50th Anniversary Santa Cruz Fungus Fair
Enter the World of Fungi!
Kingdom Fungi
3,000 – 4,000 species in California
Have fun learning in the field and in class
Meetings, Forays, Classes and Workshops
Fungiphile: an avid partisan of various things related to mushrooms and mycology
You just might be one…
Explore local mushrooms, both deadly and delicious, at the 50th Anniversary Santa Cruz Fungus Fair. View hundreds of regional species, have your mushroom finds identified, hear notable speakers, enjoy activities for kids young and old, visit our vendors, and sample delicious mushroomy treats during our three-day event.
Find out moreTo foster and expand, through education and by example, the understanding and appreciation of mycology and to assist the general public and related institutions to further this goal. And to always keep the “fun” in fungus!
Find out moreMushrooms fascinate us! We hunt for scientific interest and for the table, encouraging a sense of wonder regarding one of the least-understood segments of our environment. Monthly meetings, guided local and long-distance forays and identification classes.
LearnMushrooms: we find them all over. They are ubiquitous and mysterious, common and rare, delicious and sometimes deadly. Mushrooms are among the oldest living things on earth, and a significant theme and resource in almost every human culture over the past 10,000 years. Want to know more? You are already a fungiphile.
Join us
To aid in promoting education we offer full and partial scholarships to members needing financial aid or who express a deep interest in mycology, and students pursuing an interest in fungi at various educational institutions.
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To find more wild mushroom recipes, click the blue Culinary & Recipes link
Richard Lyness' contribution, this recipe embodies springtime. I can think of few things more succulent than fresh morels!
To find more wild mushroom recipes, click the blue Culinary & Recipes link
Judy Lipp came up with this winner, and it went super fast at the Wine & Mushroom gathering!
To find more wild mushroom recipes, click the blue Culinary & Recipes link
A delicious chanterelle leek tart, this recipe would accomodate most mushrooms or a mix. Adapted from Sunset Magazine, October 2006
To find more wild mushroom recipes, click the blue Culinary and Recipes link
Jim Maley, fungiphile and infamous chili authority, adapted this soup from The Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen. He relates:
I am told this recipe is used in the Hungarian community. Hungary is the focal point for peppers in Eastern Europe and all peppers are called paprika. Like most Eastern Europeans, they love wild mushrooms. Hungary is one of the few countries to mix hot with mushrooms.
As for the recipe, I usually skip the soy sauce and add a little garlic. For this batch, I added a little cooking sherry as well. I have used various Hungarian paprika varieties in the soup, but the Pride of Szeged Hot Paprika works out well and is readily available. This powder allows you to carefully upgrade heat at the end to provide a lot of zest, but at a level adjusted to prevent overpowering the mushrooms. I like to use mushrooms with good texture, like Lobsters, and some nice strong ones such as boletes. Shiitake mushrooms are a good bet, too.
Steve Olson, the photographer says: "I found 2 separate fruitings of this "unknown to me" variety. I feel like I should know what this is but can't come up with it. I'll be bummed if it happens to be a tasty edible!"
Phil says, "It's a Pholiota, in the aurivella group."
Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora says that as far as eating goes, it is to be avoided.
These crispy, spicy fritters beautifully combine earthy morels, nutty macadamias and sweet corn. The recipe is adapted from The Mauna Loa Cooking Treasury by Leslie Mansfield. Fritters can be served warm or at room temperature as an appetizer or side dish.
Craterellus tubaeformis has many common names: yellowfoot, winter mushroom, winder chanterelle, funnel chanterelle...
Morchella elata.
Once again, Dennis Desjardin and San Francisco State University will be offering their week-long class at the SFSU Sierra Field Station. Students will be introduced to the different kinds of mushrooms and other large fungi that occur in the spring in the Sierra Nevada (See SNFC species list). Emphasis will be placed on the analysis of macro- and micromorphological features, as well as ecological roles, to aid in the identification of taxa.
