No Meeting in May

Potluck Party Instead

There is no meeting in May, we will have a potluck party instead.  Then we stop for the summer. The next meeting will be on October 4, 2010.

Jean Leighton will host the potluck again this year.  The festivities will start at 7:00 p.m. on May 3^rd.  To our new members, if you have not seen the fabulous garden at Jeans, don’t miss this chance.

Bring a dish to share.  If your dish includes wild mushrooms, please provide a label identifying the species. 

Bring your own alcohol if desired.  Water, plates, plastic cups, silverware and napkins will be provided.

Address
1402 Willow Street
San Diego (Point Loma Area)
(619) 222-5360

Directions:

From most places, go to I-8 and head West till it ends.  Turn left on Sunset Cliffs, go a little way, and turn left on Nimitz Blvd.  Take Nimitz to Rosecrans, turn right.  Go past the Von’s and turn right on Keats.  Go up three blocks and turn left on Willow, and go about six blocks to 1402.

If you are coming via the I-5, there is no ramp to get on 8 West.  From the North, take the Sea World Drive exit and go West.  Sea World Drive becomes Sunset Cliffs, from there follow the directions above.

From the South, it is better to take Harbor Drive past the airport to Rosecrans, and turn left.  At the Von’s at Nimitz, follow the directions above.

If you get lost, call (619) 222-5360, after noting where you are.

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Desert Mushrooms

A clip from the BAMS discussion group.
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Check out three more new and peculiar, desert dryland fungi just posted to MO.

Start with Alan Rockefeller's lovely chronicle of a Batteraeoides digueti found by ace Southern CA mushroom hunter Bonni Macintosh (ps be sure and scroll down to the habitat shot...if you don't already love the desert, seeing this might help you to understand why some of us do):

and then to another, new-to-me Battarea stevensii, yellow-capped, be-volvaed, and shown in both youth and age:

And finally, one more rarity, Montagnea arenaria, a secotioid Coprinus comatus from the Carizzo Plains, recently discovered by Christian Schwartz. Bet the flowers down that way were killer, too, hey Christian?

I came across this lovely 1999 Master's Thesis on Montagnea arenaria, written by Ms. Chang Chen, a student of the late Dr. Orson Miller at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Read all about it, from natural history to ITS sequences.

The desert places are wonderlands after good rains like these. And what a great crew of eager young mycologists we have in the field, recording its wonders. You go, guys! And keep on sharing what you find, for those of us salivating at home.

Debbie Viess
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And a note on desert truffles.

Mushroom News

• Mushroom Observer Update
• Fungus killing ash trees
• Some articles by David Arora
• Growing Mushrooms
• Glowing Mushrooms
• Growing Glowing Mushrooms (pictures at end)

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Mushroom Views

• SDMS Member's web site
• Morel Hunting Dog (scroll down, see picture on right)
• Purple morel from Turkey Morchella anatolica
• Landscape Morels
• Fair Species List(may need some spelling corrections)

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Summer Mushroom Festivals

• NAMA 2010, August 12-15, Winter Park, Colorado
• NMMS Annual Foray August 26-29, Sipapu, New Mexico
• Telluride August 26-29, Telluride, Colorado
• Mexican Mushroom Tours July

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NAMA 2010 - 50th Anniversary Foray

August 12-15, 2010, at the YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch, Winter Park, Colorado

More information at NAMA and CMS (Colorado Mycological Society)

Co-Chief Identifiers: Cathy Cripps and Vera Evenson

Faculty:
Scott Bates , Denis Benjamin, MD, Michael Beug, Roy Halling, Rick Kerrigan, Michael Kuo, Brandon Matheny, Michelle Seidl, Jack States, Walt Sundberg, Rytas Vilgalys Tom Volk, Nancy Weber

The Colorado Mycological Society is delighted to welcome NAMA to the Centennial State for NAMA's 50th Anniversary Foray, August 12-15, 2010. The foray will be held at the same location as NAMA's memorable 1983 foray, YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch, 14 miles from Winter Park, high on the western slope of the Continental Divide at 8,700 feet. Nearby Rocky Mountain National Park is celebrating its 95th Anniversary this year, and at least one of our forays is planned to study fungi in that area.

Linnea Gillman
Colorado Mycological Society - NAMA 2010

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What’s Cooking!

Fungi As Food

Morel Risotto
I made this for the potluck at one of our morel forays some years ago, and it turned out to be very good. A double batch disappeared so fast that I almost did not get to taste it.

The idea of combining caraway and green pepper flavors with morels came from some of Jack Czarnecki’s Polish morel recipes.

This will make 4 to 6 first-course servings. You can split it in half and make a small batch, or double it for a crowd.

3 Cups broth (chicken or veggie)
4 to 6 caraway seeds
3 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/3 Cup chopped shallots
1 Cup Arborio rice
1 Cup (or more) morels, cut up
½ Cup white wine
1/3 Cup chopped green pepper
½ Cup grated parmesan cheese

Heat the broth in a saucepan, add the caraway seeds, and keep hot.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Add the chopped shallots and sauté for a minute or two.

Add the rice and sauté for a few minutes, then add the morels and sauté a few more minutes.

Pour in the white wine and reduce the heat. Cook until the wine is almost all absorbed.

Start adding the hot broth to the rice, a little at a time. After each addition, allow the rice to absorb most of the broth, and then add more broth. Adjust the heat so the mixture just simmers slowly, and stir frequently. It will take 20 to 25 minutes to use all of the broth.

At about 15 to 20 minutes, before the last addition of broth, add the chopped green pepper.

When all of the broth has been absorbed, and the mixture is still soft, remove from the heat, add half of the parmesan, and stir well. Add a tablespoon of butter and beat it into the mix.

Serve immediately, sprinkled with the remaining cheese.

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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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Renewal Time

Remember, all memberships now expire each February. If you have not renewed for 2010, bring your check for $20 to the meeting and save a stamp. If you joined recently, your membership is good until February 2011. If in doubt, talk to the treasurer.

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Liability Waiver Forms

Participation in SDMS Forays requires a signed liability waiver. To save time at the start of forays, you can download a form here, sign it, and turn it in with your membership renewal.

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SDMS Information