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News & Stories / Mycology & Art News Ain't No Cure for the Summertime Blues Eddie Cochran sang it in 1958, but it ain’t necessarily so. Miss mushroom hunting in the summer and can’t travel to warm summer rain areas? Why not try your hand at mushroom cultivation. It is challenging, but quite rewarding. Jim Maley • December 1, 2009 Pleurotus ostreatus. © Debbie Viess (from mushroomobserver.org) I realize it is December but now is the time to gather your materials and prepare for spring cultivation. Remember, daffodils bloom here in late winter and warmer mushroom cultivation temperatures follow closely behind. I have been reasonably successful at finding great mushrooms with the help of many FFSC gurus. And, through my involvement in the Master Gardener program , I certainly know how to grow vegetables. Mushroom cultivation skills though, have eluded me until recently. The breakthrough was turning my “green thumb” white slowly but surely. Yes the “white thumb” as MSSF’s Ken Litchfield calls it, does help. There is a lot to learn on the subject. I’m learning more through simple steps such as starting with easy varieties like Oyster Mushrooms. With my busy holiday schedule, I do not have time to fully discuss what I have learned, so I am referring the reader to our first Master Gardener Program report on the subject. Yellow and Blue Oyster Mushrooms. Photo by Jim Maley We are in the second phase of the mushroom trial project for Blue and Yellow Oyster cultivation. I’m busy documenting and quantifying what we have learned with our various approaches. Our third phase will expand to Shiitake Mushrooms and garden varieties such as the King Stropharia and maybe the Shaggy Parasol. The key to success is “fighting the competition” of ever present molds in the air using both pasteurization and sterilization techniques. We also get big help from a fine Laminar Flow Hood for clean air and culture transfers donated to our Master Gardener program by FFSC’s own Henry Young. There are some less exotic approaches to the problem, which I hope to describe in future issues as we learn more. Oh, so you turn up your nose with Oyster Mushrooms? Just try using mushrooms in the India Joze recipe for fritters with Skordalia sauce. Jozseph Schultz can make an Oyster Mushroom sing and so can you. Jim Maley UCCE Master Gardener SCC Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / The Wine & Mushroom Gala 2000 was a Success At least I had a great time, and it certainly seemed like everyone else was having a good time as well. Rene Seltzer • April 1, 2000 Morchella snyderi. © Andrew Abballo (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 355409272) Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Savory Tarts with Loose Morels A rich and seductive mille-feuille with the inviting allure of wild mushrooms. by Rick & Ella Schwartzi Morchella snyderi. © Damon Tighe (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 286601217) Method Prepare the Filling Combine broth and vermouth in a small saucepan and bring to boil. Add the dried morels, then remove from heat and soak for 30 minutes. Remove morels from broth mixture and squeeze out excess liquid. Slice and set aside the morels. Strain the soaking broth through a paper towel or paper coffee filter, and set aside. (Discard debris.) Slice the remaining fresh mushrooms, and set aside. (The oyster mushrooms will shrink more, so slice them thicker than the morels and chanterelles.) Heat 3 Tbsp. of butter over medium heat in a large sauté pan and add the reconstituted morels. Sauté 1 or 2 minutes. Add remaining sliced mushrooms and continue to cook (stirring often) until the pan goes dry, the edges turn golden brown and they look plump and caramelized (about 5 minutes). Stir in the chopped shallots and garlic, the wine, and the reserved soaking broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered. Set a timer for about 12 minutes, and in the meantime start preparing the pastry layers (see the next section below). After about 12 minutes, make sure the mixture has reduced to a thick, syrupy glaze. (If you scrape the bottom with a spoon, the liquid should part a seam and slowly fill back in like syrup.) Stir in the cream to coat the mushrooms, and let it cook another minute or so to thicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat, and cover the pan to keep warm until the pastry finishes baking. Prepare the Pastry Layers Preheat oven to 375°F. Mince the chervil, tarragon, thyme, and Italian parsley. Lay one sheet of phyllo on a cutting board, and brush it lightly with olive oil. (Keep remaining sheets covered with a damp cloth or damp paper towel, to keep them pliable.) Sprinkle the phyllo sheet with about 3 Tbsp. of the breadcrumbs and about 2 rounded teaspoons of the minced herbs. Add another sheet of phyllo over the first, and another layer of breadcrumbs and herbs. Continue alternating the layers, with the 6th phyllo sheet on top. Cut the layered phyllo rectangle into 8 equal pieces, and transfer each piece to an ungreased baking pan.