and Mushroom Event David Arora was truly inspired by this year’s remarkable FFSC Fungus Fair. During the two days he spent at the fair, he chatted with old friends, cer-tified the ID of several fungi in the displays, and offered advice to newcomers. In fact, he was so moved that he has invited the entire membership of the FFSC to his home near Gualala this summer. In a letter to CEO Bill White, he expressed his gratitude for the fine accom-plishments of the club. He noted the obvious focus on mushrooms at the fair, and he praised the members of the FFSC for their hospitality. In return, said Arora, “I want to give back to the club that has done so much to engender mushroom education in the Bay Area.” Arora promises a full day of activities, including a tour of his African collections, the famed koi pond, and a personal tour of his 100 acre property. Breaking News During the height of last year’s bolete season, mycologists from UC Berkeley swarmed over David Arora’s property, noting the GPS location of each porcini in its natural habitat. As part of a long term study, every specimen will become part of a scientific study into the growth patterns and locations as the host trees age. We have just learned that a laptop containing this valuable data has been stolen from the Department of Mycological Studies. The alleged thief may not know that the porcini study is on the computer’s hard drive, but we’ve heard on the street that the value of the GPS data is higher than the value of the laptop. Happy April Fools Day, David Rust East Bay Duff Correspondent Book Review: Churning Up the Duff Churning Up the Duff by Debbie Viess, paperback, Nine Speed Press, 2009 Churning up the Duff is a must-read for any mushroom club member in California and beyond. This startling expose, an insiders’ look into the social anthropology of local mushroom clubs, chronicles the voyages of 'Amanitarita' through interviews and stories gathered for nearly a decade. Her analysis of the social mores and culture of key players rivals Gary Alan Fine’s Morel Tales . Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Stories from the April 1, 2010 Issue of Duff Stories from the April 1, 2011 Issue of Duff Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Field Reports NAMA Foray Report: McCall, Idaho David and I, and a bunch of other fungally inclined folks, just returned from the NAMA 2008 McCall foray, and what a fine time we had. The rather dry mountain terrain much like our Sierra, in fact) was well wetted by recent rains, and by the end of our time there, the ground was producing scads of glorious fungi. Debbie Viess • December 1, 2008 Dr. Rod Tulloss. Photo by Debbie Viess Before the masses discovered the mycological motherlodes, plenty of fungi could be had by hunting various wet zones...along lakes or stream-courses, and in moss-laden seeps. The non-fungal wildlife was abundant, too, with ospreys and eagles, blue grouse and spectacular mountain woodpeckers overhead, and moose, elk, bears, cougar and even wolves skulking the woods. I didn't see very many of those splendid denizens of Idaho, but I am sure that some of them saw me! The human element was no less spectacular, with a great variety of friends and acquaintences and myco-luminaries present from across our great country. Rod Tulloss, master of amanitas, drove to McCall from New Jersey after a brief, unexpected stop in Salt Lake City. I think that I speak for everyone when I say that we were beyond delighted to see him appear, and even more delighted to get his scholarly opinions on our amanita collections! Dr. Cathy Cripps was our Chief Mycologist, and presided over the taxonomy lab for the duration of our stay. A fine contingent of mycologists from the PNW collaborated on IDs and lectured to the masses, including Michael Beug, Steve Trudell, Judy Roger and Patrice Benson. Contributing members from the Great Plains states included Steve Miller, the University of Wyoming "Russula Guy", and Larry Evans from Montana. Suillus ( Fuscoboletinus ) ochraceoroseus . Photo by Debbie Viess We were, as always, delighted to see Tom Volk, who educated, entertained and regaled us. Vera Evenson, talented CO mycologist, was also a constant presence in the taxonomy lab, and was the proud and genuinely surprised recipient of the 2008 NAMA Knighton award for devoted and exemplary service to NAMA in particular, and to amateur mycology in general. Pennsylvania mushrooms were well represented by the Plischkes both Sr. and Jr., and Carlene Skeffington was a great example of North Eastern mycology at its finest. Many, many others contributed in myriad ways. Larry Stickney at NAMA Foray. Photo by Hugh Smith The California contingent was its usual enthusiastic self, comprised of BAMS members Hugh and Sandi Smith, Dimi and Alex Bojantchev, BAMS/FFSC friends Henry and Marje Young, David and I, and Ron Pastorino and Tom Sasaki from across the Bay. And of course, the