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Purple Slime (Cortinarius sp.). Photo by Sam Betty Purple Slime Sam Betty Taken by an FFSC member, now living in Sonoma. Cortinarius sp. can be seen at Salt Point. Camera Apple iPhone 6 Focal L. Aperture Shutter Sp. ISO Flash Photo taken on November 27, 2016 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

News & Stories / Field Reports Habitat Walk Summary - 2013 To open the 2013 - 2014 mushroom season the Fungus Fed of Santa Cruz held a habitat walk on the west side of Santa Cruz on the morning of Saturday, September 28th. Though significant amounts of rain had yet to fall, the event was well attended by an enthusiastic group of around 20 fungiphiles. Cass Fuentes • September 29, 2013 2013 foray / habitat walk Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts November 2014 Habitat Walk Field Reports Foray and Habitat Walk March 2015 Field Reports Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Stinkmorchel Kompott (Stewed Stinkhorns) A dish to cure hopeless wimps, foul moods and lovesick lady-killers. Thanks to Annie Lang for sharing this recipe! Annie Lang • April 1, 2012 Phallus aurantiacus. © Alan Rockefeller (CC-BY-SA) (from mushroomobserver.org, obs. 53135) Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Stories from the April 1, 2009 Issue of Duff 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

Champignons à la Niçoise This is a chilled hors d'oeuvre to serve before dinner, perhaps with some black olives, radishes and good crusty bread. Works with cremini as well as your favorite wild mushrooms. by Bo Letos Craterellus tubaeformis. © lostcoastmike (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 193898995) Method Brush or wipe mushrooms clean and trim the stalks. Heat the oil in a pan and gently cook the onion until soft. Stir in the garlic and mushrooms. Add the tomato and cook over high heat until the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated. Pour in the wine, water and lemon juice and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook over high heat until the liquid has reduced, to leave just enough sauce to coat the mushrooms. Remove from the heat and stir in the tarragon. Spoon the mushrooms into a dish and allow to cool before serving. Recipe contributed: September 1996 Enjoy in the late summer and early fall while we have good fresh garden or farmer's market tomatoes. Use good quality canned plum tomatoes when fresh tomatoes start tasting like cardboard! When the tomatoes are gone, we'll have rain to find more flavorful mushrooms to substitute! It's a trade-off... I came up with this recipe after being inspired by Recipes from a French Herb Garden , by Geraldene Holt. Editor's note: The above-mentioned cookbook is out of print, but you can still find it in thrift bookstores online. Objective: Appetizer Total Time: About an hour Yield: 3 to 4 servings Suggested Mushrooms: Chanterelle (Cantharellus californicus, Cantharellus formosus, Cantharellus subalbidus) Hedgehog (Hydnum olympicum, Hydnum repandum , Hydnum umbilicatum, Hydnum washintonianum) Morel (Morchella sp.) Oyster / king oyster mushroom (Pleurotus eryngii, Pleurotus ostreatus) 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 1 lb. button, cremini, or wild mushrooms* 2 Tbsp. fruity olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped 2/3 cups dry white wine 2/3 cups water Juice of 1/2 lemon Salt, freshly ground pepper to taste 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh tarragon * Other options to experiment with: Thickly sliced Porcini should stand up well to the garlic, tomatoes, and wine. Chanterelles might pair nicely with the tarragon and bright tang of lemon juice. Hedgehogs release less water, which may result in a richer coating of sauce. Yellowfoot can be left whole or halved, making a gorgeous presentation. King oysters (sliced into rounds or chunks) or shiitakes would also provide a meaty bite. Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Reishi Mushroom. Photo by Katherine Elvin Reishi Mushroom Katherine (Kitty) Elvin Lisa's finds... Camera Nikon COOLPIX P510 Focal L. 4mm Aperture f/3.0 Shutter Sp. 1/800s ISO 400 Flash Off Photo taken on September 18, 2015 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

News & Stories / Stewardship Hats Off — A Note of Thanks from the Minister of Propaganda It has been a pleasure serving the club this season through the design and development of the Duff . Madeleine Wyke • May 1, 2001 Hydnum oregonense. © Gordon Walker (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 148047408) Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Notes from the Outgoing CEO Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Mycology & Art News MushroomObserver.org — A Place to Share What We Discover When I first started collecting mushrooms, I was ten years old and my mother was the local authority. She recognized chanterelles and Russulas. She taught me what an Amanita is and to never, ever, ever eat one. Nathan Wilson • November 1, 2006 Chlorophyllum molybdites. © Nathan Wilson (from mushroomobserver.org) However, she also knew that she didn’t know a lot of the species we were finding, so we got