Because of you our foray was A Big Success!
- Aug 15, 2016
- 3 min read
Gary Lincoff, Walt Sturgeon, Taylor Lockwood, John Plischke,III, Todd Elliott, Doug Elliott, and Max Dubansky and the West Virginia Mushroom Club all
thank you for coming!
Workshops Friday: Max Dubansky did a workshop on mushroom cultivation and Nancy Ward did one on using fungi to make decorative wreaths. The wreaths were sensational and the cultivation crew left with some spawn to produce mushrooms at home.
Pizza Social Friday: We had our optional pizza and salad social on Friday, which was followed by Walt Sturgeon's beautiful and informative presentation on non-gilled mushrooms. After Walt's talk, Doug Elliott had us sitting on the edges of our seats with excitement and laughing until we cried as he told us stories and led sing-alongs while playing his harmonica. When Doug was through, our fungal musicians repaired outside to play under the stars. Bellies full and smiles on our faces, we enjoyed their music until it was time to leave so we could rest for our Saturday adventures.
Saturday Morning Foray Walks: We carpooled to nearby trails and, despite the dry weather, we found over a hundred species, some of which were rare.
Saturday Lunch and tasting: Laurie Little of Whitegrass Cross Country Ski Resort, Cafe and Catering served some delicious wild mushroom dishes using organic, locally sourced ingredients. Check out Laurie Little and Chip Chase's website: http://www.whitegras.com/cafe.html. Tasting dishes included: bradley dip with GF crackers, Veggie Lasagna with sauteed Bradley (Lactarius) mushrooms, Wild Rice with Chanterelles, Cream of Porcini (boletes) soup, mushroom Stroganoff with Bradleys and Porcinis, and candied chanterelles. And, back by popular demand, we had Lolita Fansler's delicious Asian Pancit (bean thread noodles) with bradleys, chanterelles and vegetables. Thanks, Laurie! And, if that wasn't great enough - Nancy Ward made candy cap cookies for us. Candy Caps don't grow here on the east coast. They are a lactarius mushroom which has no sweetness on its own, but they have such a strong maple scent, that will perfume your entire kitchen and impart a delicious maple flavor to anything you cook with them.
Saturday AfternoonEducational Presentations: After lunch, we welcomed internationally recognized mushroom expert Gary Lincoff, author of the Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms, The Complete Mushroom Hunter, The Joy of Foraging, and too many other books and field guides to list. Gary taught us about unusual choice edible mushrooms, where to find them, and how to prepare them. There was a lot of useful information for beginners and even for advanced mushroom hunters. After that, Todd Elliott did a presentation on Adventures in our Fungal Ecosystem that was as beautiful as it was informative.
Review of the Mushrooms and Fungi Collected: After the tasting, John Plischke, III, author of Good Mushroom, Bad Mushroom put on his mad scientist hat and taught us how to use certain chemicals as an aid in mushroom identification. Walt Sturgeon, author of Mushrooms of the Northeast, walked around the collection tables for a show and tell about the fungi collected that day, along with Todd Elliott and Gary Lincoff. What a lineup!
Sales Table, T-shirts, Books, and other irresistible items: Our 2016 T-shirts were a bit hit and some are still available for purchase at $18 each, plus $6 shipping and sales tax for WV residents. Please visit the West Virginia Mushroom Club's Facebood Group for photos and then use the paypal buttons below to purchase one for yourself or your favorite mushroom loving friend.
Mushroom hunting checklist
When you go out on your own, to try out some of the mushroom collecting tips you learned, don't forget to bring comfortable outdoor shoes, long pants and long sleeves, water, snacks, camera, insect repellent, sunscreen, dollar store poncho, sweater, sunglasses, hat, binoculars, and a basket for the mushrooms you collect.
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