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Mushroom Bisque I usually look at my recipes and then wing it, so quantities are guesstimates. The liquid needs to be varied to get the right consistency of the bisque. by John Spaur Mushroom Bisque in a Teacup. Photo by John Spaur Method 1. In a heavy skillet, heat butter. Add the onion and sauté to caramelize; add garlic during the last 1-2 minutes to soften but do not brown the garlic. Put the onion garlic mixture into a blender or food processer. 2. Sauté the shitake mushrooms in butter to brown a bit and put into the blender or food processor reserving a few to use as garnish. 3.Sauté the maitake mushrooms in butter to brown. I cook these separately because they are moister and take longer to brown than the shitake. Place the mushroom in the blender or food processor reserving a few for garnish. 4. Add the vegetable stock to the onion/mushroom mixture in the food processor or blender and puree or blend until smooth. Be careful when starting the blender because the hot mixture will expand and blow the top off of the blender and spill the hot mixture. Pulse quickly before blending on high speed. You may need to do this in batches and add more vegetable broth. This is where you can add the porcini broth with water and white wine. The porcini broth will add salt so be careful. 5. Pour the blended mixture into a soup pot and add the white wine if you have not added it already. Add the bay leaf and thyme. Simmer for a few minutes to a boil or just under. Add the cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne to taste. Heat up and cook a few minutes longer. 6. Remove the bay lead and stir in the sherry just before serving with the reserved mushrooms as garnish. Recipe contributed: December 2014 Objective: Soup Total Time: 30 minutes Yield: Serves 4 Suggested Mushrooms: Matsutake (Tricholoma magnivelare, Tricholoma matsutake, Tricholoma murrillianum) Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus regineus, Boletus rex-veris) Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) 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 Butter as needed divided use 1 onion, diced 1 small clove of garlic, minced 8 oz maitake mushrooms, sliced 3-4 shitake mushrooms, sliced 1 14.5 oz can vegetable broth (more or less) ½ C heavy cream (more or less) ½ C white wine (more or less) ½ cube porcini bullion dissolved in a little water 1 sprig fresh thyme 1 small bay leaf Salt and pepper to taste Ground nutmeg - smidgen Cayenne pepper - smidgen 2 Tbls dry sherry (to taste) Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Raisin Scones Some of you may remember the delicious scones that Shoshana served at one of our Albion forays. Here she has given us her recipe. by Shoshana Abrass Raisin scones. Photo by Lisa Tesler Method Combine the fresh milk with 1 1/4 tablespoon (i.e., 1 tbsp. plus 3/4 tsp.) of lemon juice, and stir it briefly. Let stand at room temperature, undisturbed for 5 or 10 minutes until the milk sours* and curdles. You'll know it's ready when it thickens slightly and tiny curdled specks form on the sides of the glass. Mix the melted butter, brown sugar, and raisins in a bowl. Mix the salt, baking soda, and baking powder together, and stir it thoroughly into the bowl. Add the soured milk to make a soft batter. Drop large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375°F until lightly browned and they spring back to the touch (about 15-20 minutes). * Soured milk is not the same as spoiled milk. The acid in freshly soured milk reacts with the baking soda to create carbon dioxide bubbles in the dough. This makes the scones more light and fluffy, and gives a clean, tangy taste similar to buttermilk while being a little less rich. Recipe contributed: February 1992 Objective: Dessert Total Time: About 1.5 hours Yield: 10 to 12 large scones 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 1/2 Cup melted butter 1/2 Cup brown sugar 1 Cup raisins or walnuts 3 Cups flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp. baking powder 1 1/4 Cups (10 fl. oz.) whole milk* 1 1/4 tablespoon (i.e., 1 tbsp. plus 3/4 tsp.) lemon juice (or white vinegar) Cookie sheet Butter or your preferred grease for the cookie sheet Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Pasta Porcini This Northern Italian recipe comes from the year Deb taught school in Trieste, Italy. by John Muñoz and Deb Gulluzzo Boletus edulis. © hunter_bunter (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 326051439) Method Reconstitute dried porcini in warm water for about 20 to 30 minutes. Strain through a coffee filter, reserving liquid, then finely chop the mushrooms. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Melt ½ cube butter over low heat. Add 1 cup panna, 1 beef or porcini bouillon cube, chopped boletes, and a splash or two of the strained mushroom soaking liquid (sparingly or the sauce will be too thin). Cook 1 lb. pasta until al dente (about 8 to 12 minutes). Toss pasta with warm sauce and serve to your lucky guests. Recipe contributed: December 2003 Deb and John brought this to Wine & Mushroom a few years ago and it is truly a simple and magnificent thing, one of the best mushroom dishes I've ever had. And it's bolete season! It’s simple, rich, and flavorful, making it a great first course or side dish. Objective: Main course Total Time: About 45 minutes Yield: 4 to 6 servings Suggested Mushrooms: Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus regineus, Boletus rex-veris) 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 ½ cube butter 1 oz. dried porcini ( Boletus edulis & co.) 1 cup panna*, heavy cream, or crème fraîche 1 cube beef or porcini bouillon 1 lb. good quality dried pasta (a good chunky pasta with lots of curves to hold the sauce, such as rotini or radiatori, works well) * Panna is a special Italian cream. You can substitute heavy cream or crème fraiche. Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

I Took a Walk. Helvella lacunosa (fluted black elfin saddle). Photo by Kaye Peyron I took a Walk Kaye Peyron Found in Watsonville, CA. During this time of year it was rainy and cold. At first we almost missed it because it was under all these leaves. We did not collect this baby elfin for it needed more time to grow before consideration of collecting. Camera Canon EOS 60D Focal L. 85mm Aperture f/5.6 Shutter Sp. 1/100s ISO 1000 Flash Off Photo taken on March 1, 2019 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Quick Red Pepper Tomato Soup with Hummus and Smoked Chanterelles Richard Lyness shares another of his ongoing culinary experiments with us... by Richard Lyness Red Pepper Tomato Soup with Hummus and Smoked Chanterelles. Photo by Richard Lyness Method Blend in blender. Microwave 2 minutes on high. Garnish with a sprig of tarragon and a few sautéed chanterelle slices. Enjoy! Pereparing Red Pepper Tomato Soup with Hummus and Smoked Chanterelles. Photo by Richard Lyness Recipe contributed: November 2011 Objective: Soup Total Time: Quick! Yield: Varies by bowl size Suggested Mushrooms: Chanterelle (Cantharellus californicus, Cantharellus formosus, Cantharellus subalbidus) 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 C of boxed tomato/red pepper soup 1/2 C garlic humus 1/4 C smoked, sautéed chanterelles (save a few for garnish) Smoked and fresh chanterelles. Photo by Richard Lyness Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Photography for ID Purposes When you can't bring in actual mushrooms for our taxonomists to ID, shown below are some tips on photographs and observations to send us, which will help the identifier answer your "what is this" question. Clitocybe odora. Photo by Christian Schwarz Perhaps you’ve noticed some mushrooms growing in your yard, or while you were on a hike? Maybe you were foraging for chanterelles and ended up with a few mystery mushrooms in your basket? Whatever you’ve found, our taxonomists will be happy to help you identify them, where possible. In the past few years, instead of bringing specimens to us in person, a growing number of people are taking cell phone photos for the purposes of mushroom identification. In general, it's more difficult for us to identify mushrooms solely from photographs. Often the taste, odor, staining reactions, tactile and/or other features and tests (as well as habitat details not visible in close-up photos) are often needed to correctly identify many species. Here are tips on how to take photographs for mushroom ID purposes, as well as observations to include with your photos. (These observations are also helpful when you bring certain specimens to us in person!) Photographs to Take in the Field When you first see a mushroom in the wild, even before you dig up the mushroom (or if you're in an area that doesn't permit collection), here are a few photos and observations to capture. Note: Your photos don't need to be beautiful. For identification, the more details we can see, the easier it will be for our taxonomists to identify distinguishing features. It may help if you support your camera on a tripod or a rock, or brace your body against something solid. Consider using a flash or a flashlight to illuminate darker areas if possible (without blowing out the image). If you'd like more tips on how to take better quality photos, check out our "Tem Tips for Taking Better Mushroom Photos" in our free FFSC Online Learning area. Show Us the Habitat Many mushrooms grow on or near specific trees or plants, at certain elevations, in certain temperatures, etc., or they tend to fruit at the same time as certain other plants. Take a few photos of what the mushroom is growing on, and the immediate area surrounding the mushroom(s), such as: The leaves, twigs, grass or dirt immediately surrounding it, or the log or tree (or leaf or bug) it's growing on Nearby trees (including burned or charred trees) One or two photos of the broader habitat, such as trees and plants in the general area Examples of immediately surrounding and broader habitat Try to photograph multiple examples of the same mushroom species that are nearby (or look-alikes if you're not sure). Show different age groups (some old-looking ones, some young-looking ones, etc.) Show us