some books and joined the Mycological Society of San Francisco. At the time I assumed that all these mushrooms we were finding had names and it was just a matter of getting the right books or finding the right person to figure it all out. Ever since then I have continued to collect and study mushrooms. Ultimately, I broke mom’s rule about the Amanitas , but only after David Arora taught me to recognize Amanita velosa and Amanita calyptrata . Along the way I have also learned that there is a huge amount of basic research that still needs to be done. By some estimates less that 5% of the world’s species of fungi are known to science. While things are slightly better for the large fleshy fungi known as mushrooms, it is still a common experience to come across a mushroom that cannot be easily identified in the available books or which doesn’t really fit the definition of any recognized species. For example, one of those familiar and tasty Amanitas David taught me still needs more scientific work. In particular, it is not completely clear whether the proper scientific name is Amanita calyptrata , Amanita calyptroderma or Amanita lanei . Personally, and I believe David agrees with this, I now call them Amanita calyptroderma . However, there’s still that pretty light-yellow form that shows up in the spring that may or may not be the same species. One of the other things I’ve learned is that there are far too few professional mycologists in the world. However, there are a lot of us amateurs and if we could find a way to channel some of our enthusiasm, I believe it is possible for us to make a meaningful contribution to these problems. With that in mind I have created the website www.mushroomobserver.org . The purpose of this site is to record observations about mushrooms, help people identify unfamiliar mushrooms, and expand the community around the scientific exploration of mushrooms (mycology). Ultimately, I hope this site will become a valuable resource for both amateur and professional mycologists. I like to think of it as a living field journal of mushrooms. The site is designed to provide a permanent place for anyone to contribute to our basic knowledge about mushrooms. Anyone who joins can record mushroom observations, upload images, and get help in identifying mushrooms. All contributions are welcome. The site allows people to make comments on others’ observations and create lists of observations to use as species lists for events or locations. There are still a bunch of features I want to add, but it’s now at a point where I think it’s useful and interesting. The membership has been growing and people are really starting to add data. There are currently over a 1000 photographs of more than 500 species. I hope you get a chance to check out the site and look forward to getting to know those of you who decide to dive in and share what you find. - Nathan Wilson Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts D.I.Y. Mycoblitz Mycology & Art News Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Logo Design Contest 2026 Calling all artists! Submit your entries for the 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair logo design contest! The deadline is 10pm on August 18, 2026. The winning logo will be used on the official Fair T-Shirts, posters and other materials. The Grand Prize is $500 plus other perks! Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Committee • July 20, 2025 2026 Fungus Fair Poster Placeholder Submissions for this contest are closed. Artists who submitted entries have been notified of the results offline. The winning artwork will be used as the basis for the 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair logo. The contest ended on Monday, August 18, 2025. Please submit your logo design(s) by 10pm PT on Monday, August 18, 2025 . Grand Prize The winning artist will receive: $500 in cash Two (2) General Admission* tickets to the 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair (valued at $15 each) One (1) 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair T-shirt (valued at $30-35) One (1) set of 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair giveaways (poster, postcard, etc.) Artist name credited with the artwork on all materials that use the logo** Finalists Exhibit Photographs or reprints of the winning artwork and up to 10 of the finalist entries for this logo contest will be displayed at the London Nelson Community Center during the 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair, January 9-11, 2026. Each displayed image will be accompanied by the artist's name, URL or contact info, and a brief description.