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News & Stories / Mycology & Art News Morels on the Maginot Line May is the month that unifies Northern hemisphere mycophiles. Everyone picks morels in May, give or take a few weeks. And we almost universally cook them up and eat them quickly. Deb • May 1, 2010 Collecting morels on the Maginot Line in WWII. Photo by Ms. Hinemoa Ruskin Many people stop by and peek into the Louden Nelson auditorium as we’re setting up for the Fungus Fair. It’s a great opportunity to chat up the fair and investigate the many different ways mushrooms fascinate us. This year was no exception. A tall, slender woman approached me and inquired about what we were doing, and if we ever collected morels. “Whenever possible” was my likely response. My new friend, Ms. Hinemoa Ruskin, asked if I might be interested in pictures of morels on the Maginot Line, a military fortification in eastern France during WWII. Of course! The next day she came back with these photos. Hinemoa had been stationed there as a nurse during the war. During a quiet time, the group had gone out on a quick foray, found morels, and wanted to cook them up. Due to wartime rationing, they had to use margarine instead of butter, but you can’t keep a good morel down— they were delicious! More info on the Maginot Line at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maginot_Line Debbie Johnson Morel hunters on the Maginot Line in WWII. Photo by Ms. Hinemoa Ruskin Editor's Note : The Loudon Nelson Community Center was renamed to Lo n don Nelson on Juneteenth 2021. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Memories of Matsutake Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

FFSC Events Archive Reminisce about fun gatherings, or just explore our history. Illustration by Johnny Gruelle (PD) Related Info Upcoming Events Recent Past Events News & Stories Field Reports Filter by club season Filter by event type 2020 North to Alaska Foray 8/28/20, 3:00 PM - 9/5/20, 10:00 AM Learn more about this event on our Alaska Long Distance Foray page. In view of the ongoing Covid-19 situation, Bill is not planning restaurant meals, favoring instead staying as a closed group on foray and at the lodge. The state of Alaska requires a negative Covid-19 test within three days before arrival to the state. Please be sure to check with Bill as to details about this and any other questions and concerns you may have regarding the trip in general, the Covid-19 situation locally and how details will be handled. Show more Long-Distance Forays Season 36 (Sep. 2019 to Aug. 2020) March 2020 Meeting: CANCELLED due to Public Health recommendations 3/18/20, 6:00 PM - 3/18/20, 9:00 PM We regret the need to cancel the March membership meeting. This is in keeping with public health recommendations to limit non-essential gatherings where individuals are in close contact. Stay tuned for updates, and hope to see you all in April! Show more Monthly Speakers Season 36 (Sep. 2019 to Aug. 2020) February 2020 Meeting: Phil Ross - Challenges and Opportunities for Fungus Based Manufacturing 2/19/20, 6:00 PM - 2/19/20, 9:00 PM In this presentation Phil Ross will describe the challenges and opportunities for fungus based manufacturing, and a view of global developments in applied mycological research. Phil Ross is an artist, scholar, and an entrepreneur, with a focus on biomaterial design and life-support technologies. Phil is the Co-Founder and CTO of MycoWorks, a Bay Area based company bringing fine mycelium leather to the fashion world. www.mycoworks.com @mycoworks Show more Monthly Speakers Season 36 (Sep. 2019 to Aug. 2020) FFSC 2020 Steam Train Foray at Roaring Camp 2/16/20, 11:30 AM - 2/16/20, 4:00 PM Rain or shine, let's get this train loaded and moving for another fantastic foray adventure at Roaring Camp! The Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad is a 3 ft. narrow-gauge tourist railroad in California that starts from the Roaring Camp depot in Felton, California and runs up steep grades through redwood forests to the top of nearby Bear Mountain, a distance of 3.25 miles. Big thanks to Rene Barone, Heather Troy and Bob Wynn for making this fun day happen! 