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News & Stories / Mycology & Art News New Mushroom Identification Class As announced this spring, Phil Carpenter has assumed the duties of the Science Advisor for FFSC. One of his duties is to teach identification classes for our newer mushroom hunters who are beginning to learn the fine art of safely identifying edible and toxic mushrooms. Wendy Wells • September 1, 2009 Phil Carpenter examining a specimen Phil has changed the traditional format of the identification classes from a monthly ID class to a series of classes. He is asking interested parties to sign up much the same way that you would sign up for a class in a junior college. That is, you would sign up with the idea that you would com-mit to attend all the classes to get the most out of the course. That will be important, as each class will build upon the knowledge gained in the previous classes. Because of this format, it is not be advisable to just “drop in” on single classes. Classes will still be once a month with two sets of three classes each. The first set will be offered October, November and December. The second set will be offered February, March and April. As in the past, these classes will be held from 7-9 PM on the first Wednesday of the month at the Museum of Natural History in Santa Cruz (the “whale museum”). Therefore, the first classes will be held on October 7, November 4 and December 2 of this year. The second set will be held on February 3, March 3 and April 7 of 2010. In addition, as a culmination of the classes, a field trip (foray) will be held to apply the knowledge gained in the classes. The first foray will be held as part of the collecting effort for the Fungus Fair and will take place on Sunday, January 3, 2010. The second foray will be held on Saturday, April 24, 2010. This is a call to sign up for the classes. The class size is limited to 20 to accommodate the room at the Museum. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Mushroom ID Classes: Fall 2013 Series Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup We have several wonderful creamy soups in our list of recipes here, and here's an especially creamy one. by Deb Boletus edulis. © dietel (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 322510983) Method Reconstitute dried mushrooms in Madeira for 1 hour. Sauté onions in butter over low heat in a soup pot, stirring occasionally, until translucent and tender (about 15 minutes). Clean fresh mushrooms, slice thin and add to onions. Sauté until cooked (about 15 minutes). Add the drained reconstituted mushrooms to the pot, reserving the liquid (Madeira). Strain or carefully decant the reserved Madeira into the soup pot, leaving gritty residue behind. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Puree the solids in a food processor or blender until smooth, adding 1 cup of liquid. Combine remaining liquid, heat over medium heat and season to taste. Thin with half & half or cream if soup is too thick or if it just seems like a good idea. Bring up to temperature and serve. Recipe contributed: December 1996 Objective: Soup Total Time: About 3 hours Yield: 4 servings Suggested Mushrooms: Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus regineus, Boletus rex-veris) Portobello/portabella, champignon, cremini, button (Agaricus bisporus) Yellowfoot (winter chanterelle) (Craterellus tubaeformis) 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 2 oz. dried mushrooms* 2 lbs. fresh mushrooms* 3/4 cups Madeira wine 8 Tbs (1 Stick) butter 2 cups finely chopped onions 4 cups chicken stock** 1 pint cream or half & half Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste A soup pot Food processor or blender * You can use cremini for the bulk of the fresh mushrooms, and then a wild dried mushroom such as yellowfoot (left whole and don't overcook) or porcini (chopped fine). ** Preferably homemade chicken stock. If you must use canned stock, go for the lower sodium version. It's far from low-sodium, but it won't render your soup inedible. Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

News & Stories / Writings Stories from the April 1, 2010 Issue of Duff Jim Maley found this awesome Craterellus Cubano on a recent foray to Havana... Rick & Ella Schwartzi • April 1, 2010 Jim Maley with a Craterellus Cubano Scientists Discover No Two Mushrooms Alike In a development that has thrown mushroom identification into a virtual tizzy, professional mycologists have discovered through a multilocus phylogenetic overview that the clades they’ve been accepting as fact are quite suspect. “We found that we were using such a small section of the DNA, we missed a lot of stuff ”, says Dr. Harry Lincough. An overview of the phylogeny of a six-gene region supermatrix reveals that two mushrooms growing side by side can look quite different. Bayesian analyses of 5611 nucleotide characters of ribosomal RNA genes recovered six major clades, which are all recognized informally and labeled as Cantharellus cascadensis . “Sometimes it’s chrome yellow; sometimes it’s lemon yellow,” says mushroom expert I. Buyzalot. “ Cantharellus cascadensis is genetically very similar to Cantharellus subalbidus . When Cantharellus cascadensis is completely covered with duff, it is all white. Who can tell them apart, really, when acidification is a possible cause of fading?” adds Buyzalot. This debate will go on for some time, experts in the field have boldly predicted. “We don’t know for sure if they’re hybridizing or cross-breeding, but we can’t tell one from another,” says Dr. Lincough. “There is no happy ending.” Next month : Care and breeding of Cornish game hens. Fungus Federation Opens New Office Thanks to a generous grant from the FourOne Foundation, FFSC has opened an office in the Costco Santa Cruz. “We’re here every day anyway, buying supplies for some club event, so why not just