*** Images of the exhibited*** entries will also be posted on the FFSC website, and may appear on social media. Contest Rules Eligibility Anyone in the United States can submit an entry. Each individual can submit up to 5 entries. The finalists and winning design will be reviewed and selected by representatives from the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair organizing committee. Members of the selection committee are not eligible for the grand prize. The deadline to submit entries is August 18, 2025 at 10pm PT. Logo Design Guidelines Your original work only. Please don't violate any copyrights. Special consideration will be given to designs that incorporate these concepts: Distinctly recognizable, real mushroom species known to occur in California The 2026 Fair theme: Underground Wonders: Secrets of the Fungal Kingdom Suitability for an all-ages T-shirt Special consideration will also be given to designs which are accompanied by: Suggestions for background colors to use for the T-shirt and poster Suggestions for where to place "Santa Cruz Fungus Fair" and the year (2026) Suggestions for typefaces to use on the T-shirt and poster. Note: If you choose to include text within the artwork, any fonts used must be free for commercial use. You can see examples of our past Fungus Fair logos below. Technical Guidelines Initially, we only need a PDF or screenshot of your artwork for consideration. If your entry is shortlisted as a finalist, we'll contact you for the original work. That said, we strongly recommend that you design your contest entry to be print-ready or easily adapted to the following requirements for the final logo: Colors: Max colors within the art file for printing: 7 colors You can suggest a specific T-shirt color as an 8th color Artwork / digital canvas size: Printable with high quality at 9-11"w x 9-11" tall File type: Vector art (Adobe Illustrator (.ai), or a .pdf containing vector art is strongly preferred. Adobe Photoshop (.psd) or .png that contains high resolution vectorized art will be considered. If you provide rasterized art, please prepare it for printing at 300 dpi. File name: Include your name and the artwork title in the filename. Logo Design Usage The winning entry will be used for the 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair logo. The 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair committee may, at their discretion, alter the graphic elements, font or verbiage from the winning entry while creating the final 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair logo and merchandise. The winning entry and final logo will become the property of the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz for exclusive commercial use in marketing and merchandising for the 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair, and in any other way the organization sees fit in alignment with FFSC's mission. The Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz reserves the right to reproduce the artwork and logo indefinitely. The 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair logo will be used at the 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair, and will appear on the 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair T-shirt, as well as on posters, postcards and other materials which will be displayed in the Santa Cruz, California region. The logo may be also used in marketing by Fungus Fair vendors, sponsors and speakers, as well as in social media which could be seen worldwide. Submit Your Entry This year we're trying Google Forms to collect entries for this contest. (Entries are no longer being accepted.) We look forward to seeing your ideas! Past Examples of Fungus Fair Logos These examples demonstrate how we've used the Fair logos on posters in the past. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts A Short History of the Fungus Fair Fungus Fair Sculpture at the Wharf Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Beurre Composé aux Champignons So, your recipe calls for using mushroom caps, leaving you with mushroom stems? Use your trimmings to create a few pats of compound butter to flavor your other dishes! by Tahoma Mycological Society Craterellus cornucopioides trimmings. © Lisa Tesler (CC-BY-NC) Method Finely chop all bits and pieces. (If using specks from the bottom of a jar of dried mushrooms, feel free to reconstitute first.) Sauté until all liquid evaporates. Cool briefly, then fold into softened (but not melted) butter or margarine. Refrigerate. Compound butter is great for topping baked potatoes, drenching steamed vegetables, frying scrambled eggs, or spreading on toast. Recipe contributed: November 1993 Inky Captions was the historical newsletter of the (now defunct) Tacoma Mushroom Society (TMS). This recipe was originally published in the February 1993 issue of Inky Captions , and was reproduced with permission in Duff in November 1993. Objective: Sauce / topping / stuffing Total Time: 10 - 15 mins Yield: Varies Suggested Mushrooms: Black trumpet / black chanterelle (Craterellus atrocinereus, Craterellus calicornucopioides, Craterellus cinereus) Butter bolete (Butyriboletus persolidus) Giant cypress Agaricus (Agaricus lilaceps) Horse mushroom (Agaricus arvensis, Agaricus osecanus) Leccinum (aspen, birch, and manzanita boletes) (Leccinum insigne, Leccinum manzanitae, Leccinum scabrum) Pavement mushroom (Agaricus bitorquis) Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus regineus, Boletus rex-veris) Portobello/portabella, champignon, cremini, button (Agaricus bisporus) The Prince (Agaricus augustus) 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 Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