1:30 - 12:00 Arrival 12:00 Board Train 12:30 Exit on top of Bear Mountain 12:30 - 2:00 Hike and foray back to Roaring Camp station 2:00 - 4:00 Boby Wynn;s Gourmet Mushroom Pate with Focaccia, Mushroom Soup, Salad and Dessert BYOB - Bring your own wine, beer, soda and glasses. Coffee, tea, water and paper cups provided. FFSC Members $35.00 Adults $25.00 Children 2 - 12 Children under 2 free Non-Members $45.00 Adults $35.00 Children 2 - 12 Children under 2 free Show more Long-Distance Forays Season 36 (Sep. 2019 to Aug. 2020) Mushroom ID Class, February 2020 2/8/20, 10:00 AM - 2/8/20, 4:00 PM The Fungus Federation will be giving a mushroom identification class, led by Phil Carpenter, Science Minister, on Sat. February 8th. The class will start at 10 AM with a foray. We will gather examples of mushrooms on which we will put names later in the day at a hands-on workshop. Visit the Classes & Workshops page for more information. Show more Workshops Season 36 (Sep. 2019 to Aug. 2020) Local Foray, January 2020 1/26/20, 9:30 AM - 1/26/20, 1:00 PM Emphasis will be on finding, and identifying fungus and on habitat, but most of this area does allow collecting so you can bring your collection basket if you wish. Show more Local Forays Season 36 (Sep. 2019 to Aug. 2020) January 2020 Meeting: Roo Vandegrift - Shut the Front Door! The Microbiome Inside Your Home! 1/15/20, 6:30 PM - 1/15/20, 9:00 PM “Shut the Front Door! The Microbiome Inside Your Home!” Roo notes that your home, like your body, is an ecosystem that contains an intricate array of micro-organisms, including fungi! We live in intimate association with thousands of species of bacteria and fungi. Roo will describe the results of an EPA funded study he conducted that focused on the composition and structure of indoor microbial communities. Roo will also share the trailer of a film currently in production “Marrow of the Mountain” documenting the truly life-changing work he and his colleague are doing to document species diversity and to preclude massive mining initiatives in the cloud forest reserves in Amazonian Ecuador. This work will take your breath away! Roo finished his PhD in 2016 in Dr. Bitty Roy’s lab at the University of Oregon, with a fair bit of shared advising by Dr. George Carroll. In 2013, he participated in NSF’s East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI) program in Taiwan, where he was able to work with the incomparable Xylariaceae taxonomist Dr. Yu-Ming Ju. Since receiving his doctorate, Roo has been working as a post-doctoral scholar at the University of Oregon’s Biology and the Built Environment Center, studying the interface between fungal ecology and building science. Currently, he is working on a large EPA funded study examining the impacts of home weatherization on the microbial (fungi and bacteria) communities found in household dust, among other things. Show more Monthly Speakers Season 36 (Sep. 2019 to Aug. 2020) Mushrooms: Keys to the Kingdom of Fungi, 2020 1/11/20, 5:00 PM - 3/1/20, 5:00 PM FFSC is partnering with Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History on: Mushrooms: Keys to the Kingdom of Fungi The story of fungi is integral to the story of life. Wherever there is life, there are fungi. Fungi are not plants and they are not animals, they are their own category of living organism. Mushrooms: Keys to the Kingdom Fungi explores the variety of fruiting bodies produced by fungi from the edible to the outrageous. Check out upcoming events: Guided Hike Fanastic Fungi Naturalist Night: Mushrooms and Community Science - Where to Next? Show more Workshops Season 36 (Sep. 2019 to Aug. 2020) 46th Annual Santa Cruz Fungus Fair, 2020 1/10/20, 2:00 PM - 1/12/20, 5:00 PM Visit the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair page for details. Featured speakers include Dr. Christopher Hobbs, renowned author and medicinal mushroom expert and Dr. Roo Vandegrift, a National Geographic Explorer grant recipient for his continuing biodiversity and conservation research of the threatened Andean cloud forest reserve. Show more Fungus Fair Season 36 (Sep. 2019 to Aug. 2020) Mushroom Month - Downtown Santa Cruz, January 2020 1/1/20, 8:00 AM - 1/31/20, 11:00 PM In Downtown Santa Cruz, January is Mushroom Month! To coincide with the annual Fungus Fair at Louden Nelson Community Center, many Downtown Santa Cruz businesses offer special dishes, displays, or products celebrating the wonder of fungus. Maps and information will be available in January to all who want to explore! You can also see First Friday exhibitions at Artisans & agency and Far West Fungi! Show more Fungus Fair Season 36 (Sep. 2019 to Aug. 2020) 2019 Santa Cruz Mycoflora Foray 12/12/19, 2:00 PM - 12/15/19, 10:00 AM Clear your calendars for the fourth annual Santa Cruz Mycoflora Foray. We will again gather at the Mission Springs Conference Center in Scotts Valley, CA. Plan to spend an absorbing weekend in the beautiful coastal redwoods collecting and identifying fungi, participating in lectures and workshops, enjoying the company of fellow fungiphiles, all the while building our local mycoflora database. Participants may stay at the foray site in Scotts Valley or participate during the day and stay off-site. We have some premium room space, as well as select and offsite possibilities. One recent addition is a three hour cooking workshop with Chad Hyatt, author of The Mushroom Hunter’s Kitchen Registration opens September 1st for the 4th Annual Santa Cruz Mycoflora Foray , to be held December 12-15 in Scotts Valley, CA. Registration links and information about dates, programs and accommodations can be found at http://scmfforay.com . The Santa Cruz Mycoflora Foray is part of the North American Mycoflora Project. This foray continues the work started by Christian Schwarz and provides ongoing funding and data for our local mycoflora research. We are all working towards a single goal — the development of the first comprehensive mycoflora of North America. This project is a consortium of citizen scientists and professional mycologists performing a biological survey of all the macrofungi that occur in North America. Your involvement as a citizen scientist is crucial. We hope you can join us! Cheers, Ron Bader Phil Carpenter Debbie Johnson Foray Committee Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz Show more Local Forays Season 36 (Sep. 2019 to Aug. 2020) Local Foray, December 2019 12/8/19, 10:00 AM - 12/8/19, 2:00 PM This foray near UCSC is open to all members of the FFSC and anyone else with an interest in fungus who might be interested in joining the club. Experienced members are encouraged to come and share their knowledge with newer fungifiles. Show more Local Forays Season 36 (Sep. 2019 to Aug. 2020) Filter by club season Filter by event type Load More

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. by Christian Schwarz Marasmius plicatilis. Photo by Christian Schwarz We’ve probably all run across Marasmius plicatulus during our walks in the woods; the tall, brightly-colored fruitbodies occur in many kinds of habitats every year, often in large troops. And what an excellent little mushroom to be so familiar. But how many of us have given much thought to the geographic range and morphological variation of this species? A quick search on mushroomobserver.org (hereafter referred to as ‘MO’) gives us the following map of observations for this species (the first was as of 2015, and the second was as of 2025): Marasmius Plicatulus range map in 2015 (from mushroomobserver.org) Marasmius plicatulus occurrence map 2025 (from mushroomobserver.org) Some interesting points to take note of: As we try and familiarize ourselves with any species, it’s always a good idea to try and describe the its range in one or two simple sentences. For this one, I’d summarize it as: Pacific states, primarily coastal, common. More detailed looks at the notes and photos of these individual observations would show that it inhabits almost any kind of habitat: pine, cypress, oak, fir, spruce, really any place with trees and sufficient duff on the ground. The glaring gap in southern Oregon – this is almost certainly due to the lack of observers in the area, not an actual disjunction in the distribution of the species. Just goes to show how important citizen scientists are in our effort to document the distribution of macrofungi. (Going on a beer tasting tour to Oregon’s Arch Rock Brewing Company? Take a photo of Marasmius plicatulus while you are in Curry County and help us fill in the gap on the map!) The apparent southern limit around Los Angeles – does this species really not occur in San Diego County? A quick message to Bonni McKintosh of the San Diego Mycological Society confirmed my memory that it’s common there (especially under shrubs like Toyon and Laurel Sumac)! So why the gap? Once again, lack of participation on mushroomobserver.org. Public databases like this are absolutely dependent on their users for data! A closer look at the map would show a few observations away from the coast and a bit closer to the central valley, but none from the Sierra foothills or higher elevations. Now that we’ve got a basic sense of the distribution of this species, let’s look at the morphological variation, specifically with regard to color. The montage below shows two typical forms (from the mainland and Santa Cruz Island, of the Channel Islands), and two less-common forms. Marasmius plicatulus (Larger Skyline). Photo by Christian Schwarz Marasmius plicatulus (Slope SW of Field Station Santa Cruz Island). Photo by Christian Schwarz Marasmius plicatulus pink pastel (Slope SW of Field Station SC Island). Photo by Christian