make it an official place for Fungus Federators to come visit while we’re shopping,” says Debbie Johnson. Dried wild mushrooms, $10 per bag, benefits the FFSC In addition to a great way to recruit new members, the FFSC office has other benefits. “We can sell mushrooms that people collect on commission, and 10% of sales benefit the club treasury,” says Minister of Stores Toni Gillespie. “We’ve even started a line of dried mushrooms, which is quite popular.” According to CEO Bob Sellers, staffing is no problem since there’s almost always an FFSC member in Costco. “The new office has been very successful,” says Sellers. “Come see us soon.” Get Certified in Mushroom ID Groceries and farmers markets all over California are gearing up for a new program to have staff-certified mushroom identifiers on site beginning in 2011. No more messy poisonings: trained identifiers will be available to give a thumbs up or finger down the throat for novice mushroom collectors everywhere. Learn the difference between “Edibles,” the “Lose your lunch bunch” and “Call 911 NOW” types of fungi. Promotional ad for this venerable program Looflirpa College is offering Master Identifier certificate classes starting in June. Their knowledgeable, high-powered instructors, Dr. Henry Gnuoy and Dr. Philip Retneprac, have years of experience in this exacting yet profitable field. To take advantage of this exciting opportunity, sign up today and get a jump start on your next career! No prior training required. Looflirpa College is an equal opportunity institution. We’re an accredited university offering on-campus and online college degree programs. Visit us at www.looflirpa.edu. New Species from Lockheed Fire Area These pics just in from the Lockheed Fire Area. This new species is being named Californicus gigantorel . Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Stories from the April 1, 2011 Issue of Duff Writings Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Chicken with Olives, Caramelized Onions, and Sage Marje Young’s chicken dinner was wildly successful at one of our Echo Summit forays, with many people clamoring for the recipe. by Marje Young Red onions (stock photo) Method Season the chicken: Coat chicken with spices and let rest. Sauté the white onions in oil until golden (about 30 min). Add honey and sauté another 15 minutes until browned. Spread in bottom of baking pan large enough to hold chicken in a single layer. Brown the chicken (use the same frying pan) and place on top of the browned white onions. Put the sautéed red onions on top of the chicken. Deglaze frying pan with 1⁄2 cup white wine until bubbling stops. Add remaining wine. Boil about 9 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 2 cups. Pour into baking pan around chicken. Tuck sage, garlic cloves and bay leaves around chicken. Sprinkle with pepper. Taste sauce and adjust (I find I often need a bit more honey depending on acidity of the wine). Cover pan tightly and bake chicken 30 minutes. Sprinkle olives over top of chicken making sure some of the olives get some down into the sauce. Bake uncovered until chicken is tender, basting once or twice. Recipe contributed: October 2010 This is a chicken dish, but of course you can also add your own mushrooms! At our Echo Summit foray, this dish was served with green beans with caramelized boletes, quinoa cooked with vegetables, and sautéed kale. We put some of the chicken sauce over the quinoa. A delicious combination! Objective: Complementary Total Time: 2.5 to 3 hours Yield: 8 servings 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 Seasoned Chicken Eight chicken thighs 2 tsp. ground cumin 2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. sweet paprika 1 tsp. turmeric 1/3 cup olive oil White Onions 1 1⁄4 pounds white onions 1 1⁄2 tbs. honey Red Onions 1/3 cup olive oil 1 1⁄4 pounds red onions Sauté red onions until golden and set aside Wine Sauce 1 bottle white wine 9 or more sage leaves 8 or more garlic cloves 3-5 bay leaves Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

News & Stories / My Mushroom Obsession: The First Thirty Days of a New Life A month in the life of a newly minted fungiphile... Marsha Griggs Adlong (CMS) • March 1, 2001 Boletus rubriceps (ruby porcini). © Damon Tighe (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 21274974) Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Russian Vegetable Pie Helene served this savory and rich double-crust pie at one of our Holiday Potlucks. by Helene Greenwood Agaricus bisporus. © wesawthis (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 102438940) Method Pastry Sift together the dry ingredients. Cut in 3 Tbs. butter and 4 oz. softened cream cheese, and work it together into the dough. Roll out 2/3 of the pastry, and line a 9" pie dish. Roll out the remaining pastry, and make a circle larger enough to cover the dish. Chill. Filling Shred the cabbage coarsely. Slice the mushrooms. Peel and chop the onion. Melt about 2 Tbsp. of butter in a large skillet, add onion, and allow the onion to change color, becoming transparent. Add the cabbage and allow to wilt. Add herbs and spices, except the dill. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add another Tbsp. of butter to the pan and briefly sauté the mushrooms. (Some people prefer to leave store-bought Agaricus bisporus raw, and allow it to cook in the pie. Others sauté the mushrooms first to prevent the bottom crust from becoming soggy). Bake the Pie Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread 4 oz. softened cream cheese over the bottom of the pie shell. Slice the hard-boiled eggs and arrange the slices in a layer over the cream cheese. Sprinkle generously with chopped fresh dill (less generously if using dried dill). Cover with the cabbage mixture. Divide the mushrooms over the cabbage. Cover the whole pie with the circle of pastry. Press pastry tightly together at the edges and flute. Slash the top in a few places. Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes. Turn the temp down to 350° and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes or until the crust is light brown. Recipe contributed: March 1991 Objective: Main course Total Time: About 2 hours Yield: 6 to 8 servings Suggested Mushrooms: Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus regineus, Boletus rex-veris) Portobello/portabella, champignon, cremini, button (Agaricus bisporus) Join FFSC or renew your membership to access the rest of this content. Join FFSC Login as an FFSC member to access the rest of this content. Login Ingredients Pastry 1 1/4 (5/4) Cups flour* 1 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. salt 4 oz. softened cream cheese 3 Tbsp. butter Filling 1 small head of cabbage - about 3 Cups shredded 1/2 lb. mushrooms** ( or more) 1 yellow onion 3 Tbsp. butter 4 oz. softened cream cheese 4 to 5 hard-cooked eggs Dill, fresh if available 1/2 tsp. each of basil, marjoram, tarragon(optional) Salt and freshly ground black pepper 9" pie dish * If you like a thicker crust, use 2 cups flour, and increase the butter or cheese (or both) accordingly. People usually use Agaricus bisporus for this pie, because they hold their texture well during the baking process, and the flavor blends easily with the cabbage. That said, some people use Porcini or other mushrooms for a stronger flavor. Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Morel-Stuffed Chard Rolls in a Caramelized Onion & Vermouth Cream Sauce Serve these morel chard roll-ups individually as an appetizer, or in pairs or trios as a first course or side dish. by Jeff Broadbent Morchella importuna. © Ariel (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 156160042) Method Prep Morels and Chard Rehydrate the morels in chicken broth on simmer for 25 mins. Separate chard leaves from stems. Lightly cook leaves until they darken slightly and become pliable enough to drape over a spoon. Set them aside to drain. Chop the chard stems into small pieces and sauté at low temp with a touch of butter til tender, sweet and somewhat translucent. Set aside. Strain and reserve morel broth to use in sauce. Slice morels lengthwise. Then trim any longer pieces down to about 1 ½". Save all leftover scraps and bits for the sauce. Caramelize the Onions Heat butter on low temp. Slowly sauté sliced onions with 2 Tbsp. of brown sugar for about 35 minutes, until soft, golden, and translucent. (Make rolls while waiting.) Assemble and Roast the Rolls Preheat oven to 375°F. Trim softened chard leaves to 1 ½" wide strips. Place sliced morels and sautéed chard stems in the chard strips and roll them up, forming small "morels in a blanket" (like tekka maki). Hold them together with wooden toothpicks. Line a roasting pan or lasagne pan with butter, and place the rolls in the pan. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes at 375°F. Make the Sauce Remove caramelized onions from pan and set aside. Deglaze the (onion) pan with a splash of vermouth. Add finely chopped carrots, shallots, and reserved morel scraps and bits. Sauté until softened (4 to 5 mins). Add a the rest of the vermouth, let it cook off, then pour in reserved morel-chicken broth, and bring to a boil. (If making in advance, complete this step shortly before serving.) Chop up caramelized onions and add them back into pan, along with heavy cream and thyme. Bring sauce to a boil, and then drop it to a low simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and leaves a clear line if you drag your finger through it (5 to 8 minutes). Finish and Serve Place 3 rolls on each plate. Spoon the vermouth cream sauce over the top. Finish with a dusting of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Tips You can rehydrate the morels, save the liquid, and also caramelize the onions ahead of time (even the day before). If bringing to an event where you'll cook and complete the dish on site (such as the Wine & Mushroom Fest, or an Albion foray), you can prepare the rolls and place them in the baking pan; and create the sauce base (reserving caramelized onions, cream, and thyme) before you go. Then bake the rolls at the event; and finish adding the onions, cream, and thyme to the sauce at the event. Recipe contributed: November 2013 Jeff and his wife went to a potluck dinner where the theme was "Chopped", and the guests were challenged to prepare a dish for the theme. Jeff's "team" was tasked with preparing a vegetable side dish: One ingredient must be a leafy vegetable (like chard, mustard greens, or kale). One ingredient must be dried morels. They could not add any kind of starch—no potatoes, pasta and the like. They could not add meat, as it was intended to be a vegetable side dish. After bandying some ideas around with others in our FFSC Google Group, they came up with this idea. They took it to the party, and reported the roll-ups turned out really tasty! (Here's another recipe that came up in that Google Group thread: Cavolo Nero "Fettuccine" with Morel Cream Sauce ) Objective: Side or first course Total Time: About an hour Yield: 12 rolls 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 Morel Rolls & Filling 4 to 6 dried morels (or 8 to 10 if small), plus extra flakes and bits 2 cups chicken broth 1 large bunch swiss chard 2 Tbsp. butter (for the roasting pan) 12 to 24 wooden toothpicks Sauce 2 medium-large yellow onions, halved and sliced 3 to 4 Tbsp. butter, divided 2 Tbsp. brown sugar ½ cup dry vermouth, divided 1 medium carrot, finely chopped 2 shallots, finely chopped Reserved liquid from rehydrating morels 1 pint heavy cream 1 rounded tsp. thyme (fresh leaves or dried) ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (garnish) Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

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!