* Bake at 375°F until brown and crisp (10 - 15 minutes). Assemble the Mille-Feuille Whisk in the remaining 2 Tbps. of butter into the mushroom filling. Place one phyllo square on a plate, layer the creamy mushroom filling over it, and top with another phyllo square. Repeat for each plate, creating 4 servings. Garnish with minced herbs. ** If you have trouble keeping the phyllo squares flat (or if they end up getting scorched), it may help to place a sheet of parchment paper on the baking pan, lay the phyllo squares on it, then lay a second sheet of parchment paper over the squares. Next, place a lightweight baking sheet on top (like using pie weights) for the first 7 minutes of baking. Remove the top baking sheet and top parchment paper for the final 5 minutes to let the pastry layers brown. Recipe contributed: March 2002 In October 1999, the TBS show Dinner & A Movie aired the movie Earth Girls Are Easy . During breaks, the TV hosts prepared a version of this dish to complement the film, and named it "Terrestrial Tarts with Loose Morels." Thanks to Gloria Woodside, our Minister of Archives, for finding this recipe in the December 1999 issue of the Snohomish County Mycological Society newsletter. As the original recipe is no longer published, we're including a version here for FFSC members . Our culinary minister, Rene Seltzer, suggests that Alloy, Silver Mountain Vineyards' signature Bordeaux style red blend, would be perfect with this mille-feuille ("meel-fwee") recipe. It's well balanced with hints of a floral bouquet, cherry, vanilla and white pepper on the palate. Bon appétit to you and your space guests! A note for the culturally confused Earth Girls are Easy was a 1988 sci-fi musical comedy starring Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey, and Damon Wayans. In the film, confused furry aliens (Goldblum, Carrey and Wayans) make assumptions about women's morals based on seeing hairless females in TV shows and ads. Davis uses Pop-Tarts to feed and befriend the aliens after they land in her swimming pool. The original recipe name is, sadly, copyrighted by TBS. Thus, our recipe uses a different title. savory (sāv-rē): piquantly pleasant to the mind; morally exemplary; pleasing to the sense of taste, spicy or salty without sweetness. Objective: Side or first course Total Time: About 1.25 hours Yield: 4 servings Suggested Mushrooms: Black trumpet / black chanterelle (Craterellus atrocinereus, Craterellus calicornucopioides, Craterellus cinereus) Chanterelle (Cantharellus californicus, Cantharellus formosus, Cantharellus subalbidus) Morel (Morchella sp.) Oyster / king oyster mushroom (Pleurotus eryngii, Pleurotus ostreatus) 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 Pastry Layers 6 phyllo dough sheets, defrosted ¼ cup olive oil 1 cup breadcrumbs 4 Tbsp. chervil, tarragon, thyme, Italian parsley Mushroom Layer ¼ cup dried morels 2 cups fresh morels, chanterelles, and oyster mushrooms* 2 cups cremini mushrooms 1 cup broth ¼ cup vermouth 6 Tbsp. butter 3 Tbsp. shallots, minced 1 Tbsp. garlic, minced ½ cup red wine 3 Tbsp. whipping cream Salt and pepper to taste A half-sheet pan (13" x 18") 2 sheets of parchment paper (optional) 4 plates, each sized to hold a 4.5" x 3.5" pastry 1 uncomfortably chilled probe * For example, 1 cup of fresh morels, ½ cup oyster mushrooms, ½ cup chanterelles Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

News & Stories / Fungi Down Under If you find yourself sweltering in the heat of this interminably long summer, longing for the magic of a wet winter foray, turn up the swamp cooler, sit down in front of your (hopefully Satan-free) computer, and visit the Sydney Fungal Studies Group . Larry Payne • May 1, 2000 Hygrocybe anomala var. ianthinomarginata (NSW, AU). © liznoble (CC-BY-NC) (inaturalist.org, obs. 117952233) You see, it's winter in Australia right now, and they're picking mushrooms like crazy down under. I'm not sure exactly how this happened, but somehow I got on the SFSGI (SFSG Incorporated) mailing list, and I've been getting both emails and newsletters from them for the last several months. Last month I contacted Bill Allaway, newsletter editor and Chairperson for the SFSGI, to find out what mushroom hunting is like in Australia. His kind reply follows. The Sydney Fungal Studies Group has been going since 1987, but as you will have seen, it just got itself incorporated this year. The fungus fructifying season here can start in January, with boletes and other such early species. We don't have forays in January or February because it's often too hot and dry and then we all go out and get sunburnt to no avail! The season continues till June although as you can imagine the crop is unreliable since we are on the driest continent on earth. However, this is a year of La Niña, so here it's cool and wet and we are hoping to find fungi for a long time. Sydney Basin is almost entirely filled by greater Sydney, but there remain in it many areas of bush - e.g. the Lane Cove area, often referred to in our newsletters, and some of the other places we go for forays. The surrounding country is rugged sandstone-based hills with very poor soils, and as a result it was not usable by the early settlers for agriculture. It was therefore available to be made into national parks when that came into vogue, and Sydney is now very lucky to be ringed by extensive areas of national park within 1 to 2 hours drive of the city centre. The rainfall in Sydney averages around 40 inches per year evenly spread throughout the year. However there are great fluctuations and some years have huge droughts and others are quite wet - much of this, we are now coming dimly to understand, is regulated by the El Niño - Southern Oscillation phenomenon. Our group has around 50 members. It is an amateur group, with members ranging from mycophagists through photographers to a sprinkling of professional mycologists, medical and academic. We had a glitch in our publication of species listings for our forays of last year, and as you can see these are trickling out in this year's newsletters as they appear. The first of this year's lists is under construction too - we hope to catch up soon. We are revising our website. sorry about that, because we expect a blaze of publicity real soon over our group's involvement in the listing of the Lane Cove Bushland Hygrocybeae Community as an endangered one - the first instance in our State of a fungal community being so recognized! We hope to have the website polished up pretty quickly. I'm working on it.... I enjoyed your blessing "May your rains linger, and may your basket always be full". It's actually rather cold just now, with a snowy weekend just past in the Blue Mountains (the National Park area 80 miles to the west of Sydney). And it's not raining here unfortunately, still there's always hope! Nice to hear from you, Bill W. G. Allaway MA, PhD Associate Professor, School of Biological Sciences A12 The University of Sydney NSW 2006, Australia Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Mushrooms of Australia and New Zealand Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Make Fungi Art Create your own mushroom art at the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair! Try dyeing fabric swatches, get your face painted and more. Fun for all ages! Creative Crafts Use all your senses and creativity to explore the world of mycology in our family friendly Craft Room. Enjoy the creative process of designing mushroom inspired art while learning about fascinating fungi! Open 9 am - 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday. (Closed on Friday) Mushroom Cap Creation Station Visit the Craft Room and design your own “spore-tacular” mushroom cap to wear around the festival! This all-ages activity lets you make your own unique fungal fashion statement styled after our own native Amanita muscaria . Take your custom mushroom cap home and show off your mycological masterpiece! Fungi Fine Lines and Watercolor Wonders After you learn about different kinds of mushrooms, come create scenes full of fantastic fungi, from morels to chanterelles! You can also use stencils to trace the shapes of your favorite mushrooms in wax crayon and then paint a watercolor scene for your fungi. Make One-of-a-Kind Buttons Design your own mushroom buttons and we'll mount them on a pin for you. For some extra “pop”, use white crayon and dark watercolors to make your mushrooms magically appear! Perfect for all ages. Toadstools for Tots Let your little ones get creative with this fun and simple mushroom craft! Use simple materials to make mini mushrooms in a playful activity that’s easy for little fingers to enjoy. Leave with a cute handmade mushroom to remind them of their Fungus Fair adventure! Dye Silk with Mushroom Pigments 301 Center St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA Did you know that you can dye fabrics and paint on paper with inks (pigments) made from certain mushrooms? FFSC member Debbie Johnson and her crew have been teaching visitors how to use mushroom pigments to dye silk for longer than anyone can remember. Visit the Craft Room at the Fungus Fair to try out this ever popular and inspired art form. (Open Saturday and Sunday only). Buy Tickets Find out more about this fascinating craft on the FFSC website: Intro to Dyeing with Mushroom Pigments Mushroom Dye Resources Face Painting and More Take photos with fun sculptures and artwork, get your face painted or try painting a friend's face! On your way between the craft room, vendor room, Fungi Forest and scheduled talks, get inspired by the variety of fun and creative concepts that people submitted for the 2026 Fungus Fair Logo , from sketches to completed works. (And check out a glow-in-the-dark version of the logo on this year's Fungus Fair T-shirt !) Explore all of our indoor and outdoor art areas and have fun!