Schwarz Marasmius plicatulus orange (Slope NW of Field Station SCI). Photo by Christian Schwarz The photos show four color forms of Marasmius plicatulus (in z-order): Photo 1: The typical coastal form, with a red cap, and fairly dark stem showing a gradient of stipe color from black near the base to orange, pink, or white near the apex. Photo 2: A fairly typical form found on Santa Cruz Island, with very bright magenta and pink colors on the stipe, and nearly cherry-red caps. Photo 3: the most unusually-colored fruitbodies of this species I’ve ever encountered; completely pastel-pink, with hardly a trace of orange, and none of the characteristic black or brown stipe pigmentation. Photo 4: An orange-brown form (almost entirely lacking pink and red colors) from Santa Cruz Island, where it was nearly as common as the more typical form. The orange-brown color form in the fourth photo is far from restricted to Santa Cruz Island; in fact, fruitbodies showing these colors are more commonly found in the northern reaches of this species’ range on the mainland, where the typical red form is also present. Most of the “Orange-brown Form” currently on M.O. are from Oregon: Sava Krstic’s , Daniel Wheeler’s 14662, Britney Ramsey’s 80819, 61364, and 59467; although there are a few from northern California: Darvin DeShazer’s 122671 and Douglas Smith’s 17325; Noah Siegel has also found it in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park in Del Norte County. * Note: to search for any of the observations listed above, go to mushroomobserver.org and type or paste the observation number into the search bar at the top of the page. So what accounts for the color variation in this species? Climatic conditions don’t seem to explain the pattern, since three of the forms have been found growing right next to each other. Partially (or completely?) reproductively-isolated populations combined with random drift in pigment genes? Possibly, but it’ll take a lot of work to prove that hypothesis. Simple standing variation between freely-interbreeding populations? Possibly, but why are the bulk of orange-brown forms found north of Mendocino County? And even then, they co-occur with the “Red Form”; do any of fruitbodies in these areas show intermediate coloration? All these questions remain to be answered as of the time of this writing. As I hope I’ve shown with this article, we have much to learn about even the most common and familiar mushrooms. No area is too small, no question too basic! Get out there and document what you see. Take notes, take pictures, take specimens for an herbarium. With the help of citizen scientists like you, we’ll make more rapid progress to a Mycoflora of North America. Photos © Christian Schwarz Mushrooms covered: Marasmius plicatulus (red pinwheel) Previous Description All Featured Fungi Next Description

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

News & Stories / Stewardship Elections 2013: Wednesday May 15th Cast your vote and celebrate with a sparkling wine toast! Isn’t democracy great? In fact, if you’re mulling over taking on a position but are still undecided, a glass to help you decide can be arranged before voting... Phil Carpenter • May 1, 2013 General Meeting The FFSC Bylaws call for election of Club Ministers (Officers) every two years. We are now at the end of the current two year term and re-election of Ministers will be conducted at our last regular meeting of this mushroom season in May. Our bylaws also call for a slate of Ministers nominated for the next season to be announced in the April and May issues of the DUFF . At the April general meeting, the Ministers nominated were announced and additional nominations from the floor were taken. The slate to date is printed below. Duties of the various Ministers can be seen in the bylaws. This notice is a call for nominations for the elected Minister positions. If you are interested in doing some interesting and rewarding work, please notify me regarding the position you are interested in. While some Ministers have graciously consented to continue their positions for another two years, all positions noted below are open for nomination (volunteering) and election. We would welcome the chance to have two people vying for a position! As someone who has been a Minister for most of the 25+ years that the FFSC has been around, I can attest that it is a lot of fun (the monthly Minister’s meetings alone are worth it!) and a great group of which to be a part. Consider joining us! Phil Carpenter Prime Minister Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts FFSC Minister Elections 2013 Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Must-Know to Participate in Long-Distance Forays Please review these tips before participating in our long-distance forays. Amanita muscaria on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Photo by Ron Bader FFSC Long Distance forays are open to FFSC members only. All trips require appropriate physical conditioning. If you have special medical requirements or any condition that might affect your ability to participate in the trip, it is your responsibility to inform the trip leader before departure. If you must cancel a reservation, inform the leader promptly. The deposit or reservation requirements and refund policy of each trip are available from the trip leader. Please obtain and review them prior to making your deposit or reservation. Please note that the leaders of our trips are FFSC members who serve in a volunteer capacity and assume no responsibility above that of trip organizer. While our trip leaders are not paid professionals, they are encouraged to participate in training to increase their mushroom ID and mycology skills. All outings officially begin at the trailhead. Planning for Your Trip Remember to verify any listed dates with the trip coordinator before you make long-range vacation plans. Sometimes dates initially selected have to be changed. The payment of a reservation or a deposit does not necessarily confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After you register for a trip, the leader will notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner. The trip cost normally covers lodging, camping and park fees, and club administrative overhead. The trip leaders are volunteers. Food and camping gear are to be supplied by the participants. Please note that when trip prices are listed before tickets become available, the prices may be tentative. You should understand that activities on this trip (or any trip of this nature) contain inherent risks, including injury, illness, and potentially death. Those who participate in forays assume all of the risks and will hold the FFSC, its agents, and leaders harmless from any and all responsibility, negligence, actions, or suits of any kind or nature whatsoever, for loss or damage to property or personal injuries sustained during these outings. The Foray Ministers, a volunteer committee that governs the Long Distance Forays program, regrets the need for this requirement. Participants make their own carpooling arrangements if desired. Generally a note posted on the FFSC Google Group is effective. FFSC does not provide insurance for carpooling arrangements and assumes no liability for them. Carpooling, ride sharing or any similar activity is strictly a private arrangement among the participants. Participants assume the risks associated with this travel. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC

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

2014 Speaker Schedule This schedule covers our headliners, cooking demos, and educational talks. We also have other programs during the Fair: We will be conducting a class specifically designed for students to be held from 10:30-11:30 both Saturday and Sunday mornings in the Teen Center at Louden Nelson. Visit the Kid's Room for mushroom activities such as clay sculpture, water colors, face painting, and making mushroom dyed fabric. You can also ask questions about mushrooms you have brought to the fair in the main auditorium at the mushroom identification table, staffed by our best identification experts. Include room(s): All Room 1 Room 3 Fair days Friday Saturday Sunday Mushroom Toxicology (Friday) Henry Young ... ... Friday, January 10, 2014 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM Room 1 Friday Amanitas: From Deadly to Delicious Debbie Viess ... ... Friday, January 10, 2014 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM Room 3 Friday Cooking Demonstration Forest "Farmacy" to Kitchen: The Art of Haute Healing Chef Zachary Mazi ... ... Friday, January 10, 2014 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM Room 3 Friday Cooking With and Use of Mushrooms for Health and Healing Dr. Christopher Hobbs, Ph.D., L.Ac ... ... Friday, January 10, 2014 4:45 PM - 6:45 PM Room 1 Friday Mycology for the Citizen Scientist Christian Schwarz ... ... Saturday, January 11, 2014 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Room 1 Saturday Exposé': The Secret Sex Lives of Fungi (Saturday) Tom Volk ... ... Saturday, January 11, 2014 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Room 3 Saturday Wheel of Fungi (Saturday) David Arora ... ... David Arora founded