inimitable elder fungal statesman Larry Stickney, who was always cheerful, as well as mindful of the decades of NAMA history that he has lived through. A number of our fine California photographers were represented in the NAMA photo contest: the perennial Ron Pastorino, Hugh Smith and even myself were photo prizewinners. Although my new buddy from North Carolina Todd Elliot, aka the "Cordyceps Kid" was unable to attend, I was pleased to see several of his entries in the photo contest. And there were several entries by the talented David Work, a photogra-pher with both a good eye and the ability to capture what he sees. Michael Beug also had many fine, prizewinning photographic entries, and produced a nice Saturday night "Mushrooms of Idaho" program for both NAMA members and paying members of the local McCall community. The very fine, fine artist Paula Fong displayed and sold her artwork to the myco-masses. I spied Tom Volk purchasing some of her morel prints (go figure!), and I became the proud owner of a gorgeous print of her spectacular "candy stick" painting (indicator species and obligate achlorophyllus parasite on matsutake mycelia). Maggie Rogers brought with her a veritable library of mushroom and mycology books, all for sale to the highest bidder, and I managed to increase the weight of my already bulging suitcases with a number of fine and bargain purchases, the proceeds of which benefited NAMA. SIMA, the local Southern Idaho mushroom club, worked hard to put together a broad spectrum of talks and field excursions, and our meals, such as they were, were produced on site by the Pinewood Camp Baptist Church; hope the food's better in the afterlife, folks! But maybe I've just lived too long in my little slice of California gourmet ghetto.... The weather in the McCall mountains, elevation 5,000' and up, was delightfully cool and sunny. The forests where we hunted were mostly comprised of conifers: spruce and fir, hem-lock and larch, and a smattering of pine. Our tree ID was helped along by a little booklet produced by the Idaho Forestry Service. There was some old growth, too, although I never got into any ancient forest myself. But there was not much in the way of hardwoods, despite a few pockets of aspen. And of course, as promised, there were plenty of hot springs. While David sweated in an all-day NAMA meeting, Marje and Henry and I happily sweated in the delightful Gold Forks hot spring, followed by a quick jaunt up a streamside mountain road, where my first mushroom of the foray was a gi-normous Boletus edulis just off the road, itscap at least 18 inches broad, adjacent to a cozy cluster of three more big boletus. Many other curious mushrooms followed. Amanitas in the field primarily consisted of muscaria var. alba (the white-phase muscaria) and something that Rod is calling Amanita ameri-muscaria, which differs in significant ways from the European muscaria, as shown by DNA analysis. This beastie had an orangish cap, and a rather odd universal veil, similar in some ways to aprica; Micheal Beug and I were arguing over this very ID when Dr. Tulloss drove up, to have the ultimate final word. Talk about good timing! Hypholoma capnoides . Photo by Debbie Viess Collaborative IDs were the rule, and the lab was abuzz with congenial and happy mycologists, from seasoned pros to talented amateurs and several formal students of mycology. I was amazed by the broad spectrum of colors represented by the species complex Russula xerampelina , all tied together by that distinctive odor of shellfish. We had at least forty species of lichen IDed to species by Dr. Roger Rosentreter, a former student of Orson Miller, who was a decades long, local lichenologist, and plenty of polypores too, brought to life by Tom Volk and another gal polypore expert, Jessie Glaeser. I was delighted to renew my acquaintence with Walt and Fran Sundberg, who happily attended and contributed to both the NAMA 2008 foray and the Highlands NC mushroom class we all enjoyed in July. And of course, Hope Miller was a constant presence, our mycological godmother as it were, as she shared and smiled and remembered in a place that she and Orson loved so well. Great mushrooms, great people, great times. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts FFSC Members receive NAMA Awards and Honors in 2009 Field Reports NAMA Foray Kudos Field Reports Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Fair News Fungus Fair 2009 — Better Than Ever! This year’s Fungus Fair was bittersweet. The sweet part was tasty indeed: record attendance, great speakers and exhibits, outstanding volunteers, much-needed funds raised for the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History and the Fungus Federation, and, not least of all, well-timed rains producing plenty of mushrooms in an increasingly dry year! Deb • February 2, 2009 Exhibit at the 2009 Fungus Fair. Photo by Hugh Smith Congratulations and thanks to Fair Chair Marje Young and the team for a job well done! Less sweet are the recent fiscal doldrums leading to cutbacks at the museum. It has been our distinct pleasure to work with Jenifer Lienau Thompson and Tremain Jones. They have brought both professionalism and personality to the Fungus Fair, a winning combination. We will miss them and hope we don’t lose touch. We look forward to continued cooperation with the Santa Cruz Museum Association and encourage all of you to help in their efforts to keep the museum open. You can learn more at the museum website. January 13, 2009 Dear Fungus Federation Members, Fungus Fair Great Hall. Photo by Hugh Smith The 35th Annual Santa Cruz Fungus Fair was a phenomenal success! 3,452 people attended over two days – a stand-out record! On behalf of the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, the City of Santa Cruz, and the Santa Cruz Museum Association, I want to express my sincere thanks for all of the time and effort your group has shared with us this year, and in all the years since the Fair began 35 years ago. Together, our organizations have built a unique Santa Cruz tradition that continues to bring a delightfully fun educational experience to our community, and brings curious visitors into our City. We can all be very proud of this shared accomplishment. Over the 10 years that I have worked for the Museum, it has been my honor and privilege to work with many of you. I want to personally thank the members of the Fair Planning Committee with whom I’ve worked closely over the years: Marje Young, Debbie Johnson, Bill White, Phil Carpenter, Marilyn Fenn, Rene Seltzer, Jim Maley, Mark Gillespie, Lee Yamada and Phyllis Cole. You welcomed me graciously into your fold 10 years ago, and I am grateful for the support you have continually shown me, other staff members, and the Museum of Natural History. That current economic events have brought my formal relationship with the Fungus Federation to an end saddens me greatly. However, given the energy, dedication, and enthusiasm that your members have shown, I have every confidence that the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair will continue to flourish for years to come. Sincerely, Jenifer Lienau Thompson Director, Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History Next, our Fair Chair, Marje, has a special message to all of our fantastic volunteers below! Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts FFSC 37th Annual Fungus Fair Rocked Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / 2008 Holiday Potluck Recap A full house braved the drizzle and were rewarded with a wonderful potluck dinner. Deb • January 1, 2009 Full crowd at the 2008 Holiday Potluck Photo by Debbie Johnson Potluck dishes at the 2008 Holiday Potluck Photo by Debbie Johnson There was buzz about many dishes, particularly the Cream of Many Mushrooms Soup, the Pheasant with Wild Mushrooms , Tri-Tip with Chanterelles, Pork Loin with Boletes and the Mushroom Barley dish. Sorry if you missed it, and will those talented people please send recipes here? I went through the line late, so if you had something else magnificent, let me know and we’ll try to get the recipe. Besides the great food, there were Matsutake party favors brought by Bob Sellers! Our thanks to Margaret Carpenter, Richard Lyness and Bob Wynn, who put on a great evening, and to the wonderful volunteers who helped to set the scene. Bob Sellers Matsutake party favors at the 2008 Holiday Potluck. Photo by Debbie Johnson Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Field Reports Don't Forget Your Squirrel Permit... Monise and Peter Sheehan attended last year’s Spring Foray and returned the next weekend to continue their, ummmm, squirrel foray? Here is their story, as told by Monise. Monise Sheehan • May 2, 2010 Squirrel. By unknown (Creative Commons License) Yes, we went back up to Eldorado. There were more thunder showers which is great for the mushrooms and bad for the campers. On our way into the campground we stopped along the road and found a bolete or two. It seems as though the rangers are becoming a lot more aggressive about collecting permits. We ran into one while we were eating lunch and visiting with a friend (also from Watsonville). He was up there dirt biking. What were the odds of running into a friend out in the middle of the Sierras? I think he was put there just so that he could watch me tell my tall tale! (Continued for FFSC members below) Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Field Reports Matsutake or Amanita? Thank You, Debbie Viess! Since last year the Albion forays are one of my favorite times of the mushroom season. This season, at the first Albion, I joined Dawn, Drew, Sergiy and Richard to foray for matsutake. Maria Tanase • January 1, 2011 Western Matsutake (Tricholoma murrillianum). Photo by Hugh Smith At the first stop, three feet into the forest, Richard