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- Duxelles | Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz
Duxelles Here is something to do when you have an abundance of strongly flavored mushrooms (e.g., Agaricus lilaceps or Chlorophyllum brunneum ), which are typically not as good when dried. by Shea Moss Chlorophyllum brunneum. © zhen (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 345173397) Method Finely chop the mushrooms, shallots and garlic. Sauté in a dry frying pan till the mushrooms give off all their water. Add the butter to the liquids and sauté until the butter clarifies. Add the wine. Stir for one minute. Remove from flame and cool. You'll end up with a paste (the duxelles). Now you can place portions of the duxelles in ice cube trays, and then freeze. After frozen, transfer the cubes into plastic freezer bags for longer-term storage in your freezer. Alternatively, store the duxelles in small plastic freezer jars. Be sure to label the bags or jars as to which species is inside. They will each make slightly different tasting sauces. Later, you can use one frozen cube (or 1 Tbsp.) of the duxelles per 1 cup of sauce. Agaricus species contain glutamic acid, which is a common amino acid (and a component of MSG). When cooked, other acids and nucleotides trigger taste receptors on the tongue, which gives an umami taste. Thus, you only need to use a little at a time for a delicately flavored sauce. Recipe contributed: March 1989 Duxelles is used as a flavor enhancer for sauce preparations. In this recipe, you'll make a batch of duxelles when your mushrooms are fresh, and then freeze it for later use. For example: Add a tablespoon or two to spaghetti sauce Spread a tablespoon over pizza Add a tablespoon or two to a white sauce or a brown sauce, etc. For Beef Wellington, spread a layer between the beef tenderloin and the outer puff pastry Stuff meat or pasta like ravioli Serve on toast rounds with goat cheese Objective: Sauce / topping / stuffing Total Time: 30 mins Yield: Varies Suggested Mushrooms: Giant cypress Agaricus (Agaricus lilaceps) Horse mushroom (Agaricus arvensis, Agaricus osecanus) Pavement mushroom (Agaricus bitorquis) Shaggy parasol (Chlorophyllum brunneum) The Prince (Agaricus augustus) Join FFSC or renew your membership to access the rest of this content. Join FFSC Login as an FFSC member to access the rest of this content. Login Ingredients For each pound of fresh mushrooms, use: 3 shallots 1/4 tsp. garlic 1/4 lb. butter or margarine, in slices 3 Tbsp. dry white wine Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe
- An Evening to Remember – FFSC 25th Anniversary Dinner | Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz
News & Stories / An Evening to Remember – FFSC 25th Anniversary Dinner Our 25th Anniversary Dinner was a marvelous event. We dined on sumptuous treats including chanterelle pancakes, craterellus dip, sushi and bolete bread pudding that complemented the tri-tip cooked to perfection. Debbie Viess • October 1, 2009 25th anniversary party. Three photos by Debbie Viess The setting for the party was incomparable: a sit-down dinner for 60 in Henry and Marje Young's large and lovely garden. As always, with FFSC events, the food was incredible, the wine delicious and plentiful and the company charming. Phil Carpenter was the Master of Ceremonies at the sentimental slide-show journey through the history of the FFSC. Nostalgia also crept into the festivities in the form of a photo montage display of FFSC's very first picnic. The dinner included remembrances of people, now passed, who were instrumental in the development of FFSC. Fondly remembered were Greg Ferguson whose many abilities and generosity continue to affect the club, and Ed Aguilar whose big heart, huge passion for mushrooms and even bigger personality are always present in the personality of our group. We greatly missed the presence of CEO Bob Sellers at this momentous occasion. Bob is one of the FFSC founders and a hardworking modern-day member as well. He is currently battling a difficult illness and we fervently hope that he wins this battle. There are still many mushrooms to hunt, my friend! As the seasons of life inevitably evolve, we must continue to reach out to our younger members, bringing them into our fold and allowing them to eventually take the lead. Our older fungal colleagues would greatly appreciate the opportunity to relax and enjoy the fruits of their many joyous mushroom labors by passing the mantle on to the next generation of fungophiles. Hopefully, kicking back with a graceful segue into the role of a wise and involved council of elders. Long may we share and care and reach out to others, bringing light into the darkness, and fostering curiosity and a love for this little-known but highly compelling world that informs us. Yours in fungus and friendship, Debbie Viess Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article
- Cavolo Nero "Fettuccine" with Morel Cream Sauce | Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz
Cavolo Nero "Fettuccine" with Morel Cream Sauce A gluten-free fettucine-style dish, using cavolo nero (Lacinato kale) ribbons instead of pasta. by M. Schneider Morchella eximia. © Warren Cardimona (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 163545269) Method Prep the Morels Rehydrate dried morels in 2 cups of simmering water until soft and plump (about 10 to 20 minutes, depending on size of morels.) Lift morels out and cool til touchable. Pat dry, and chop into small ¼" pieces. Pour the soaking liquid through a fine strainer into a bowl or jar to remove grit, and reserve ½ cup of the strained liquid for the sauce. (Feel free to use any remaining strained liquid to flavor other sauces or stocks.) Make the Kale Ribbons Strip the leaves of the cavolo nero from the stems (or cut out the stems in a "V" shape). (Optionally, save the stems for a future vegetable stock.) Roll up 4 or 5 leaves tightly into a cylinder, then slice crosswise at 3 to 4 mm intervals to create faux tagliatelle (or fettuccine) strands (as if you're making a chiffonade). Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Prepare an ice bath nearby. Blanch the sliced kale briefly in the boiling water (30–45 seconds) until bright green, then immediately shock it (plunge into the ice bath). Drain thoroughly, pat dry, and reserve aside. Prepare the Sauce In a large skillet or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, chili flakes, and thyme sprig, cooking for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chopped morels to the pan and sauté for about 2 minutes. Pour in the dry vermouth and simmer the sauce until reduced by half and the morels are soft (about 2 minutes). Pour in the reserved ½ cup of morel soaking liquid and let the sauce simmer down until rich and slightly thickened (6 to 8 minutes). Assemble and Serve Stir the heavy cream into the sauce and let it bubble gently for 1 minute. Add the blanched kale tagliatelle to the pan, and stir and simmer continuously for about a minute until the kale is hot again and it is coated/infused with the sauce. Remove from heat, discard the thyme sprig, and stir in a splash of fresh lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, topped with a bit of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Recipe contributed: November 2013 In a conversation in our FFSC Google Group, Jeff Broadbent, Keith Bontrager, and others were sharing ideas for ways to prepare dried morels and leafy greens. Keith conjured up a fettuccine-style dish, and shared it with the group. The recipe below is adapted from Keith's recipe. If you want to include this as part of a main dish, perhaps serve it under or alongside grilled chicken, seared scallops, white fish, or crispy pancetta lardons; or over a bed of polenta. (Jeff and his wife came up with Morel-Stuffed Chard Rolls in a Caramelized Onion & Vermouth Cream Sauce ). Objective: Side or first course Total Time: About 45 minutes Yield: 4 to 6 servings 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 Cavolo Nero Ribbons 2 large bunches cavolo nero (Lacinato kale) Kosher salt (for blanching water) Large bowl of ice water Morel Cream Sauce 1 oz. dried morels 2 cups water (for rehydrating) 3 tbsp. unsalted butter (or 2 tbsp. butter + 1 tbsp. olive oil) 2 cloves garlic, minced ¼ tsp. dried red chili flakes (adjust to taste) 2 sprigs fresh thyme ⅓ cup dry vermouth (or dry white wine) ½ cup heavy cream Freshly squeezed lemon juice (from ½ lemon) Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (garnish) Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe
- Echo Summit Lodge – SOS | Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz
News & Stories / Stewardship Echo Summit Lodge – SOS The Echo Summit Lodge is the location of our annual September foray. It is a beautiful lodge overlooking Fallen Leaf Lake and Lake Tahoe. Lee Yamada • November 1, 2009 Group photo at Echo Summit Lodge. Photo by Cecilia Stipes FFSC has been graced with utilization of this facility each year because two of our members, Lee Yamada and Phyllis Cole, are California Alpine Club (CAC) members and Echo Summit Lodge hosts. The Lodge is now experiencing financial distress. The letter below is from Lee and Phyllis regarding assistance to the Lodge. Hello FFSC Members, Over the decades, many FFSC members have enjoyed Echo Summit Lodge, with it’s beautiful scenery and vista. We have found mountains of boletes and a close and enduring comraderie of spirit. As the years have gone by we’ve appreciated the small changes that help to make the Lodge such a pleasant place (e.g., matching pillow cases and bedspreads in each room, the BBQ with its shelter, wine glasses - there were LOTS last September) as well as the major changes to the Lodge (e.g., updated water system, water heaters, kitchen and dining room floor covers, new fireplaces, kitchen update, new paint and siding, and now the handicapped ramp). As a condition of the California Alpine Club keeping it’s lease, the U.S. Forest Service has required major changes and upgrades. The projects - expensive to begin with - often went up in price after they were started. For example, in the middle of the 2008 paint and siding project, the County Building Inspector decided to increase shear strength by requiring the entire building be sheathed in thicker plywood: this added 2 weeks labor for 10 workers plus the materials. Also, the 2009 ramp project revealed several huge granite boulders that were too difficult to move. Revising the design to include the boulders meant additional engineering drawings, reviews and approvals that added $25,000 to the cost of $155,000. As a result, Echo Summit Lodge has had to borrow $35,000 to keep afloat. California Alpine Club is appealing for donations from its members and affiliates. We hope FFSC members will join in the effort to keep Echo Summit Lodge viable. Many of us are stretched financially, but small amounts add up! Please make donations if you're able to. Donations are not tax deductible since CAC is a “Social Club” not a 501C charitable organization. Thank you for your consideration, Lee Yamada and Phyllis Cole Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article
