Culinary Techniques Wild mushrooms possess an amazing range of flavors and aromas! Beautiful packages of umami, they can be rich and meaty, subtle and delicate, and redolent of almonds and spice. Learn how to properly clean, preserve and prepare your foraged finds to make the most of those flavors. Matsutakes (Albion). Photo by Katherine Elvin Generally speaking, the best mushrooms are fresh mushrooms. If you're not cooking your mushrooms in the field: Don't clean them (aside from removing larger dirt chunks) until you're ready to prepare or process them. Store them in the fridge in paper or waxed paper bags--never plastic, as mushrooms need to breathe. Plastic bags will yield mush rather than mush rooms . Preserving the balance for future enjoyment is rewarding, and the method chosen will vary with different mushrooms and your personal preferences. Explore some ideas below! When you're ready to cook them, check out these Recipes ! Filter by Mushroom Close To Brush or to Wash? ... Generally speaking, the best mushrooms are fresh mushrooms. Refrigerate as soon as you get home, and don’t wash until you’re ready to prepare or process them. Freezing Mushrooms ... Cooking and then freezing works well for certain types of mushrooms. You should either sauté or microwave the sliced-up mushrooms before freezing them, depending on how you plan to use them. Drying Mushrooms ... Did you know that mature boletes, craterellus, candy caps, morels, and several other mushrooms can actually taste even better after being dried and then reconstituted? Salt Pickled Mushrooms ... We are fortunate to have the following instructions for salt-preserving mushrooms come from Galina Plizga, a talented and experienced mushroom preserver. Vinegar Pickled Mushrooms ... Mushrooms that have been properly pickled in vinegar can last for years. They be eaten as an appetizer, or incorporated into other recipes. Pressure Canning Mushrooms ... Pressure canning is a process for canning mushrooms while not utilizing vinegar to create an acid environment. Pairing and Cooking Mushrooms with Wine ... Everyone knows drinking wine with wild mushroom dishes is a delight beyond compare. Can we go a step further and think about pairing styles of wine with a particular mushroom genus?

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FFSC News & Stories Field reports, member stories, and mushroom-related news, from newest to oldest. (Visit FFSC Events for upcoming club activities.) Cookeina tricholoma (Mont.) Kuntze (2014, Yukatan). Photo by Yev Nyden More Finds Featured Fungi Mushroom Photos Recipes Events of 15 pages Go Go Go Go Go More Finds Featured Fungi Mushroom Photos Events Recipes Mycology & Art News FFSC News June 18, 2026 Spring Fungi of the Sierra Nevada - 2026 Recap Each spring, the retreat of the snowpack provides a unique ecological window of opportunity for “snowbank fungi”, a group of mushrooms that (as the name suggests) grow in and around snowbanks. As spring gives way to summer, curious mycophiles from around the world gather at a rustic campus in Tahoe National Forest to study these fascinating fungi. Category Writings FFSC News May 20, 2026 FFSC 2026 Ministers Elections-Results Welcome our new slate of FFSC ministers elected at May 19, 2026 general meeting. Category Stewardship FFSC News March 10, 2026 FFSC Bylaws 2026 Revision We are revising our club bylaws. FFSC members are encouraged to review the changes before the April 2026 members meeting. Category Fair News FFSC News January 20, 2026 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair: Our Mission in Action The Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz exists to expand the understanding and appreciation of mycology through education; and to assist the public, institutions, and partner organizations in advancing that goal--and keeping the FUN in fungi. The 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair brought all of these groups together to make high-quality mycological education accessible to thousands of people, while producing real scientific output and supporting local arts, culture and economic development. Category Writings FFSC News November 10, 2025 How I Spent My Summer Vacation I officially retired in Oct 2024 and after the end of our club season this year, I suddenly had more time to go foraging. Category Field Reports FFSC News November 1, 2025 Field Report - Nov 2025 Local Foray After scant fall rains, about 30 inquisitive fungiphiles met on a Saturday morning to see what might be popping up in our local fields and forests. Category of 15 pages Go Go Go Go Go Filter by Category Fair News Field Reports Mycology & Art News Stewardship Writings Reset

