How do I identify wild mushrooms? How are wild or store-bought mushrooms best cooked and served? What are the best types to eat? Which ones are dangerous? How do I learn to hunt for them? How can I grow my own?
The San Diego Mycological Society will answer these questions and more at the 15thannual Mushroom Fair on Sunday, Feb. 17, at Balboa Park’s Casa Del Prado, Room 101. Doors open 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The Mushroom Fair will showcase wild San Diego-area mushrooms with proper identification, gourmet cooking demonstrations, and talks given by three prominent local mushroom authorities. Learn how mushrooms play an essential role in the web of life of our forests and are found in every ecological niche from seashore to valley to mountain to desert floor.
The event will also have vendors with books, identification guides, posters, mushroom growing kits, T-shirts, and art-related objects with mushroom themes. Kids and adults will appreciate the educational materials, including a lichens display.
The event is free, donations are accepted, and visitors are encouraged to BYOM (Bring Your Own Mushrooms) so that they may be identified by experts.
Parking is free. Take Hwy 163 South to Park Blvd Exit. Turn left at Park Blvd and the left onto Village Place. Park at the Carousel/Spanish Village lot or adjacent to the Natural History Museum. The Balboa Park Tram also stops at the Prado; it’s a short walk eastward along the Prado to Casa Del Prado.