News & Stories / FFSC Scholarship Awarded to Kristopher Hennig The Fungus Federation Scholarship Committee is happy to present its first scholarship of the 2011 year to Kristopher Hennig, who is working on completion of his Master of Sciences Degree. Wendy Wells • February 1, 2011 Craterellus tubaeformis. Photo by Yevgeny Nyden Kristopher has also happily agreed to present his paper to us upon completion. Kristopher Hennig graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire in 2007 with a major in Biology and a minor in Environmental Studies and pre-professional health care. (Quite an ambitious course of study.) He wrote the following short essay explaining his personal interest in mycology and how he intends to use this knowledge in the future. It was fungi as the mysterious, the curious, and the unknown that drew me in. Six Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World , a talk presented by Paul Stametz for TED Talks, sparked the seed of my interest by emphasizing the role fungi can take in benefiting mankind and the natural world. Continued reading, particularly of Stametz and Nicholas Money, clarified how very little we know about these organisms and the role the scientific method has played in clarifying their form and function. Ironically, this “spark” of interest occurred a full year after having spent months working with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on a Wisconsin prairie research and restoration project. To me, this only reinforces my belief that the world needs scientists who can research effectively, but also write lucidly for multiple audiences, not only for their academic peers and journals. I began my Masters degree in Biology at the University of Mississippi because it offered the opportunity to work with organisms that are critical components of forest health and ecosystem processes. Additionally, studying ectomycorrhizal ecology offers the opportunity to work in a rapidly advancing field that is quickly clarifying the importance of fungal organisms and tying fungal ecology to general ecological theories. Though the understanding of ectomycorrhizal distributions and population structure is growing exponentially in my field, our understanding of what individual species are doing in the soil is lagging behind. As I continue studying ectomycorrhizal ecology, I plan to move my research towards the use of the increasing number of fungal genomes being sequenced. I hope to use a blend of functional and comparative genomics, high-throughput sequencing technologies, and physiological research to describe the interactions of ectomycorrhizal fungi with the environment, plants and trees, and other soil organisms. References: Hennig, Kristopher Jordan, "Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Succession in a Native Monterey Pine Forest and Its Potential Influence Upon Forest Population Dynamics" (2011). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 132. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/132 Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Relishing Medicinal Mushrooms Part II Food Is Medicine Coach/Chef Zachary Mazi welcomes you back to our two-part journey into the use of medicinal mushrooms in cooking. Chef Zachary Mazi • April 1, 2013 Photo copyright by Masaki Hamaguchi (https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/443071643) In the first part, we visited the history and use of medicinal mushrooms, and attempt to answer why, at this time in our history, we are inundated with a wealth of new knowledge on the subject. Now, in part 2, we will explore the medicinal values of many of our favorite edibles. We will also include more delicious recipes that Food Is Medicine has created to really relish this delicious medicine. In part 1, we explored the historical context for our desire to know more about mushroom medicines, learned a few of their traditional uses, and learned how vast and truly varied the subject is! Indeed, every year, scores of new studies using medicinal mushrooms and their fractionated parts and pieces are being explored. Their pharmaceutical grade, nearly side-effect-free medicines are indeed being eyed as the next cash crop for pharmaceutical manufacture. The results of these studies are often times staggering, as many of the medicines tackle some very trying problems such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and brain disease, while leaving few of the side effects associated with our current medications. In certain cases, these medicines make changes in how our bodies respond in ways that can last long after the medicine is no longer ingested. Our body is physically changed! In order for our medicine to be able to utilized in cooking, it must either be medicinal when eaten in its whole form (bio-available) or it must be extractable in water, hot or cold. Miraculously, almost all of our commonly eaten mushrooms that you are likely to find in the grocery store, or even a local foray in the fall, have medicines that are available either from the tea, or decoction, or from consumption of the whole mushroom, either cooked or dried. Without leaving the comfort of Button, Shiitake, Chanterelle, Oyster, Morel, Porcini, Maitake, Chicken of the Woods, Cauliflower, and Matsutake mushrooms, we can find effective medicines for the nervous, digestive, skeletal, circulatory, and