the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair in 1975. His interests range from mushroom harvest and usage around the world to… Show More Saturday, January 11, 2014 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Room 3 Saturday Kitchen Farmacy: Common Edible Mushrooms as Medicines Chef Zachary Mazi ... ... Saturday, January 11, 2014 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Room 1 Saturday Cooking Demonstration with Wine Pairings Jeff Emery Chef Bob Wynn ... Saturday, January 11, 2014 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Room 3 Saturday Mushroom Toxicology (Saturday) Henry Young ... ... Saturday, January 11, 2014 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM Room 1 Saturday Zen and the Art of Mushroom Hunting Debbie Viess ... ... Sunday, January 12, 2014 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Room 1 Sunday Exposé': The Secret Sex Lives of Fungi (Sunday) Tom Volk ... ... Sunday, January 12, 2014 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Room 3 Sunday Introduction to Wild and Edible Mushrooms David Rust ... ... Sunday, January 12, 2014 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Room 1 Sunday Wheel of Fungi (Sunday) David Arora ... ... David Arora founded the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair in 1975. His interests range from mushroom harvest and usage around the world to… Show More Sunday, January 12, 2014 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Room 3 Sunday Cancer, Viral Syndromes and Other Immune Disorders: Prevention and Treatment with Medicinal Mushrooms. Dr. Christopher Hobbs, Ph.D., L.Ac ... ... Sunday, January 12, 2014 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM Room 1 Sunday Cooking demonstration by Chef Jozseph Schultz Chef Jozseph Schultz ... ... Sunday, January 12, 2014 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Room 3 Sunday

Black & White Truffle Cheese Fondue Todd Spanier's cooking demo at the 2012 Fungus Fair included this very yummy Truffle Fondue. by Todd Spanier Tuber oregonense. © Noah Siegel (from Mycoweb.com) Method Prepare the Cheese (Overnight) De-rind cheese, shred into a bowl and macerate overnight in whole milk (i.e., fully immerse the shredded cheese in milk, cover the bowl, and place in fridge.) Prepate the Fondue Melt butter in a heavy bottomed pot over gentle heat. Add wine and whipping cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low.* Mix shredded cheese with cornstarch and add, stirring constantly, until all of the cheese is melted. Season to taste with black truffle salt and white truffle oil. Before serving, thinly slice enough fresh black and white truffles to cover the surface, and then fold into cheese. Hold over low heat in a double boiler or fondue pot to serve. * Never boil the fondue after the cheese is added (otherwise it will break the sauce). Recipe contributed: February 2012 Todd shared this wonderful recipe with attendees at the 2012 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair. Todd is the owner and founder of King of Mushrooms, one of our long-time Fungus Fair vendors . Objective: Main course Total Time: Overnight prep + 30 mins Yield: Varies by appetite Suggested Mushrooms: Truffle (Leucangium carthusianum, Tuber melanosporum, Tuber oregonense) 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 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon white truffle oil Black truffle salt to taste 1⁄2 cup white wine 1⁄2 cup whipping cream 1 tablespoon cornstarch 500 gm (about 1 lb.) of Fontina Cheese (Todd recommends Fontina Val d'Aosta cheese from the Italian alps As many freshly sliced black and white truffles as your budget permits. Baguette(s) for dipping. Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Lepiota: Dark Brown Eyes in the Woods For me, Lepiota are just the most beautiful mushrooms there are, with perhaps the exception of Marasmius plicatulus . And especially the small scaly species, with the velvety plushy caps and the delicate girdles and flocks on the stipe: little beauties! Those big edibles - I leave them for others! by Else C. Vellinga Lepiota magnispora. © Warren Cardimon (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, ID 145543016) The coastal woods of central California are a goldmine for Lepiotas , starting with the group of rubrotincta (now Leucoagaricus rubrotinctoides ) after the first rains, and then, the ones that blush or bleed when you touch them, the lilac and purple ones, the little white powdery species, and the nice dark brown eyes in the woods. Leucoagaricus rubrotinctoides. © Di (direbecca) (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, ID 143401786) Lepiota decorata. © Noah Siegel (from mykoweb.com) Leucocoprinus cepistipes. © Bonnie Nickel CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, ID 137650819) There are not many names around for all these treasures, just a few, and some old names, waiting to be recovered from long forgotten publications. The ones with a striking dark eye in the centre of the cap, and shaggy, woolly stipes hide behind the name Lepiota clypeolaria in American field guides. However, Lepiota clypeolaria proper is a pale brown species, originally described from Europe, though widespread, and found throughout North America. In California, it might occur further north; it certainly is found in southern Oregon (close to Eugene for instance), and also in the mid-west. A nice picture can be found in the Swiss book ' Fungi of Switzerland vol. 4' (by Breitenbach & Kranzlin, 1995). So what is the local " L. clypeolaria "? Lepiota clypeolaria, Switzerland. © Bora Çelen (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, ID 319453119) Lepiota clypeolaria, Poland. © Jarosław Krogulec (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, ID 309201543) Murrill, a mycologist of the New York Botanical Garden at the beginning of the 20th century, came out west in 1911 and traveled from Seattle south to Pasadena; he spent several days in the Bay Area and visited Muir Woods, and the redwoods near La Honda. He collected everything, made short notes on several thousand collections, and sent them back east to be published in subsequent years. He described many new species, one of them being Lepiota magnispora , with the following notes: "With bay eyes and scales. Always about same size and appearance. As expands to plane, eye fades''. His collections are still at the herbarium of the NYBG and in remarkably good condition, despite their old age. Spores and basidia (the cells which produce the spores), and the hairs on the cap are intact, though the sterile cells on the lamella edge have unfortunately faded away. Lepiota magnispora. © R. Scott LaChance (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, ID 193454741) Lepiota magnispora. © Damon Tighe (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, ID 67261549) Lepiota magnispora cap. © Damon Tighe (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, ID 67261549) Lepiota magnispora. © catkatkata (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, ID 324759869) All microscopical characters are exactly the same as in our modern specimens! Now we use this forgotten name again, and we need to change L. clypeolaria in our American guide books accordingly (only Phillips' Mushrooms of North America has it right). Lepiota magnispora is just as widespread as L. clypeolaria , with appearances reported throughout North America, Europe, and Asia (China and Japan). There are subtle differences in coloration between the western American and the European collections - the ones here have that very distinct, contrasting brown eye. But besides the real L. magnispora , there are other local yellow-brown caps, with a more gradual eye, often a bit stained, that are actually more similar in appearance to the European L. magnispora , than to our true brown-eyed ones. These distinctive ones have been found only in our area - I have seen them in several places within a radius of 30 miles around San Francisco. Arora depicts them in his ' Mushrooms Demystified ' as Lepiota clypeolaria form " nabiscodisca ". They share the microscopical characters, especially the very characteristic penguin-shaped spores, with L. magnispora . BUT, they differ significantly in the base sequence of a little stretch of DNA. This particular stretch, called ITS, is widely used to distinguish between fungal species, and to compare collections and species. I still have to see the cookies (I only learned this weekend where the name " nabisco disca" came from), but now the form has become a species with its own name: Lepiota spheniscispora , the Lepiota with the penguin spores ( Editor's note: Spheniscidae is the biological family name for penguins). This new species grows under oaks, but does not shun Eucalyptus groves. It is nice that some species do degrade that messy blue gum duff and debris! Lepiota spheniscispora diluted brown eye. © emmashelton (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, ID 1464431 Lepiota spheniscispora. © emmashelton (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, ID 146443153) Lepiota spheniscispora. © satucker (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, ID 37152287) Lepiota