nearby mushrooms that seem similar, of different sizes If you're in the area for a few days, another option is to photograph the same mushroom(s) over time to show how it ages. Examples of the same mushrooms photographed over time Show Us Different Angles If you can't collect the mushroom, take close-up photos of it, and then move your camera to get shots of different sides of the mushroom. Set your camera on the ground to get low angles too. This helps our taxonomists examine the underside of the cap and the features of the stem. Low angles help the taxonomists see cap and stem features Show Us the Entire Mushroom If the area permits collection, dig up a specimen of the mushroom so that you can take photos of the entire mushroom. Take close-up photos (as clear/sharp as you can) showing: The whole top of the mushroom cap The bottom (underside) of the cap. Features of the stem, including the very bottom of the stem. Scratch or cut through the cap, to see if there are any color changes, and photograph what you see. Show Us the Mushroom's Size To help the identifier understand the size or dimensions of the mushroom, you can include another object, such as nearby pine needles, your shoe (keep it on), hand or fingers, or anything (or anyone) else with a recognizable size near the mushroom. (This can be done in the field or after collecting the specimen.) Photos that convey the relative size of a mushroom Observations to Include with Your Photos Many county and government-managed parks and forests do not permit mushroom collection, or you'll need to buy a collecting permit. Be sure to check the location's policies before digging up any mushrooms. Take Detailed Notes If you're not able to collect a specimen (or it won't survive until you're able to bring it in), write down (or photograph) the following details while in the field, and include them when you send in your mushroom photos: The habitat where your mushroom is growing. Is the mushroom on wood or the ground? If on wood, what kind? What tree species is it growing on (or what’s nearby)? (Nowadays many naturalist apps, websites, and even your phone's AI can help you identify trees based on their leaves.) Write down any distinctive aroma you notice while the mushroom is fresh – “mushroomy” is NOT a good descriptor! Create a spore print if time permits. It's easy! The sooner you can start the process, the better. See Part III of our free Learn about Wild Mushroom Identification tutorial for how to create a spore print, or search the Internet for similar tips. Do not eat an unidentified mushroom. If a mushroom ID specialist asks you to taste a mushroom to help them ID it remotely, just take a tiny bite and then spit it out and do not swallow any of it. Some people also prefer to rinse their mouth after tasting a mushroom for ID purposes. Bring Specimens in Person if Possible The most reliable way for our advisors to identify a mushroom is to see, touch, smell, and potentially taste it in person. If you’re coming to an FFSC event in person, we recommend that you store your specimens in a loose, breathable container, such as paper or wax paper bags (not plastic or glassine bags). You can place them on an ID table in a wicker basket, cardboard egg crate, or on a paper plate. People often bring specimens to our Monthly Speaker events , which are free and open to the public, and to our annual Santa Cruz Fungus Fair in January. Photos of specimens in baskets, on paper, etc. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC

Sparassis americana (American cauliflower mushroom), Pisgah, North Carolina. Photo by Judy and Bobb Lipp Sparassis americana in North Carolina Judy Lipp Roaming the East Coast in our RV. Pretty dry out here until we went into the Pisgah National Forest near the North Carolina Arboretum. It's practically a rain forest there. Must have seen over 50 species without looking hard and literally thousands of mushrooms. It was hard to ever be out of sight of at least 5 species at a time. Fun to see so many different species that are different or uncommon to the West Coast. Used the Audubon Guide on my iPhone and kept popping up familiar names on the photos such as Debbie Viess and Noah Siegel. Thanks guys! (David Rust helped with the ID.) Learn about this mushroom: Cauliflower Tales , NAMA Camera (Not provided) Focal L. Aperture Shutter Sp. ISO Flash Photo taken on August 15, 2016 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