immune systems. In addition, within this small (and delicious) medicine cabinet, we also find help for skin disorders, and almost all specimens instigate positive tumor growth modulation, many even help with controlling viruses such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. And all of the above have some anti-microbial properties. Chicken of the Woods, or Laetiporeus sulphureus kills E.coli on contact! Sparassis crispa, the cauliflower mushrooms has shown promise against drug-resistant super bacteria… we may demand medicinal mushrooms in the near future if our antibiotic use continues unchecked. Maitake mushrooms seem to have more recorded health effects and means of deriving medicines than any of the above, and many of the medicines derived from this delicious mushroom require complex laboratories. Just Google “maitake medicine” and sit down for a long read. Laboratory or not, there is no reason to stop eating them! Just within this small and extremely accessible selection of fungi, we find vitamins A (and beta carotene), the entire B complex, C, D, K, CoQ10, minerals such as iodine, magnesium, iron, copper, gold, potassium, germanium, zinc, many diverse amino acids, including the essential eight we can’t manufacture in our bodies and must get from the environment. Not to mention a library of thousands of molecules both small and extremely large, (like the polysaccharides such as the beta-glucans that are receiving the spotlight for their clear role in cancer prevention and reversal) arranged bio-chemically into incredibly diverse suites of molecules, many newly discovered and named for their sources exclusive to the parent fungi (Rogers). There is great benefit in exploring the commonly known and recognized mushrooms for medicines. Many of them have been written about for more than a millennium, as in the case of shiitake ( Lentinula edodes , mentioned in part 1). Most common edibles—because of their relative accessibility—have been more thoroughly researched and studied over the past fifty years than many of the more obscure and difficult to access medicinal fungi. Unfortunately, it would take a book to talk about all of the benefits of each of these mushrooms, so we will touch on five of the most popular edibles, and leave the rest for another article or conversation…this topic is as vast as the unknown Kingdom itself. Agaricus It seems fitting, to discuss the delicious and healing properties of mushrooms in the order of popularity and familiarity. One mushroom amongst all others, so well known that it is the default that comes to mind when “eating mushrooms” is mentioned: the Agaricus mushroom. It is commonly known as the button mushroom, the crimini mushroom, or the mighty Portobello (the “adult” crimini). All three of these belong to the Agaricus bisporus (or A. brunnescens , depending upon whom you ask), and indeed there are a number of Agaricus mushrooms not commonly eaten that can provide powerful medicines as well, such as the Horse mushroom ( A. arvensis ), and the field mushroom ( A. campestris ). The common button mushroom has been used in Chinese medicine for many centuries, for easing indigestion, and increasing appetite. In 2008, the Journal of Nutrition published the following about a study at Tufts University: “The results suggest that white button mushrooms may promote immune function by increasing production of antiviral and other proteins that are released by cells while seeking to protect and repair tissue.”(3) White button mushrooms! The US produces 500 million pounds of white button mushrooms every year, a portion of the world trade, and of these almost 350 million pounds are grown near Kennett Square, PA, USA(4), which holds a yearly mushroom fest open to the public. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most common crops to rely on the heavy use of pesticides and preservatives like hydrogen peroxide, which is used to prevent browning and kill invaders(2). It is important to seek organic mushrooms exclusively, as these mass produced mushrooms are generally not washed before being served in even the most elegant eating establishments. What’s more, uncooked button mushrooms contain the carcinogen agaritine, a potentially lethal chemical in the hydrazine family (think: rocket fuel) that seems to break down during cooking. Some texts purport, however, that as much as 75% of the toxin does not even break down in cooking, and that long binges on these mushrooms can cause a toxic build-up in the body of these potentially lethal chemicals. The Agaricus is probably not a good everyday mushroom, but certainly not one to be simply forgotten in lieu of the more exotic mushrooms to which we now turn our attention. The medicine is in the mushroom! Shiitake Second in commercial popularity only to the Agaricus is the shiitake mushrooms ( Lentinula edodes ), which have now taken a significant bite out of the multi-billion dollar industry of white button mushrooms during their 30 year rise in use and popularity. These are flavorful and indispensible addition to the refrigerator pharmacy. First, they are easy to grow at home, even easier to find at almost any grocery store, and are often grown locally because of their viability as a crop. Second, very few pesticides are needed to grow these beauties; and third, both their taste and texture can