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News & Stories / Species List from December 11, 1999 Local Foray Here is a species list from the foray. Bill Maxfield • February 1, 2000 Amanita sp. 'gemmata-CA01'. © Dean Lyons (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 190884555) Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Hot and Spicy Morels and Chicken in Coconut Milk It's March and the beginning of our lower-elevation morel season. This dish is delicious when made one day ahead and reheated. by Shea Moss Morchella snyderi. © forage_cali (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 212796047) Method Reconstitute morels in 2 quarts of water for 2 hours. Drain morels well, reserving liquid for future use. Melt the margarine in a shallow dutch oven, then sauté the morels for 5 minutes in the margarine. Remove morels and reserve. Add the vegetable oil to the pan and sprinkle in the turmeric. Brown the chicken in the pan, then remove and reserve. To the pan, add the chopped onion, bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, clove, and sauté for two minutes, stirring. Add the salsa, salt, cayenne, and garam masala, and cook another minute. Add the coconut milk, and bring the mixture to a boil. Add salt if desired. Add back the chicken and morels, then add the raisins. Cover and place in the oven for one hour, or until the meat is tender. Serve hot. Recipe contributed: March 1993 This dish goes well with steamed rice. Objective: Main course Total Time: About 4 hours Yield: Serves 6 Suggested Mushrooms: Morel (Morchella sp.) 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 cube margerine 1 1/2 qts. (6 Cups) dried morels 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil 3/4 tsp. ground turmeric 3 lbs. frying chicken, cut into small serving pieces 1 tsp. salt 1 med. red onion 2 fresh bay leaves 2/3 tsp. crushed cardamom 2 med. cinnamon sticks 1/4 tsp. cloves 1/2 Cup hot salsa 1 tsp. mild cayenne pepper 3/4 tsp. garam masala 2 Cups coconut milk, unsweetened 1/4 cup raisins Water Dutch oven Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

News & Stories / Stewardship Happy New Year from the CEO, 2001 Happy New Year! I trust your holidays were great, with plenty of candy caps in your stockings and boletes on your latkes. Deb • January 1, 2001 Marasmius oreades (fairy ring marasmius) © mitchellpittsley (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 185374436) I'm happy to say that with the new year we have a new Minister of Propaganda, Madeleine Wyke. Madeleine is from Sweden, loves mushrooming, has a wonderful laugh and I believe she can catch a copy error at twenty paces. Welcome, Madeleine! Many thanks to Marje Young and Larry Payne for their great work on the Duff . Don't miss the 27th Annual Fungus Fair. The Friday evening preview reception for FFSC and Museum Association members is a wonderful opportunity to see and admire the displays without the crowds. As always, we need your help with setup the week prior, various jobs during the fair, and cleanup at the end. Our Fair is truly superb, gets better every year, and I am very proud of it. Thanks for helping out! Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Field Reports Albion I, 2010 – A Great Time for All The Albion I foray was a great success with everyone finding edible and non-edible mushrooms. We had a full house of fungiphiles and enjoyed forays and an incredible Saturday evening potluck. Bill White • January 1, 2011 Corals (Albion I, 2010). Photo by Stephanie Maklan The species diversity was awesome with over 100 species identified (see list below). Also check out Maria Tanase’s article regarding look-alike Matsutake and Amanita silvicola buttons. Albion I, 2010. Photo by Stephanie Maklan Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Albion II, 2011 – Great Forays, Fungi and Food Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Follow-Up on a Mushroom Poisoning from Last Season Many of you will recall that there were a number of mushroom poisonings in Santa Cruz County last year. I was consulted about providing identification in several instances. Phil Carpenter • December 1, 2003 Amanita phalloides. © Debbie Viess (from mushroomobserver.org) One case in particular was quite outstanding in that the two people involved had consumed a very large quantity of Amanita phalloides , the death cap. In most instances with such a large dose, death or the need for extreme medical intervention such as a liver transplant is the result. In this case, however, transplant was not required, both people survived and recovery was complete. But there was more to the story. I was curious to see if there had been any lingering problems with liver function or other possible consequences of the poisoning. I called one of the two people involved, and asked him about how his health had been over the past year. His amazing story (told to the attendees at last year’s fungus fair) continues. Neither he nor his friend has had any adverse health issues to date. But there were adverse consequences, but more bureaucratic and financial in nature. Their insurer has balked at covering the $9,800 Life Flight helicopter transport to Stanford Medical Center. They were charged the usual deductible plus shared cost of the expenses. Nothing unusual there, but because the stay started in late December 2002 and extended into January 2003, there was a second deductible and shared cost because of a new policy year. Outside of the original ordeal, these problems have actually caused him much more grief than the poisoning itself. What’s the take home here? Be really sure about the identity of the mushrooms you eat! Get ID assistance if you have any doubt. You could die, or in the best case (see above) spend a couple of weeks in the hospital and in excess of $10,000 a pound for mushrooms that we hear didn’t even taste very good! --Phil Carpenter, Hotline Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Pilobolus sp. Photo by Judith Ogus Pilobolus Fungus Judith Ogus Found the fungus on horse manure and used a 200mm macro lens for the photo and Canon40D body. Camera Canon40D Focal L. 200mm Aperture Shutter Sp. ISO Flash Photo taken on April 20, 2019 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Wild Mushroom Duxelles Spread on a baguette or crackers, or use it as mushroom duxelles to enliven a variety of dishes. by Cortinarius Wild mushroom basket Method Sauté in an open skillet: butter, shallots, garlic and mushrooms Deglaze pan with 1/2 cup dry white wine Add thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper Saute above mixture until nearly dry, then add 3 Tbsp fresh parsley and only sauté lightly. Remove from pan, and then very lightly (just a second or two) in the blender or food processor. This adds to creaminess, but you don't want to lose the texture from bits of shallot and mushroom Scoop into a small terrine or pãté mold, seal container and refrigerate until use. Serving Suggestions Garnish with fresh rosemary or thyme if served as a spread, or just keep it sealed and handy to enliven vegetables or meat dishes. So simple! Recipe contributed: September 2014 This is one of those recipes that could inflate your girth to frightening proportions if eaten regularly. But it is so good that on special occasions it finds a place in my kitchen. It can be served as a spread on a baguette or crackers. Or it can be used as a mushroom duxelles to enliven a variety of dishes. Objective: Sauce / topping / stuffing Total Time: 30 mins (est) Yield: Varies by use Suggested Mushrooms: Black trumpet / black chanterelle (Craterellus atrocinereus, Craterellus calicornucopioides, Craterellus cinereus) 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 1/2 c butter 1/2 c finely chopped shallots 4 cloves garlic, minced 9 oz fresh wild mushrooms 1/2 c white wine 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, minced 1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp fresh black pepper 3 Tbl fresh parsley A note on mushroom species: Craterellus calicornucopioides are the best I know. King boletes can overpower this recipe, so use sparingly and mix with milder species. For some mushroom species like chanterelles, it is necessary to dry-saute first. Of course, be absolutely sure of your species! Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Lycoperdon perlatum. © Alan Rockefeller Lycoperdon perlatum Alan Rockefeller Common Puffball Lycoperdon perlatum , iNaturalist Camera Canon EOS 60D Focal L. 100mm Aperture f/14.0 Shutter Sp. 1/200s ISO 640 Flash Fired Photo taken on July 1, 2012 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