found the first cluster of mushrooms and he called Dawn to come from the car, to pick them. Unfortunately the cluster was a group of Russula and Lactarius, not matsies, and the spot was almost empty. Sergiy finally got 3 matsutake and I found 2 (one big, ID’d by Richard, and then a button). Back at the cars Dawn, looking at my button, asked how I could be sure that is a matsutake. At the next spot I found a few more matsutake and then we moved to a chanterelle spot. Having a good Santa Cruz chanterelle spot, I wasn’t too much into picking chanterelles so I started picking hedgehogs. Then I stepped on the Black Trumpets ( Craterellus cornucopioides ) and in no time my basket was full with blacks, even if it wasn’t their season. I learned later that this location is a known blacks spot by others, but none had thought to check it. Back at the Field Station I sorted and cleaned the mushrooms, but I still had a doubt about those two matsutakes. I asked Debbie Viess if she would take a look at my first pair of matsutakes and, as always, the answer was “Yes, I’d be glad to”. I took my first-picked matsutake from the bag and showed it to her. The answer was “yes it is a Matsie”, but when I showed her the second one, even with that button still in my hand, the answer was immediately “now that is a bad Amanita - Amanita silvicola ”. Then she and David explained to me, and a few other people around, the differences between matsutakes and Amanita and what to check for. A lesson I will never forget. Thank you to Debbie and to all FFSC club leaders. The organized forays are the best way to really learn mushrooms, and believe me with an Amanita in your basket by mistake, the lesson has much more weight. Learn more about these mushrooms: Tricholoma Murrillianum (Matsutake) Mykoweb: Amanita silvicola Mykoweb: Tricholoma murrillianum Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Albion II, 2011 – Great Forays, Fungi and Food Memories of Matsutake Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Chanterelle Look Alike Rewriting Evolutionary History This beautiful little mushroom isn't a mushroom at all. It is Dendrogramma enigmaticaI, a newly named organism from the deep seas near Australia and it may be rewriting evolutionary history. Well named...It is in fact an enigma! Cortinarius • September 2, 2014 Dendrogramma enigmaticaI (hosted on nationalgeographic.com). Photo by Jorgen Olesen Found in 1986 but only recently named, this deep sea organism can't be classed in known animal groups. It's relatives could have roamed the seas 540 million years ago. Now, biologists are scratching their heads over the little guy and wondering what it can tell us about evolutionary history. For more information visit: https://web.archive.org/web/20140904222855/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/09/140903-evolution-animal-dendrogramma-mushroom-species-ocean/ Thank you Richard Rammer for this news post from National Geographic! Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts The Wood Wide Web (from the BBC) Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Dye Workshop Recap 2013 Alissa Allen’s dye workshop held on March 16th was attended by 20 fungus and fiber enthusiasts, and it’s safe to say that everyone had a lot of fun! Deb • April 1, 2013 2013 Alissa Allen Dye Workshop - Group photo. . Photo by Deb Johnson 10 mushroom and 2 lichen species yielded a vivid rainbow of 28 hues on wool, and two community dyepots bubbled with yarn, socks and shibori silk scarves. Who knew you could get olive green from Phaeolus schweinitzii ? No worries if you missed this one; more to come next season. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Mycology & Art News Relishing Medicinal Mushrooms Part I Part 1 of 2: We will visit the history and use of medicinal mushrooms, and attempt to answer why, at this time in our history, we are suddenly inundated with a massive wealth of new knowledge on the subject. Chef Zachary Mazi • March 2, 2013 Trametes versicolor (turkey tail). Photo by Larry Volpe Editors Note: Consult your physician before consuming or using any mushroom for medicinal purposes; and ensure you have personally researched and understand how to prepare such mushrooms appropriately. Chef Mazi has been studying herbal medicine and mushrooms for over 10 years, and combining these deep earth wisdoms with fine culinary cuisine. In 2012, Food Is Medicine emerged as a co-project of Chef Zachary Mazi and partner Dr. Juli Mazi, ND; the aim of this organization if to help people worldwide understand that their choices in food matter greatly, and yet the pressure to eat can be lessened exponentially by sticking to intuitive, local and organic options. Food Is Medicine Coach/Chef Zachary Mazi would like to invite you to take a two part journey into the use of medicinal mushrooms in cooking. In this first part, we will visit the history and use of medicinal mushrooms, and