- Bradley's Secret Spot | Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz
News & Stories / Mycology & Art News Bradley's Secret Spot Today, in the woods, I saw a little lump in the pine needle duff… Bradley Dunbaugh • December 1, 2009 Bolete under dufff. Photo by Bradley Dunbaugh Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article
- FFSC Scholarship Awarded to Christian Schwarz | Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz
News & Stories / FFSC Scholarship Awarded to Christian Schwarz For all of you who took part in our very successful 2011 Fungus Fair—this is what we do it for! FFSC has awarded a scholarship to Christian Schwarz in support of his pending work on the UCSC Fungal Herbarium Sub-curator and Mass Sequencing Initiative. Marje Young • March 1, 2011 Christian Schwarz Christian is becoming well known and well respected for his mycological knowledge. The project will benefit us locally and members of the Fungus Federation will have access to the herbarium research collection. This is indeed a worthwhile project that we are delighted to be able to fund. Over the past few years, Christian has contributed over 400 micro fungal items to the herbarium collection at UC Santa Cruz. He will be working with the entire fungal collection (approximately 700 items) to move it into proper herbarium boxes; scan and digitize academic collection notes; create database of the text descriptions, with reference to the herbarium specimens; establish and develop a website for collection descriptions, photographs and academic notes (with international access); partner with the UCSC Gilbert Lab and UC Berkeley to obtain DNA sequencing of the collection; and complete an interactive polychotomous key to macro fungi. The herbarium, including its online presence, will be of significant value to the local scientific, taxonomic, and enthusiast communities, as well as state and international researchers. !is will be especially true given that a large proportion of the collections will come accompanied with DNA sequence data. Marje Young and Phil Carpenter Scholarship Committee Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts FFSC Scholarship Awarded to Alison McGregor Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article
- Foray and Habitat Walk March 2015 | Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz
News & Stories / Field Reports Foray and Habitat Walk March 2015 A great time was had during the FFSC Habitat Walk and Foray in Felton on Saturday, March 21st. Cass Fuentes • March 29, 2015 FFSC Foray group shot. Photo by Cass Fuentes Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts November 2014 Habitat Walk Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article
- FFSC Minister Elections 2013 | Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz
News & Stories / Stewardship FFSC Minister Elections 2013 The Fungus Federation By-Laws call for election of Club Ministers (Officers) every two years. Phil Carpenter • April 1, 2013 Ministers 2011. Illustration by Angele Mele 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 will be announced and additional nominations from the floor will be 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 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 Elections 2013: Wednesday May 15th Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article
- Found a Pig's Ear in the Woods! | Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz
Gyromitra sp. (pig's ear). 2015. Photo by Steve Olson Found a Pig's Ear in the Woods! Steve Olejniczak Steve found this interesting mushroom while out looking for morels in Minnesota and took an iPhone picture. Location: Welch, MN Elevation: 100 ft elevation roughly Environment: Mixed hardwood forest ID confirmation pending from experts, but tentatively: Gyromitra (Discina) ancilis (pig's ear); or Neogyromitra (Gyromitra) brunnea (gabled false morel) Camera Apple iPhone Focal L. Aperture Shutter Sp. ISO Flash Photo taken on May 12, 2015 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo
- Black & White Truffle Cheese Fondue | Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz
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
- Echo Summit 2010 Rocked | Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz
News & Stories / Echo Summit 2010 Rocked We came, we forayed, and everyone scored boletes. The food was awesome, the company outstanding and the dehydrators were humming. All the above was accompanied by beautiful warm and sunny weather. Bill White • October 1, 2010 Phil and Margaret with a few of the many boletes found over the weekend. Photo by Debbie Johnson Saturday dinner featured Marje Young’s incredible Chicken with Olives, Onions and Sage . And Dennis Nolan served up a first for many with his Bolete Fries . Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Echo Summit Lodge – SOS 2013 Echo Summit Foray Recap Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article
- Fungi and Feline | Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz
"Fungi and Feline" (Psathyrella sp.) Photo by Mari Stauffer Fungi and Feline Mari Stauffer Howard Taken by by phone upside down on the grass. "Feline grace and lithe" appearance of the mushrooms along with the original feline in the background. Psathyrella genus? (Likely either Psathyrella corrugis or P. bipellis .) Camera Phone Focal L. Aperture Shutter Sp. ISO Flash Photo taken on December 31, 2018 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo











