Meeting November 2^nd

The wide, wide world of fungi. Fungal tales from a blog.

Elio Schaechter will share with us stories of fungi through the ages, from fossils dated from 250 million years ago to the present. He will describe the strange and wondrous phenomena associated with fungi, from making competitors of the Stradivarius violins to producing diesel oil. Many of these stories come from his blog, Small Things Considered

Annual Election

Fall is when we elect the officers for the new season. The election will be held during the November meeting.

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Mushroom Dinner November 17

SDMS member Robert Reid teaches a gourmet cooking class at Mesa College. He has offered to have his students prepare a mushroom dinner for us on Tuesday, November 17 from 4 to 6 pm. We need a minimum of 25 reservations by the November 2nd meeting to confirm the event. The cost will be an amazingly low $15.00 per person for a multi-course dinner.

You can reserve a spot by emailing DavidGrubb at sbcglobal dot net. Your reservation will be confirmed when we get your payment. You may send a check to the treasurer (see SDMS Information below), or pay by check or cash at the November meeting.

For more information about the Culinary Arts program at Mesa College, see: http://www.sdmesa.edu/culinary/index.cfm

Here is a short quote from the site:
"The Mesa College program is one of the few in the nation that serves a menu to the public, four days a week, in a restaurant-replicated environment, as part of the laboratory, preparation, and service curriculum requirements. Students learn in real-time and obtain immediate feedback from both instructors and those served."

For a campus map click here. Parking will be in the special event lot, and the dinner will be held in the Faculty Dining Area in the cafeteria building.

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Fungus Fairs Coming Up Like Mushrooms

Humboldt Bay - November 22

The Humboldt Bay Fungus Fair takes place the weekend before Thanksgiving.
The HBMS Mushroom Fair is an annual event held at Redwood Acres Fairgrounds. Displays of diverse local fungi, Cooking demonstrations, experts will identify and talk to visitors and answer questions, sales of mushroom kits and books. Adults 2$ and kids 1$

San Francisco - December 5-6

On the first weekend of December the MSSF will have their annual Fungus Fair. The Lawrence Hall of Science stepped up to host this always popular event.

Santa Cruz - January 9-10

Although the fun and fantastic FFSC Fair is still in the planning stages, they do have a couple of confirmations already: Tom Volk, who will be speaking here, there and everywhere in Northern CA in January, and Jack Czarnecki, the Restaurateur and Famous Mushroom Aficionado from Portland, OR. Don't miss his cooking demo; samples will be passed around to the normally SRO audience!

San Diego - February 21

And of course our very own fair in February. Forays on the 20th, Fair on the 21st.

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SOMA Wild Mushroom Camp 2010

January 16-18, 2010 (Sat-Sun-Mon) Martin Luther King weekend.

Online registration is NOW AVAILABLE! Take advantage of our "Early Bird Registration" to save some money before November 30th!!!!
Just go to: www.somamushrooms.org

For the 13th annual SOMA Wild Mushroom Camp we are planting a theme: Trees and Mushrooms.

There is so much to enjoy! Mushroom forays, gourmet mushroom cuisine, classes & workshops on: mushroom identification, cooking, dyeing, felting, polypore paper-making, medicine making, photography, cultivation, and much, much more!

Our delight is further assured with featured speakers: Tom Bruns on Saturday evening and Tom Volk on Sunday night.

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Mushroom News

• Oregon Harvest on NPR
• Mushroom Growing kits
• Mushroom Poisoning in Kiev

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Mushroom Views

• Michigan Mushrooms (scroll down)
• Yahoo! Groups on mycology.
• The Visual Dictionary
• Oyster Mushrooms Growing

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What’s Cooking!

Fungi As Food

Mushroom Cooking Class

San Diego Botanical Garden (formerly Quail Botanical Gardens) in Encinitas is having a mushroom cooking class:
Cooking with Mushrooms on Saturday, November 7 from 1:30 to 4:00 pm

Something different for Fall, Chef Elizabeth will teach how to make a Wild Mushroom Tart, Stuffed Mushrooms (perfect for entertaining), and Chicken Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms. Recipes and tastings will be offered for each dish.
Cost per class: Members $25, non-members $30. Pre-registration required.

Located 30 minutes north of San Diego in Encinitas, California, San Diego Botanic Garden covers approximately 35 acres at 230 Quail Gardens Drive. The Garden features numerous exhibits, including rare bamboo groves, desert gardens, a tropical rainforest, California native plants, Mediterranean climate landscapes, succulent gardens, an herb garden, firesafe landscaping, a subtropical fruit garden, and native coastal sage natural areas.

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Two sources for a "Recipe of the Month".
BAMS, and MAMS

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Fungi of the Month

Now there are two "Fungus of the Month" sites:
Tom Volk's long-running series at : http://tomvolkfungi.net/.
And a new one at: http://www.bayareamushrooms.org/mushroommonth/index.html.

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SDMS Information