attempt to answer why, at this time in our history, we are suddenly inundated with a massive wealth of new knowledge on the subject. In part 2, which will appear in the April issue of Duff , we will explore in greater detail the medicinal values of many of our commonly loved edibles. Each part will be accompanied by some delicious recipes that Food Is Medicine have created to really relish this delicious medicine. Mushrooms used as useful allies for humankind date back to before we recorded history. In the Materia Medica of Chinese Medicine, one can find the history of its seemingly mysterious and vast array of plant parts—dried, fresh and powdered—and certain fungi, spanning back to the nearly the beginning of written history, at least to 6000 BC. Elsewhere in the world, the now-famous ice-man—found preserved in ice on the disputed Swiss-Italian border —was found carrying two mushrooms, both polypores: Fomes fomentarius and Piptoporus betuinus (1). The former was thought to be used as both a fire insulator, to carry embers from one place to the next, and simultaneously used as tinder, packed with flint and stone. The latter was used as a blood stopper. Indeed, the use of mushrooms in ritual, or at the very least the mushroom being adored and worshipped, has been found in cave art about 10,000 years ago by the Tasili tribesmen in Northern Africa (now the location is the Sahara desert, but at this early time, it was a lush and green paradise...perhaps the pre-historic garden of Eden?) But our primitive use of mushrooms certainly has a much greater history even than the recorded history examples above. Of the 22 primate species that eat fungi as part of their diet, 3 of them spend more than 10 percent of their time feeding on fungi. Of these, the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey spends 95% of it feeding time eating lichens, and Goeldi’s monkeys spends up to 63% of its feeding time eating sporocarps(2). It is not apparent whether these primates are using them as food strictly, or as medicines like they do some leaves. These specifics bog western science down. Nevertheless, it is clear that mushroom medicine has been working its magic on our ancestors since time immemorial. Winding a curious path from primate to pauper to priest and to prophet, from folklore to physician, and now to us! What is most fascinating, historically speaking, is the sudden and almost frenetic burst of enthusiasm for the study and innovation in medicine derived from fungi, in the recent decades. If mushrooms have been a part of our culture and heritage for so long, then why suddenly, in the past 30 years—and even more so in the present day—are we seeing an acceleration in the sciences describing these incredible chemical factories? It appears that the confluence of truly needing the medicines they have to offer, with the instantaneous ability to share our results worldwide with the click of a button is exponentially allowing us to get a glimpse into the vast expanse of mystery that is the Kingdom Fungi. Mushrooms have a strange and extremely varied means of chemical production. Manufacturing complex and nearly indescribable compounds—some that resemble compounds made by animals, and some completely foreign to our bodies—these amazing creatures are producing toxins and poisons, vitamins and even complex molecule pathways that mitigate oil spills and other environmental disasters. Like animals, many fungi produce vitamin D when interacting with UV radiation, such as from the sun. Shiitake mushrooms, under the right conditions, have shown to increase their vitamin D content by up to 41,000% in the sun over the course of just one day! Maitake mushrooms are not far behind in the same regard(8). This is a non-reversible chemical reaction, meaning that we can dry our mushrooms in the summer sun and store them until the winter doldrums to get the benefit of their Vitamin D during the darker months. (Even dried mushrooms will undergo this reaction in UV light.) Like animals, fungi breathe in oxygen, and exhale CO2, freeing the stores of the greenhouse molecule from the decaying wood and detritus on the forest floor and elsewhere. The respiratory similarity requires antibody similarity as well, because the same bacteria and viruses that can attack our cells and systems can attack these oxygen breathing cousins of ours the same way. This is the source of some of the most powerful disease fighting compounds that even the US Department of Defense has noted (for example, for use in the case of a bio-terror attack using small pox)(7). The adapted species have spread a fine mess of life lines branching through time, and the vast number of species estimated stands at anywhere from 1.5–5.1 million species of fungi on the planet. They outnumber plants on the planet almost 6:1, and of these, only 70,000 had been described, including molds, and other non sporophor producing fungi(3). So what is