News & Stories / Cam Cam by Taylor Lockwood Cam Cam is a short video of mushrooms and original music by Taylor Lockwood. Yevgeny Nyden • June 21, 2014 A photo from Taylor's "Cam Cam" YouTube video. © Taylor Lockwood A short video clip from Taylor F. Lockwood: Cam Cam (39 seconds) with some of his new "Brazilian" music. It will be included in Taylor's latest video project, Spirits of the Forest. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Taylor Lockwood's National Geographic Magazine Debut Bioluminescent Mushrooms from Spirits of the Forest Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Writings Haikus Celebrating the Secret Life of Fungi FFSC President Richard Lyness challenged the membership to come up with our own haikus based on the 2016 Fungus Fair theme, "The Secret Life of Fungi". Katherine (Kitty) Elvin • December 17, 2015 Albion Finds. Photo by Zachary Hunter Haiku is a Japanese poetry form. A haiku uses just a few words to create an image in the reader's mind. Traditionally the haiku is written in 3 lines: Five syllables Seven syllables Five syllables Here are haikus our members came up with. "The Secret Life of Fungi" Fungus fair haiku mycellium duff spores rain creative and fun -- Richard Lyness "Fall" Fall is upon us The secret life of fungi Soon to be revealed - -Kathy Welch "Untitled" Cleaning chanterelles Golden glow beneath the mud My, that’s a big one! --Deb "Mushroom haiku" What mushroom are you? Small brown job or something more? Rain drops light your top. --Shea "Red drops" Little red drops peek Hiding in the fuzzy duff Yellow lips glisten --Shea "Mushroom Haiku" First-rain scent rising Moss-quiet expectation Pathless, perfect woods --Susan Labiste "Mushroom Haiku" Matsutake bride In deep humis lies the mate holds her threaded veil --Susan Labiste "haiku" hyphae intertwine beneath the moist duff and soil primordia grow --Marjorie Young Share More Poetry You can share your haikus or other poetry on the FFSC Google Group, FFSC Facebook group, and/or (as of 2025) our new FFSC Discord channel! Join our conversations your favorite way. 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

Toni with a baked dish Food & Fun From tailgate tastings and potlucks to chef dinners, our foodie fun events are scattered throughout the year. Is it a coincidence that "FFSC" also stands for F un and F ood in S anta C ruz ? (Yes, but we'll take it!) We get together for tailgate tastings, potluck* dinners, and sit-down dinners; as well as demonstration-style cooking programs. Organized foodie fun events are scattered throughout the year. Some recurring favorites are listed below, and we announce others on a case-by-case basis. Not sure what to bring to a mushroom potluck? Explore some of our members' recipes for inspiration! Also see our tips on how to clean and store mushrooms , from drying to salt-preserving to freezing and more. * For all FFSC potlucks, any wild mushroom dish must adhere to the species list for potlucks, serve at least 10 people, and be labeled with a descriptive tag. See our Potluck Essentials page for details. Popular FFSC Culinary Events Learn more about some of our most popular culinary events below, and see the schedule lower on this page for a schedule of upcoming culinary events. Wine & Mushroom Event Our annual Wine & Mushroom Fest is a phenomenal early Spring evening of sampling wonderful wines and fabulous homemade food. This member-only event is always fantastic and is the highlight of our culinary activities. Event Overview Fermentation Friday workshop Shane Peterson, Master Fermentologist of Farmhouse Culture fame, will be our fearless leader. He’ll do a demo, share tastings, and instruct us in creating a few of our own ferments to take home. Join us and bring a friend! Event Overview 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"??) Event Overview Fall Mushroom Dinner Join us in celebrating each new season! As Autumn beckons and we await or enjoy the first fungal fruitings, Chef Bob Wynn and the FFSC Culinary Committee welcome FFSC members and their guests to celebrate the season with our much-loved Fall Mushroom Dinner. Event Overview Members Holiday Potluck A Festive Gathering for Members and Their Guests Spend a delicious evening in the company of the great cooks of the FFSC at our annual members' Holiday Potluck! Event Overview Santa Cruz Fungus Fair After Hours Dinner On opening night of the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair each January, we indulge in a multi-course prix fixe meal crafted by a celebrity chef. Event Overview Foray Potlucks After a day of foraging in Mendocino, Tahoe, and farther afield, create an amazing gourmet potluck feast as you share tales of the hunt around a warm campfire. Event Overview No events at the moment Scheduled Culinary Socials Past Culinary Socials May 16, 2026, 11:30 AM – 3:30 PM 2026 Beer and Mushrooms Picnic May 1, 2026, 5:30 – 8:30 PM Fermentation Workshop, May 2026 April 14, 2026, 6:00 – 9:00 PM April 2026 Ministers Meeting and potluck April 11, 2026, 5:30 – 8:30 PM 2026 Wine and Mushroom Fest February 10, 2026, 6:00 – 8:30 PM February 2026 Ministers Meeting and Potluck January 9, 2026, 5:30 – 9:00 PM 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair After Hours Dinner Load More