be well adapted to almost any style of cuisine despite their Japanese origins. Shiitake mushrooms have some very powerful medicines indeed. They have been shown to possess compounds that lower triglycerides, cholesterol and phospholipids in blood; decrease bile cholesterol while increasing bile acids, helping to emulsify and digest fats more readily. They are an effective alternative to statin type drugs, which have negative side effects, and decrease blood glucose and increase insulin in diabetic patients. In addition, they are immuno-stimulating, with better recorded activity than Trametes , Cordyceps and Ganoderma (reishi) mushrooms, all of which are currently getting more press than the humble shiitake for their respective medicines! Hot water extracts of shiitake, besides making a delicious miso soup broth, are effective in breast cancer inhibition, and one of the isolated compounds is medically prescribed in Japan for gastric cancer, lung cancer and melanoma. They work with the body systems, and are effective in stimulating the body’s own immune system against the offending cancer cell. In one trial the extract, applied externally to skin carcinoma, induced cell death in the cancer cell and had zero reaction in the adjacent healthy skin cells. Amazing! (Stamets). Even more amazing, they are anti-candida, and hot water extracts inhibit herpes, equine encephalitis, polio, measles, and mumps! The juice of the mushroom was especially effective against E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus , but left the beneficial bacteria in even better condition due to the presence and preference of their mushroom sugars! While some immune reactions have been recorded with shiitakes, it has usually involved dramatic exposure to the mushrooms, such as farm workers or gluttonous binges, rather than normal individual consumption. Eat shiitakes everyday. Coming next month: Oysters, Chanterelles and Morels Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Relishing Medicinal Mushrooms Part III Relishing Medicinal Mushrooms Part I Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Puffball Hushpuppies Hushpuffies ? Here'a fun twist on hushpuppies, made with giant puffballs! by Shea Moss Calvatia booniana. © Zane Walker (CC-BY-NC) (inaturalist.org obs. 283647904) Method Sauté the linguiça until barely pink, then remove and reserve. Add the diced puffballs to the same pan and pour the vegetable oil over the puffballs. Toss to mix well, then sauté the puffballs. The puffballs will absorb the oil and then begin to give off their water. Continue sautéeing until the liquid has evaporated. Add the diced green peppers. Cook for 3 minutes, then remove and set aside to cool. In a 2-quart mixing bowl, whisk the egg together with the milk. Sift the cornmeal, baking powder, salt and cayenne pepper together, then add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and blend well. Fold in the chopped linguiça and the sautéed mushrooms until well-incorporated. Let stand for 15 minutes. Heat 1-inch of vegetable oil in a heavy frying pan to 400°F or until it pops when you (carefully) put a drop of batter or water into it. Pat a tablespoon of puffball batter into a ball and gently drop it into the hot oil. Deep fry the hushpuppies, turning over once, until golden and crisp. Lift out the hushpuppies as they are done, and place on a wire rack, or on paper towels to drain. Serve as soon as they can be handled without burning your fingers. Hot Coriander Chutney Blend the chutney ingredients to create a spicy dip. Other condiments are also excellent as dipping sauces: Any chutney Sweet Hawaiian style mustard Horseradish sauce Hot mustard with a catsup swirl Sweet and sour sauce Sweet and tangy BBQ sauce Recipe contributed: October 1988 Certain puffball species are considered edible when young and the gleba is still firm and white (like marshmallow or tofu). However, be very sure of your ID, because there are inedible and toxic species and lookalikes such earthballs, stalked puffballs, Amanita eggs (i.e., Amanita that are still enclosed in their universal veil). Serve with a couple of dipping sauces, one sweet and one spicy. My favorite dipping sauce is a hot coriander chutney, which I've included in this recipe. Objective: Appetizer Total Time: 30 mins Yield: About 20 pieces Suggested Mushrooms: Puffball (Calbovista subsculpta, Calvatia booniana, Calvatia gigantea, Lycoperdon perlatum) 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 1/4 lb. linguica, diced 2 cups puffballs, peeled and diced 4 Tbsp. vegetable oil 1/4 cup bell pepper, diced 1/2 cup cornmeal 1/4 cup flour 1 1/4 tsp. double acting baking powder 1/8 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper 1/4 cup milk 1 whole egg Hot Coriander Chutney 1 tsp. sugar 1/4 tsp. black pepper 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup water 2 firmly packed cups of coriander leaves, stems and roots 1/4 cup grated coconut 1/4 cup chopped onions 2 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger root 3 tsp. jalapeño pepper, finely chopped (or to taste) Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

News & Stories / Field Reports Alaska Foray Species List — August 21-28, 2004 Twenty one FFSCers converged at Bill & Gerri White’s lodge on the Kenai River for a foray this August. It was an extreme drought year by Alaska standards: we had California weather and yet we identified 81 species. John Brown • November 1, 2004 Lyophyllum decastes. © Douglas Smith (from mushroomobserver.org) More were collected and our identifiers were diligent, but remember, this was a vacation! Some mysteries were left for another time, which rumor has it might be next year. Foray group at Skilak Lake, Alaska Foray 2004. Photo by Paul Kutis Our first foray to Skilak Lake yielded several species of Leccinum right off the bat. Some mushrooms were familiar, others were new. Both puffballs and moose nuggets were abundant, and at first glance it’s easy to get excited about the wrong thing! Bill and Gerri graciously opened their beautiful home to us for a fish feed, potlucks, tastings and mushroom ID. One tasting featured Rozites caperata (rare down here and delicious!), Agaricus pattersonae , Leccinum insigne , Lyophyllum decastes and Laetiporus sulphureus . Outstanding Latkes with Leccinum were made by Paul Kutis, and chocolate mushrooms imported from Santa Cruz by Phred Molnar rounded out the sampler. Mushrooming and hiking on the Kenai Peninsula were the primary, but by no means only, activity. Silver salmon were running and several people caught limits on multiple days. The sashimi was outstanding! Razor clams were abundant and succulent. Kenai Fjords and Prince William Sound were incredibly beautiful, and Homer is an interesting and picturesque town. The Pratt Museum had outstanding interactive displays about the area’s natural and cultural history and included a mushroom quilt in its collection. A number of people enjoyed swimming in the warmer pothole lakes. All in all, it was a great trip and we had a lot of fun! Thanks to Bill and Gerri White for making it all possible. - Debbie Johnson, Minister of Propaganda More Species Observations John Brown at the ID table, Alaska Foray 2004. Photo by Paul Kutis Sunny weather greeted us. It was warm enough that three forays included a dip in the lake, and though our last day wasn’t so warm, we still found the spirit to moon the tour boat at the glacier. We got a hoot from their guide: “There you have it, folks, and at absolutely no charge.” We turned, waved, laughed, and then hiked back out. We had a few surprises while foraging. Lyophyllum decastes kept showing up in clumps at the base of trees. Now we know where they grow when they don’t have paths or roads. Leucopaxillus albissimus ’s odor seemed off, and it didn’t always have forking gills. There were far too many unfamiliar cortices, though that doesn’t really fit well in ‘surprises’. Igor Malcevski greatly improved the ID table: A Washington resident, he recognized many of the mushrooms with which we were unfamiliar. He also made clam tubes for several people to go razor clamming, and I think Bill White inherited them, should you go next year. By the way, Igor is trying to organize a Washington foray for next year - more to come on this subject. We ended up with 81 species. The paucity of tree fungi was more a reflection of my unwillingness to ID these than their actual scarcity. Bill White did a couple. In fact, besides scouting for us and making the trip enjoyable for all, Bill spent a great deal of time at the ID table. An encounter with a hornet nest dimmed Henry’s enthusiasm at the ID table till near the foray’s end. Never seen him move quite so fast, either. - John Brown, Science Minister FFSC members can login for the complete list of species below. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Kenai Peninsula Foray, Alaska 2005 Foraging in Alaska in 2008 Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Chewy Noels What, you may ask, is a Chewy Noel? If you’ve been to a FFSC event (circa 2006), you’ve probably had them: they’re the mysterious chewy, nutty confections John Brown sometimes makes. by John Brown Holiday party dessert table Method Preheat oven to 350° Separate 4 eggs, beat till stiff whites, then yolks, mix together. Add 2 cups white sugar, ¼ cup molasses and 2 tbsp. vanilla, mix. (You may substitute white sugar/molasses with a 1 lb. of brown sugar.) Separately mix ⅝ cups flour (10 Tbsp), ½ tsp. salt, 1 tsp. baking soda, and add to above mixture. Melt ½ cube (2 oz. or 4 Tbsp.) salted butter into a 9"x13" pan. Crumble 2 cups walnuts (12 oz. if weighed) into goo, pour into pan and bake for about 30 minutes. When done, it can be burnt on top & collapsed in middle. Doneness test: toothpick comes out clean, but remember that the bottom of cake is intentionally gooey. Cut around edge of pan while still hot. Cool, remove from pan, cut into pieces & roll in powdered sugar. Recipe contributed: December 2006 I call them "mysterious" because until I read the ingredients, I had always thought they involved dates, or carob, or something, well, mysterious. Nary a mushroom in them, but they’ll be a fine addition to your holiday celebrations. Objective: Dessert Total Time: About an hour Yield: Varies by appetite Suggested Mushrooms: Without mushrooms (non applicabilis, sine fungis) 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 eggs* 2 cups white sugar 1/4 cup molasses 2 tsp. vanilla 5/8 cups flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 cube (2 oz) salted butter 2 cups walnuts 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for rolling pieces in) * If making a double batch, besides doubling everything add an extra egg. If making a double batch, besides doubling everything add an extra egg. Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