now fueling the sudden acceleration of interest and of knowledge taking place in this field of science and classification? It may be because we are only aware of just over 1% of the estimated species. There is definite pressure to expand this knowledge—nature abhors a vacuum. It may be because the number of people on the planet is constantly increasing, whilst our ability to share data exponentially doubles with more regular frequency; it may be that the earth itself, under the duress of environmental catastrophe, is reaching out through the proven biological model of success shared by the mycelial mats of fungi and of our own brain: networking and redundancy. Whatever the reason, medicinal mushroom studies are accelerating in interest and significance, and we, dear reader, are present to reap the benefits and witness this monumentally important age in mankind’s history. Mushrooms and humans have evolved separately on this planet, neither needing the other to survive. As such, the vast array of chemicals that mushrooms produce have far ranging effects on the human body, from educating the body on how to recognize cancer cells more effectively, to causing death and destruction of the internal organs at a fairly rapid pace. And in between these two extremes, lie complex relationships even on the individual level, with some people being deathly allergic to certain mushrooms for which a vast number of people will pay top dollar for example, such as in the case of the matsutake mushroom(4). What is fascinating about medicinal mushrooms is their relative accessibility, their novel ways of effecting the human immune system and other systems, their effectiveness at relatively accessible doses, and the ease of extracting. With many mushrooms, the whole mushroom is indicated, and small amounts (10 grams [1/3 oz.] dried or 6 oz fresh) is a sufficient amount of material to potentiate the magic in healing. These are doses that are equivalent of a pharmaceutical level, without the pesky side effects. We are indebted to such authors and herbalists as Christopher Hobbs (OR, USA) and Robert Roger (BC, Can), for their tireless work sifting through thousands of works and distilling the modern mushroom materia medica for even easier accessibility. And while there are numerous compounds that have been isolated by various means of extraction, it is the edible, medicinal mushrooms that offer a shiny promise even further, and it is these mushroom that we shall explore herein. For what is a true medicine if not relished and taken into the body with pleasure; beyond the pleasure of the healer or the healing, but the momentary and fleeting pleasure of the senses! Cooking with medicinal mushrooms, a field yet to be fully discovered and explored, holds promise for such an exquisite combination of ancient wisdom and 21st century indulgence. This uniting of esthetic worlds can only bring us closer to uniting our health and well-being with our everyday practices. Lets start with a well known mushroom, and a regular for use in medicinal mushroom stocks and broths. The turkey tail mushroom, Trametes versicolor , which is itself difficult to eat due to its very tough flesh, yields both its medicine and its unique sour, musky flavor to mushroom stocks, rices, and soups. If powdered, the mushroom can be eaten; otherwise, it does not add much to the meal, being so tough to chew. Used in conjunction with more fragrant mushrooms like shiitakes, the turkey tail recedes from notice in any dish, perhaps supplying a lingering bitterness. This mushroom is one of the most widely prescribed medicines for cancer in Japan, because of a special humungous molecule called Polysaccharide K, or PSK. PSK has a molecular weight of approximately 10,000 molecules of water. This heat stable, hot water extractable molecule seems to train the body and its specialized cells, natural killer cells, to be better at recognizing the cancer cells lines in the body, and boost the immune system through various means to help destroy even the most advanced hormone related cancers like prostate and breast cancers. Paul Stamets tells the story of his mother, who with stage 4 breast cancer and three months to live, took the second opinion of a foreward thinking oncologist in Seattle and took PSK containing Turkey Tail capsules in conjunction with her regular pharmaceuticals for 1 year, at which time she had no detectable cancer.(5) Thankfully, the turkey tail mushroom grows almost everywhere dead wood can be found, is easy to recognize, and it is such a stable medicine, that it last a long time on logs and branches, forming massive colonies. In the US, Bastyr College of Naturopathic Medicine has just been approved by the FDA to begin research on the effectiveness of the whole mushroom in the treatment of cancer and as an adjunct to cancer therapies already in well established. Proving these ‘theories’ is no easy feat, as the mushroom produces many thousands of compounds, which potentially work in tandem to produce its staggering results, and no particularly easy to grasp ‘mechanism of action’(6) as required by the FDA. The take-away from the story of the turkeytail is a parable that describes many mushrooms waiting at the door of medicine right now. This multi-faceted aspect of immuno-modulating mushroom medicine is common among almost all mushrooms that have some medical benefit. Unfortunately for the rigorous west, this medicine does not desire to fit into our definition of medicine. As its own kingdom, Fungi has its own rules, very different from ours. Like the mystical Qi of Chinese medicine, the direct mechanism of action is hard to pin down by the western approach to science. It may be that finally, under the humble guise of the simple sporophor that we call a mushroom, the foundation of isolated sciences in the field of medicine—demanding direct answers to too-simple questions—may deliquesce and melt away under the weight of new holistic data. Let Bastyr’s important study be the start of this process. Our acceptance of these bio-remediating (earth medicine) and clinically medicinal mushrooms represent a great turning point in humankind’s history... if we choose to adopt this wisdom more ancient than our species to our benefit. In Part 2 of our this article, we will explore the individual and specific aspects of many of our beloved mushrooms, their uses and their lore. And, of course, recipes that we have developed to enjoy cooking with medicinal mushrooms. So as we close for this session, here are some recipes Food Is Medicine has developed to utilize and relish your medicinal mushrooms. References Peintner, U; Poder, R; Pumpel, T (1998). “The iceman’s fungi”. Mycological Research 102 (10): 1153–62. doi:10.1017/S095.375.6298006546. Hanson, A. M.; Hodge, K. T.; Porter, L. M. (2003). “Mycophagy among Primates”. Mycologist 17: 6. doi:10.1017/S0269915X0300106X. Blackwell, Meredith; “ Fungi: 1, 2, 3,...5.1 million species?” American Journal of Botany; March 2011 vol. 98; no.3 426-438 Takako Toda, Masao Yamaguchi, Yuko Nakase, et al; “A Case of Anaphylactic Reaction Following Matsutake Mushroom Ingestion: Demonstration of Histamine Release Reaction of Basophils.” Allergy International; doi:10.2332/allergolint.10-CR-0205. Landau, Elizabeth; “The Forbidden Fruit of Medicinal Mushrooms.” CNN; September 2012; http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/02/health/tedmed-mushroom-man http://m.bastyr.edu/news/general-news/2012/11/fda-approves-bastyr-turkey-tail-trial-cancer-patients Isaacson, Andy; Mother Jones Magazine; Nov/Dec 2009. http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2009/11/paul-stamets-mushroom Stamets, Paul; Fungi Perfecti; August 6th, 2012. http://www.fungi.com/blog/items/place-mushrooms-in-sunlight-to-get-your-vitamin-d.html Ware, Kendra. “The Many benefits of Agaricus bisporus Extract.” Weight Loss Studies; January, 2013. burnitnowasap.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-many-benefits-of-agaricus-bisporus.html Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Relishing Medicinal Mushrooms Part III Mycology & Art News Relishing Medicinal Mushrooms Part II Mycology & Art News Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Become a Fair Volunteer We need volunteers to set up and run the 2026 Fungus Fair. Honestly, we can't do it without you! What Do Volunteers Do? Ready to sign up? Here's how . During the Fair (Jan 9-11) Help with ticket sales and voucher redemption Check hand stamps Set up and/or take down tables and chairs for the After Hours Dinner Help at the FFSC membership table The central island ready to receive the fungi from volunteers. Photo by Katherine Elvin Before the Fair Collect wild mushrooms for the exhibits (January 6-7) Help arrange the mushroom exhibits (January 7-9) Load and unload tables, chairs, equipment, etc. for the Fungi Forest, talks, and craft areas (January 6-9) Help to plan the Fair (June - December) At the End of (and After) the Fair Take down all the exhibits (January 11) Fold and store all the tables and chairs (January 11) Celebrate a job well done at the Volunteer Dinner! (TBA) Ready to sign up? How to Become a Fair Volunteer 301 Center St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA Anyone can help! You do not need to be a member of FFSC to volunteer. To be eligible for a FREE General Admission ticket to the Fungus Fair, you must pre-register as a volunteer, and work for at least one volunteer position (usually for a few hours, depending on the role). If there is an area or task you particularly enjoy, it's a good idea to sign up early to nail it down now. To volunteer during the Fair (Friday, Saturday, Sunday), please visit: https://ffsc.ivolunteer.com/fungusfair_2026 To volunteer for set up before the Fair, or take down at the end of the Fair, please visit: https://ffsc.ivolunteer.com/setup_2026