To Brush or to Wash? Generally speaking, the best mushrooms are fresh mushrooms. Refrigerate as soon as you get home, and don’t wash until you’re ready to prepare or process them. by Sue Willis Brushing a mushroom Keep fresh mushrooms in the fridge in paper or waxed paper bags, never plastic, as they need to breathe. Plastic bags will yield mush rather than mushrooms. Objective: Storage/Prep Total Time: Varies Suggested Mushrooms: No mushrooms listed. Equipment and/or Ingredients May you be fortunate enough to find sufficient mushrooms for dinner and then some! (Found bucketloads while on a foray? See Collection Ethics and Etiquette .) Method Brushing: One school of thought is that one must never get mushrooms wet, as this will dilute their flavor. Advocates instead carefully trim and brush their fungi clean. This can be achieved with a pristine bolete, but you’ll be crunching on grit if you try it with a mud puppy chanterelle! Washing: Another perspective is that fungi absorb a negligible amount of water from washing, and that subsequent cooking will drive off the moisture along with that already present in the mushroom (they’re 90% water). Harold McGee, author of On Food and Cooking , a wonderful exploration of food chemistry and taste, did an experiment: He weighed 252 grams of fresh mushrooms, submerged them in water for 5 minutes, then removed them, blotted dry and weighed again. They then weighed 258 grams, 23 mushrooms having absorbed less than half a tablespoon among them. So he now rinses for 5 or 10 seconds with no compunctions. You can make up your own mind. Previous Technique All Techniques Next Technique

Crab and Parmesan Stuffed Morels There are so many ways to stuff morels! Here's an approach we enjoyed at one of our Wine & Mushroom dinners. by John Lang Morchella snyderi. © RHMorrison (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 359683855) Method Preheat oven to 375°F. Slice morels in half vertically, and clean out any grit inside. In a medium bowl, gently combine the precooked crab meat, mayonnaise, and Parmesan cheese to taste, being careful not to break up the crab lumps much. (Feel free to add lemon juice, chives, or seasonings.) Fill morel halves with the crab filling. Place the stuffed morels on a rimmed baking sheet, then bake at 375°F for about 12 to 15 minutes. The morels should be fully tender, piping hot all the way through, and the filling should be lightly browned on top. Let cool for a minute, and serve. Editor's Note : Alternatively, you can try steaming the morels before stuffing them, and then baking them after stuffed. Just ensure the morels are fully cooked before serving them. Recipe contributed: March 1995 Objective: Appetizer Total Time: About 30 mins Yield: 12 stuffed morels 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 12 large fresh morels (or 12 dried morels, reconstituted and patted dry) 8 oz (1 cup) precooked lump crab meat (picked over for shell fragments) 3 to 4 Tbsp. mayonnaise (to bind the crab) 1/4 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese (plus a little extra) Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

News & Stories / Sand Rock Farm Fungi Dinner was Exquisite! Our first Fungi Dinner of the season was on November 1 at Lynn Sheehan's Sand Rock Farm Bed & Breakfast . The dinner was exquisite. The company was superb. Rene Seltzer • December 1, 2001 Western Bellybutton Hedgehog (Hydnum oregonense). © Peter Vahlberg (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, ID 339838251) I absolutely love the ambiance, the fireplace, overstuffed chairs, long dining room table, the right background music. Oh, and did I mention the wines brought by Jerold O'Brien and David Bruce and the Riesling from Lynn's cellar. We started with the Silver Mountain 1998 Chardonnay; next a 1998 Vin D'Alsace Riesling Domaine Zind-Humbrecht; then my favorite of the evening a 1969 Domaine Docteur Marion Chambertin Clos de Beze; a 1972 Clos De La Roche Domaine Ponsot and finishing with a 1998 Pinot Noir David Bruce Russian River Valley. Thanks for the members and non-members who participated in the kick-off dinner of 2001-2002. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Mycology & Art News Morel Cultivation Ken Litchfield of the Mycological Society of San Francisco shared the following article on morel cultivation. Ken spoke to us earlier this season about the ongoing cultivation project he coordinates at the Randall Museum 's Mushroom Garden. Sue Willis • May 1, 2003 Morels. Photo by Yevgeny Nyden Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts What are You Doing This Summer? A Tale of Ozark Shiitake Growing Ain't No Cure for the Summertime Blues Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Stewardship Propagation of Propaganda Perpetuated... We extend our warm thanks to Roxann Hills, outgoing Minister of Propaganda. Roxann assumed editorship of this newsletter last fall and has done a wonderful job. Deb • April 1, 2003 April 2003 Duff Logo She has put in many hours to ensure that we are all up to date and informed. Personal circumstances have dictated that she pass the task along, and she will be missed! Roxann will be most sorely missed by the new propagandist, Debbie Johnson, as she sorts her way though new software and the mysteries of desktop publishing. The new editor asks for your patience and forbearance, as well as your input. In an effort to be Minister of Propaganda rather than of Misinformation, she would like to hear about what you’d like to see more of or less of in the Duff . Opinions, comments and letters to the Editor are most welcome! Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Letter from the Outgoing CEO Message From Our Incoming CEO 2009 Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article