spheniscispora penguin-shaped spores. © Christian Schwarz (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, So, dark brown eyes in the woods: the western L. magnispora ; diluted brown eyes on a yellow brown background: the local L. spheniscispora . Lepiota magnispora. © Dean Lyons (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, ID 255644877) Lepiota spheniscispora. © Christian Schwarz (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, ID 3570931) This pattern of a widespread species, with a western American sister species, recurs in other groups: Macrolepiota rachodes (now Chlorophyllum rhacodes ) is found in many places in Europe, and North America, but here in the western states a second species occurs, which has not been found in the wild in Europe; again Arora depicts both. Chlorophyllum brunneum. © Douglas Smith (from mushroomobserver.org) Chlorophyllum molybdites. © Nathan Wilson (from mushroomobserver.org) Chlorophyllum rachodes. © Douglas Smith (from mushroomobserver.org) Similarly, Lepiota cristata is everywhere, especially in urban areas, but in the redwood groves and Monterey cypress stands Lepiota castaneidisca is common, but it has gone unnoticed and was lumped together with L. cristata . Murrill initially described this species as well. Lepiota cristata. © Damon Tighe (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, ID 104397751) Lepiota castaneidisca. © Damon Tighe (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, ID 115257675) The most amazing part of this story to me is, that there is so much to discover and marvel at! There is lots to do, and with the threat of vanishing oaklands and redwood forests we'd better hurry, and inventory now! Background reading on the above-mentioned Lepiota species: Arora, D., 1986. Mushrooms Demystified . 2nd Ed. Breitenbach J. & F. Kranzlin, 1995. Fungi of Switzerland. Vo. 4 . Agarics 2nd part. Murrill, W.A., 1912. The Agaricaceae of the Pacific Coast II . Mycologia 4: 231-262. Phillips, R., 1991. Mushrooms of North America . Vellinga, E.C., 2000. Notes on Lepiota and Leucoagaricus . Type studies on Lepiota magnispora , Lepiota barssii , and Agaricus americanus . Mycotaxon 76: 429-438. Vellinga, E.C., 2001. Lepiota clypeolaria, I presume? Mcllvainea 14 (2): 41-45. Vellinga, E.C., 2001. Studies in Lepiota III . Some species from California, U.S.A. Mycotaxon 80: 285-296. Vellinga, E.C., 2001. Studies in Lepiota IV . Lepiota cristata and L. castaneidisca. Mycotaxon 80: 297-306. Marasmius plicatulus. © seschmidt386 (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, ID 333221913) Marasmius plicatulus. © Sarah Reid (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, ID 334434277) Else's other pick for most beautiful mushroom, Marasmius plicatulus Editor's note: This article was originally published in 2002, in the Duff newsletter. Some photos have been added for context, and the genus and species names have been updated for educational purposes. Mushrooms covered: Chlorophyllum brunneum Chlorophyllum molybdites (green-spored parasol, green-spored lepiota, the vomiter) Chlorophyllum rhacodes (Shaggy parasol) Lepiota clypeolaria (shield dapperling) Lepiota cristata (stinking dapperling, brown-eyed parasol, stinking parasol) Lepiota magnispora Lepiota spheniscispora (penguin-spored lepiota) Leucoagaricus rubrotinctoides Leucocoprinus cepistipes (onion-stalk parasol) Previous Description All Featured Fungi Next Description

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. by Douglas Smith Mushroom collecting basket. Photo by Susan Labiste Visit our free Online Learning section to start this challenge: FFSC Online Learning Mushrooms covered: Agaricus campestris (lawn mushroom, meadow mushroom, field mushroom) Boletus aereus (queen bolete) Boletus edulis (porcini, penny bun, king bolete, cèpe) Cantharellus californicus (California golden chanterelle, mud puppy, oak chanterelle) Cantharellus cibarius (golden chanterelle) Cantharellus formosus (golden chanterelle) Cantharellus sp. (chanterelle) Cantharellus subalbidus (white chanterelle) Coprinus comatus Craterellus calicornucopioides (black trumpet, black chanterelle, horn of plenty) Hydnum repandum (hedgehog) Hydnum umbilicatum (depressed hedgehog) Lactarius rubidus (candy cap) Morchella elata (black morel) Morchella esculenta (yellow morel) Morchella sp. ( morel) Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster) Tricholoma magnivelare (American matsutake, white matsutake) Previous Description All Featured Fungi Next Description

News & Stories / Mycology & Art News 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