News & Stories / Phil Carpenter receives Knighton Award at Appalachia NAMA 2023 Phil Carpenter, FFSC Science Advisor, has been awarded the 2023 Harry and Elsie Knighton Service Award by the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) ! Sue Willis • August 3, 2023 Phil Carpenter receiving Knighton Award. Photo credit: Brennon Strnad The Harry and Elsie Knighton Service Award was established by the NAMA Board of Trustees to recognize and encourage persons who have distinguished themselves in service to their local clubs. It is named for the Knightons, whose efforts began the North American Mycological Association in 1967. The annual award consists of: A plaque Publicity for the winner and club in The Mycophile A one-year membership in the organization Rregistration, housing and foray fees for the next NAMA Foray. Each year's recipient is selected by the three most recent recipients of the Award. Every NAMA-affiliated mycological club may nominate one candidate whom it feels has performed meritorious service during the current or preceding year, which has to be described! The North American Mycological Association (NAMA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization of professional and amateur mycologists with over 90 affiliated mycological societies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Phil was presented with the award at the 2023 NAMA National Foray in North Carolina, with over 400 amateur and professional mycologists in attendance. Read a summary of Phil's contributions on pages 9-11 of The Mycophile Quarterly (July August September 2023 issue). Phil Carpenter. (Photo credit: Dan Tischler) Congratulations, Phil! Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Field Report - 2021 NAMA Foray Grandby CO Time Lapsed Laetiporous Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Maccheroncini alla Boscaiola This is a rustic "woodcutter's" pasta dish, made with short, tubular pasta like rigatoni, penne or macaroni. by Bo Letos Stock photo of pasta Method Detach the stems from the mushrooms and slice both the stems and caps very thinly. In a large sauté pan, sauté the crushed garlic cloves in the olive oil, on medium high. When the garlic becomes colored a deep, golden brown, remove it from the pan. Add the fine ham strips to the pan, stir once or twice, then add the mushrooms and cook at a lively heat for about a minute. Add the chopped parsley, salt, and a few grindings of papper. Stir constantly for about 30 seconds, then add the chopped tomatoes and their juice. Stir well, turn the heat down to low, and cover. Bring 4 or 5 quarts of water to boil. Add a little salt, and when the water boils again add the pasta. Cook the pasta until tender but still firm to the bite (al dente). Do not cook until soft. Drain the pasta well, and add it to the pan with the mushrooms. Raise the pan heat to medium, and stir everything well for about 30 seconds. Add the Parmesan, turn off the heat, and stir until the cheese is distributed well. Notes from the author : I first tried this recipe with Amanita calyptrata (now calyptroderma ). However, I have found since that A. velosa is also very good. It gives a lighter, sweeter, less obvious touch than coccora, but it still shines through the tomato flavor. I still think both are superior to Boletus edulis when used with pasta, though not all would agree. I wonder how many recipes were constructed with coccora in mind, only to have cooks substitute porcini instead. I try all pasta-based recipes at least once with coccora to test the effect. For those who refuse to collect the edible Amanitas for the table, may God bless you. In any event, I think you will find it fast, easy, and very good. Editor's Note: This recipe was originally published in the March 1985 issue of Duff. The name of the contributor was not cited, but it was likely the Duff editor that month (perhaps Luen, David, or Bob?) Recipe contributed: March 1995 Many cooks make this recipe with porcini, or with portabello or cremini mushrooms. Note : The original author used coccora or A. velosa . While these are edible Amanita species, they have toxic and deadly lookalikes, and should thus only be collected by those with the expertise to distinguish them. As a reminder, FFSC does not permit serving any species of Amanita at our events. (See Potluck Essentials for a list of permitted species for culinary events.) Objective: Main course Total Time: 30 to 60 minutes Yield: Serves 2 Suggested Mushrooms: Coccora (Amanita calyptroderma) Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus regineus, Boletus rex-veris) Springtime amanita (Amanita velosa) 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 fresh mushrooms 1/3 cup green olive oil 2 peeled, crushed garlic cloves 1/2 cup cooked ham, sliced into thin strips 2 Tbs. chopped parsley 1 cup canned plum tomatoes*, chopped fine with their juice 2/3 lbs. maccheroncini or similar tubular pasta 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan freshly ground black pepper to taste Additional parmesan for the table * I have also tried this recipe without the tomatoes, and like it just as much as this version. Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe