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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Please join us for our General Meeting at the Harvey West Scout House. We will open earlier at 6PM, this month, so people can come and purchase a book or two at $35 and get them signed by both authors who will be present. Refreshments will be provided and informal mushroom ID from 7:00 - 7:30. A discussion of upcoming events will precede our speaker, Noah Siegel who will discuss his latest book, Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast, co-written with our local Christian Schwarz.
Six years in the making, the newly published Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast is the definitive guide to mushrooms in the diverse ecological zones of this region. Gain a better understanding about the mushrooms of northern California, hear some of the stories behind the book, and enjoy a selection of breathtaking photographs; from common edibles to rare and remarkable species.
It's funny how many of us were there without running into each other. We did cross paths with Alan Rockefeller, which was cool. He is always so enthusiastic and helpful.
Sandi and I met Mark and Toni from Santa Cruz at McCloud for the McCloud Mushroom Festival. We rented a home on www.VRBO.com and we were able to walk to town for the festival every day. We've been before but this was so much better than the last time.
Yes, Hygrophorus caeruleus were found. There was lots of fungal activity from 3200 feet and up...
This years Spring foray 2016 was fun as usual. Morels were to be found both in the burns and blonde naturals along the trails by the creek. We happened up an early flush of Spring Kings as well. Plenty of spring wildflowers at 4000' feet and higher. A little rain, a little sun and plenty of good company makes our FFSC forays the events we enjoy. Both old timers and new enjoyed hunting and eating mushrooms. Till the next hunt.....
WHEN:
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13-15, January 2017 |
WHERE:
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Louden Nelson Community Center, 301 Center Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 |
Theme
Learn about the hundreds of beautiful and fascinating species of mushrooms found in the Santa Cruz/Monterey and Bay Area. Find fungi on display in a re-created woodland habitat. This unique Santa Cruz tradition features three days of fantastic fun, informative speakers and demonstrations, with fungal activities for the whole family. Initiated by David Arora in 1973, this year's fair represents 43 years of keeping the "fun" in fungi. Join the fun!
It was 25 years ago in May that I joined a foray to Yosemite led by David Arora. We camped at the Sweetwater campground on Hwy. 120 outside the park. I was new to FFSC then and didn’t know anyone, but feel that there must have been a club member or two on the trip. David says there were about twenty of us in total but sadly I have no photos of the foray and can’t remember the people. The first day we hunted the Nat. forest off Evergreen road and found morels. I remember being very proud of a prime 3” specimen. David found some Amanita velosa and cooked them up for us to taste that evening. He told us they were some of the best-tasting mushrooms and, of course, added the obligatory warning about eating amanitas that we weren’t absolutely sure of.
After a few dry years in the area, we now have another great Pipi in the books. The foray was well attended, we had some new members and members new to Pipi, and everyone had a fantastic time. Check here to see some of our photos...
Time passes, things change, and every so often we need to revisit our Bylaws.
I grew up picking matsutake in the pacific northwest with my dad. We joined the first chapter of the Puget Sound Mycological Society and would go on field trips. It is one of my most precious memories and in the Northwest. The whole Japanese community buzzes with matsutake talk in the fall...
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