Featured Fungi Ready to get into the woods? Browse our list of featured fungi for tips and intel from our science advisors, ID specialists, and experienced foragers and learn about some of the common and not-so-common mushroom species you might encounter in the wild. Fort Bragg, 2021. Photo by Hugh Smith We hunt mushrooms for study, for their beauty and/or strangeness, and in some cases for the table. The pages and stories our members provide on this website are not intended for you to use as an ID guide for edible mushrooms. You must must be qualified to positively identify every individual mushroom in your collection as an edible species before eating it. Remember: "When in doubt, throw it out!" When collecting fungi for the table: Learn how to use a formally published field guide correctly. Get help from ID specialists to verify the identity of mushrooms you're still learning to identify. Don't assume nearby or look-alike mushrooms are the same species. Identify every single specimen. If you live in the Bay Area, you can join the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz or a related mycological club to gain more skills. For example, in FFSC's mushroom ID classes you will learn how to use and then practice using the classic field guide Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora, with a science advisor available to confirm/correct your ID attempts. On our local forays and long-distance forays , our science advisors and experienced members can also help you identify mushrooms you've collected. You're also welcome to bring mushrooms you've found to any of our events. Here are a few other useful resources about eating mushrooms The Mycophagist's Ten Commandments Mushroom Poisoning Potluck Essentials What We're Reading (field guides and more) Get intel about some of our favorite mushrooms below, and check out our Fungi Photo Gallery for some of our favorite photos! Filter by Mushroom Close A Bolete by Any Other Name... ... Many mushrooms we see in our local woods now have a new name or spot in the myco tree of life. One of our most prized groups of local mushrooms, the boletes, is no exception. Let's look at some name changes that you might need to be aware of if you're using older field guides. Agaricus Reflections ... When I was a boy, my father, sister and I would pick Agaricus cupreobrunneus, campestris, and sometimes bitorquis . We enjoyed them, by themselves, cooked in a little butter, or with other foods. They were a delicious part of early winter. 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. Coprinus comatus -- What Is Going On With That Inky Cap? ... Learn about the fascinating and at times powerful liquification scenario known in biological terms as deliquescence or auto-deliquescence , one of the key morphological characteristics associated with this long-appreciated edible mushroom. Fomes fomentarius, the “Tinder Fungus” ... Most of us enjoy the process of walking through moist forests in search of fungi for the table. For some of us, it is the hope of finding a rare or unusual species that draws us to the woods. But in a time before matches and Bic lighters, a hike in the woods yielded fungi that held the promise of a fire . Four Dry Season Mushrooms ... At the beginning of the season, while we wait patiently for the fall rains to arrive, there are still some interesting sporocarps lurking in our local outdoor spaces. Galerina marginata (autumnalis), aka “The Deadly Galerina” ... In this article we take a look at a little brown job, that is dear to my heart but probably not to most of yours. Honey Mushrooms - Armillaria mellea ... Objects or firewood stacked up against a trunk, misguided nearby plantings, surplus soil or mulch, and other man-made sources can allow certain mycelium to infiltrate oak, maple, grape vines, blackberries, and orchard trees and shrubs. Mark shares some lessons from his professional experience with mitigating and preventing "Oak root rot", a.k.a, Armillarea Root Rot, or Armillaria mellea . Hygrocybe laetissima (Waxy Caps) ... As deep winter settles on the Redwood Coast, you’ll begin to notice many small red, orange and yellow Waxy Caps (Hygrocybe ); sprinkled through the understory of redwood forests; beacons of color in the dark duff. Hygrocybe singeri, Western Witch's Hat ... Have you ever found a bright orange to red waxy cap, and brought it home only to find your once colorful mushroom was dingy black colored? You have found one of the blackening Hygrocybe , or the “Witch’s Hats”. Inky Caps - from "Basic Inky Cap ID for California" ... "Out of the millions of different kinds of fungi out there, I think that inky caps are the coolest by far. They are called inky caps because they dissolve into black ink when they get old. They are also often misidentified, so I put together a list