News & Stories / Field Reports 2016 February Local Foray Field Report It was a beautiful day for exploring the Santa Cruz area forests last Saturday 2/6/2016, and though the weather was amazing, the fleshy fungi were few and far between... Cass Fuentes • February 22, 2016 Forager basket with wax paper bags. Photo by Cass Fuentes Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts 2016 February Local Foray Field Report Field Reports Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Stewardship Season Headlines from Our CEO As another mushroom season approaches, I look forward to a great reason to escape the ills of our economy and the world. There are a couple of new things to announce to our members. Mark Gillespie • September 1, 2002 Boletus edulis var. grandedulis. © Guy Prudhomme (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, ID 312373981) Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts From the Incoming CEO, 2001 Stewardship Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

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

News & Stories / Stewardship Sudden Oak Death — Sensible Measures in the Woods Fungi are finally fruiting, a compelling reason to get out into the woods. Do you think about Sudden Oak Death much, other than to look at the dead trees and think “How sad”? But it’s all around us, and we have responsibilities as users of the forests and as environmentalists. What can we do to prevent spread? Deb • January 1, 2009 Humboldt tanoak mortality (from suddenoakdeath.org) David Rust spoke about Phytopthora ramorum , the fungus causing SOD, at our September meeting. The dismaying news is that it’s virtually endemic in our woodlands, infecting seemingly healthy hosts such as Bay Laurel, a frequently encountered tree in our forests. So what can we do to prevent spread? Familiarize yourself with the symptoms of Sudden Oak Death on oaks and tanoaks and the leaf spot symptoms on California bay laurel, blackberry bushes, fir, chinquapin, fern, maple, manzanita, and other plants. You’ll then be able to avoid or be prepared to recover from heavily infested areas. https://www.suddenoakdeath.org/ If possible, remove all soil from shoes, boots, tires, or other conveyances prior to leaving an infested site. If this is not feasible, stop as soon as possible and wash soil from vehicles. Use Lysol® or a bleach solution to disinfect shoes and boots after cleaning. If you are frequently in and out of infested sites, consider committing footwear for use in that environment only. Remove and clean the footwear before leaving the area. Clean tools in a similar manner. It’s a good idea to change clothes, bagging your old clothes before leaving the site. Wash at home. In all cases make sure that you remove all plant material (needles and leaves) from your body,vehicles, animals, tools, or other containers before leaving the infested site. This is required under State regulations. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Oak Woodlands: Threatened by a New Fungus Dying Oaks: News for Homeowners Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article