of the common inky caps and their differences." Lawn Agaricus ... This featured species turns up in the plastic bags of people attending the Fungus Fair perhaps more than any other fleshy fungus. Invariably, hordes of people will be lined up at the mushroom ID table with bags containing fresh to soggy specimens of Agaricus mushrooms they found “growing in my lawn. Are these edible? Will they poison my dog, cat, kids?” Marasmius plicatulus ... This species has a lot of features setting it apart from the rest of it’s marasmioid brethren: electric-sunset stipe coloration, oddly wiry-stipes (often tipped in pom-poms of creamy-white mycelium), and finely velvety caps often covered in beaded-up water droplets. Meet Amanita pruittii: Arora’s Amanita, Anonymous No More! ... Those of us who are passionate about all aspects of wild mushrooms are a breed apart. As mycophilic outliers to the societal norm, what better focus for our discerning attention than a mycological oddity like the renamed Amanita pruittii ? This mushroom is unimposing, squat and warted, sometimes grows in standing water, and most curiously, is not found with a mycorrhizal partner! Mycophagy Challenge: Ten Edibles to Find this Year ... People come to the love of mushrooms for various reasons, but for most in this club, the main reason seems to be that they are good to eat! By focusing on learning just a few mushrooms really well, you can “pick up” a few new species each year almost effortlessly. Snorkeling for "The Rogue" Mushroom ... Robert Coffan, an Adjunct Professor of water resources at Southern Oregon University, was vacationing with his family on the Rogue River. A bit of wading resulted in a surprise: He discovered a new species. Sorry, it's a Suillus ... "Look at all these Boletes!" As an eager beginner, you spend an hour in the woods collecting what you think is going to be the meal of the year.... Sorry… it's a Suillus . It's the culinary equivalent of a wet sponge, and a maggot riddled one at that! The Chanterelles ... One of the first wild mushrooms that beginning foragers seek out is our local golden chanterelle. That is most likely because it is relatively abundant, is easy to recognize and has a reputation for being a good edible. For many years, these mushrooms went by the Latin name Cantharellus cibarius . It was only recently that the various different chanterelle species have been given their own unique names. Tricholoma Murrillianum (Matsutake) ... Of all the choice edible mushrooms that occur in our area, none eluded me longer than the matsutake, Tricholoma murrillianum . Wavy Caps (Psilocybe cyanescens) ... Psilocybe is the primary genus of hallucinogenic mushrooms, containing such famous species as Liberty Caps (P. semilanceata ), Cubes (P. cubensis), and the topic of this article, Wavy Caps (P. cyanescens ). What is Not to Love About The Prince? (Agaricus augustus) ... Just when you thought the mushroom season was over, “The Prince” may appear, providing mushroom enthusiasts a culinary bounty. Tall, stately, golden-hued and perfumed like almond paste, this royal-sized mushroom often fruits in warm weather. Coming upon the Prince unexpectedly can be an experience to remember.

Mushroom Recipes Our FFSC members love to share recipes! Whether you're looking for something new to try at home or for one of our potlucks, here are some tasty recipes to experiment with. Mushroom Bisque in a Teacup. Photo by John Spaur Filter by Mushroom Close Candy Cap & Sage Pork Tenderloin ... This savory Candy Cap dish delighted members at one of our long-distance foray dinners. Curried Green Beans with Sulphur Shelf ... Enjoy this tasty treatment for sulphur shelf mushrooms in coconut curry. Morel Corn Macadamia Fritters ... Thai-style recipe. Fritters can be served warm or at room temperature as an appetizer or side dish. Morel Crusted Ahi Tuna ... This one went super fast at one of our Wine & Mushroom gatherings! Mushroom Bisque ... I usually look at other recipes and then wing it, so quantities are guesstimates. The liquid needs to be varied to get the right consistency of the bisque. North African Pork and Beans with Candy Cap Mushrooms ... We most often think of the Candy Cap in a sweet context; this recipe provides a delectable savory alternative! Pasta Porcini ... This Northern Italian recipe comes from the year Deb taught school in Trieste, Italy. Porcini Soup ... Robin Morris shared this wonderful Porcini soup recipe. Enjoy! Savory Mushroom Clafouti ... I learned this recipe from the late Larry Stickney, a phenomenal guy who was instrumental in creating a culture of mushrooming in the Bay Area. Wild Mushroom Duxelles ... Spread on a baguette or crackers, or use it as mushroom duxelles to enliven a variety of dishes.

Mushroom Photo Gallery Beautiful, interesting, awe-inspiring or just plain quirky mushroom images that our members have shared. Coprinus (inky cap). Photo by Stephanie Tucker Photography for ID Purposes You can also send us photos if you'd like help with identifying a mushroom you've found. Check out our tips on how to create photos for mushroom ID purposes. Many of our members explore the fields and forests with camera in hand, taking photos of mushrooms they find. We've collected a few of our favorites below. Browse our Featured Fungi pages, news articles and field reports, and social media channels for more photos from our members. Showcase a Photo Got a great shot? Whether it's coffee-table-book-beautiful, shows a field guide level of detail, or conveys the sheer joy of mushrooming, we'd love to see it!

News & Stories / The Mushroom Basket Not long after my dad passed on, my mom and I were in the “cantina” (combination store room/wine cellar) of her home. We were cleaning out shelves of canned goods, when my eye spied a large wicker basket about 30 inches in diameter. Marianne Cogorno • May 2, 2011 Foragers Basket (2014). Photo by Cass Fuentes FFSC member Marilyn Diamond handed me a copy of this story at the Fungus Fair. It is a lovely reminiscence of a childhood amongst ardent mushroom foragers. I hope you enjoy it! Regards, Wendy The basket handle had been rather haphazardly reinforced with string and wire. My mom saw me looking at it and with a smile announced that this was the basket my dad used when he went mushroom hunting. She asked if I would like it and I quickly jumped at the chance to have this memento, to remember him. Mushrooms, because of their abundance and excellent quality in the “old country” were and are a mainstay of Italian cooking. The rich mountain soil near my hometown of Stockton produced mushroom. Some say they are not as flavorful as those which grow in Italy, but certainly more than acceptable for those Italians who had immigrated to California. So they continued the tradition of mushroom hunting—both for the richness mushrooms added to their food and to the sport and fun of it! I was only an observer to this process, because mushroom hunting always took place in November and December, when I was in school. Because the growing conditions of the mushroom dictated exact timing, the seasoned “hunter” would know exactly how much rain, fallen over how many days, would cause these precious molds to grow. It was not unheard of for my father to wake up early in the morning and decide right then that this was the day to go “up to the hills” to go mushrooming. Not only were the perfect growing conditions absolutely essential, but also the location was also critical. Several variables played an important part in where mushrooms would grow in abundance—exposure to light, slope of the land, amount of compost in the soil—were all important to the critical eye of the mushroom hunter. There would be places that yielded a significant mushroom harvest, but often there was much secrecy about the exact location. I can remember my father and uncles discussing their good luck on various mushrooming expeditions, but exact “spots” were rarely revealed. There was a friendly teasing and rivalry about who could find the biggest stash, and one’s worth as a man was somewhat measured by the quantity he could produce! Despite this competition, everyone in the family was of course very generous about sharing mushrooms, should someone run out. The part I did play was in preparing the mushrooms for drying. First the mushrooms had to be cleaned by hand. Each mushroom was held in one hand, while the other gently but thoroughly removed all the slimy surface dirt from each crevice and plane. The cleaning rag, which soon became heavy with moist dirt, gave off the heady odor of locker rooms. This process seemed to take hours, as the mushrooms were transferred from the dirty pile to the clean one. Next, old window screens were placed on sawhorses. My mom expertly sliced the mushrooms into cross-sections and then they were placed on screens to dry. After what seemed like weeks, but was only probably days, the dried delicacies were placed in tall tins, with bay leaves and dried chili peppers as a fumigant, to be stored until needed. While mushroom hunting was usually, but not always a man’s domain, the women were not to be outdone with their skilled preparation of this rich and delicious “ambrosia,” which found its way into sauces, or scallopine and when fresh into frittate or antipasti. We took for granted the spectacular flavor combinations the “lowly fungus” provided, because year in and year out, our food was seasoned with this flavorful garnish. It wasn’t until I began cooking for my own family, that I realized how the canned variety paled in comparison. As my dad got older, he made fewer mushroom hunting trips, so I was relegated to buying canned mushrooms for less special meals, and to hoarding the less abundant dried delicacies that came my way for “dining!” The day I brought my dad’s basket home, I had a hard time deciding where to put it. I knew it was too bulky to be displayed on a wall or on a table. But then one day after about a year, I decided on the perfect spot to display it - the hearth of our family room fireplace. It still has it’s reinforced rope and wire handle, just as my father last left it. At Christmas time it holds Poinsettias, at Easter ferns, and in the summer miniature Calla Lilies. But most of all my Dad’s basket holds sensory memories of a time gone by. I can feel the crisp autumn wind on my cheeks and nose reminiscent of mushroom hunting time. I can smell the peat must emanating from the mushrooms piled high ready to be cleaned. I hear the banter as elders teasingly refuse to share the exact coordinates of their special mushroom hiding “places”. I see several generations congregated together in the cold basement huddled working together to process the mushrooms. I can savor those marvelous delicacies, the well-earned reward for hours of tedious, dedicated work. Certainly, the goal of mushroom hunters was the end product: the wonderful, concentrated flavor a dried mushroom brings. Beyond that, the basket reminds of the constancy and the anchoring that the mushroom hunting experience brought to my early years and helped define who I was and am. How lucky I am to have a visual reminder of a very important part of my Italian culture; how glad that I realized it should be displayed in plain sight. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / 2018 December Albion Foray Species List We didn't have much rain, but we found many smaller mushrooms. Katherine (Kitty) Elvin • January 4, 2019 Gomphidius in the Rain. Photo by Jim Austin Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts 2016 March Sierra Report 2016 Alaska Foray Field Report Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

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

News & Stories / Bedbugs Banished by Beauveria Bassiana Just when those creepy little bloodsuckers seemed to become resistant to all pest control options, in comes the mycological equivalent of Buffy the vampire slayer, Nina Jenkins and colleague Matthew Thomas. Cortinarius • May 12, 2014 Grasshoppers killed by B. bassiana (on wikimedia.org) In truth, the real heroine is an arthropod-killing fungus, Beauveria bassiana. Jenkins and her team are pursuing research and development on a new bio-pesticide utilizing powdered fungal spores of B. bassiana. Initial bioassays show promise. Invading bedbugs marching through the dust appear to be highly susceptible, going belly-up within 6 days. Although this is a novel approach to bed bug infestations, B. bassiana is already in use as a bio-pesticide for termites, thrips, whiteflies, aphids and some beetles. Nina Jenkins is working at Penn State in the Thomas Lab where her work centers on the development of bio-pesticides derived from fungi. Development includes strategies for mass production of fungal conidia, its enhancement and long term stability. For more, visit [a copy of] the original article: https://web.archive.org/web/20140926020643/http://www.huck.psu.edu/about/news-archive/thomas-bedbug-control/ Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Microscopy of Gilled Mushrooms Could a Stropharia Filter E. Coli Bacteria From Drinking Water? Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Psathyrella sp. Photo by Peter Vahlberg Psathyrella sp. Peter Vahlberg Found at Sanborn County Park under a log. Camera Nikon D5600 Focal L. 60mm Aperture f/25.0 Shutter Sp. 1s ISO 400 Flash Off Photo taken on April 16, 2019 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Earth Star (Astraeus hygrometricus). Photo by Tim Teske Earth Star Tim Teske Found in Rancho San Antonio park along the Rogue Valley Trail. Appeared shortly after a brief day of rain during an unusually dry season. Learn more about the genus Astraeus : Astraeus (fungus) , Wikipedia Barometer Earthstars (Genus Astraeus) , iNaturalist California Mushrooms, page 460 Astraeus hygrometricus , Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast, page 533 Camera Apple iPhone X Focal L. 4mm Aperture f/1.8 Shutter Sp. 1/100s ISO 40 Flash Off Photo taken on December 23, 2017 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo