Agnes A. Sieger, Editor
Tuesday, October 10, at 7:30 PM at the Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 NE 41st Street, Seattle.
The genus Agaricus is well represented in the Northwest. We find delicious buttons in grocery stores, lovely specimens on forest floors, and insolent individuals in emergency rooms. Each species seems to have a unique combination of distinct features. Why, then, are they so hard to identify?
Margaret Dilly will enlighten us when she talks about ``Northwest Agaricus.'' Margaret has been our Agaricus specialist for decades and wrote the Pacific Northwest Key Council key to the genus. Margaret was president of PSMS from 1984 to 1986 and is a life member. She and Claude went into exile in Oak Harbor a few years ago and are now active members of the Northwest Mushroomers Association in Bellingham. They don't come to Seattle as often as we'd like them to, so it will be a pleasure to see them at the October meeting.
Would members with last names beginning with the letters A-D please bring a plate of refreshments for the social hour?
CALENDAR
Oct. 7 field trip
Oct. 10 Membership meeting, 7:30 PM , CUH
Oct. 14-15 Annual Exhibit, Sand Point Brig
Oct. 16 PSMS Board meeting, 7:30 PM , CUH Board Room
Oct. 21 field trip
Oct. 26-29 Breitenbush Foray
Oct. 28-29 The Mountaineers/PSMS weekend
Nov. 11-13 Lake Quinault Foray
HOW TO COLLECT FOR THE SHOW
Mushroom hunting for the Annual Exhibit is fun, since no identification skills are necessary. Just go out the Thursday and Friday before the show and pick some prime examples of anything you see. People collect from Mt. Adams to Mt. Baker, from the coast to the Cascades and beyond. However, you don't have to go on a safari to contribute. Sometimes the only examples of certain species at the show were found in a neighbor's lawn or the grocery store planting strip.
Remember, these mushrooms are meant for display, and therefore should be as attractive and informative as possible. This means you need to take some special care in collecting and transporting them.
1. Ignore mushrooms in questionable condition. If it's questionable today, it will be rotten tomorrow.
2. Do not cut the stem. Carefully dig up the whole mushroom, large or small, with a trowel or big knife. Look for specimens in all stages of development.
3. Gather up some surrounding material or part of the substrate to accompany the specimen.
4. Don't grab it by the stem; that may bruise it or rub off features. Wrap it in foil or put it in a container so it isn't injured.
5. Carefully place the wrapped specimen on a rack or in a hefty cardboard box with other specimens.
6. Try to keep the specimens upright. Some mushrooms are geotropic and respond to gravity. Many a stately Amanita laid gently on it's side in the evening has been discovered with a 90° bend in the stem in the morning.
7. Keep it under cool conditions if storing it overnight.
8. Drive in the 74th and Sand Point Way entrance to Warren Magnuson Park and follow the signs to the old Navy brig. Mushroom receiving is on the back side (under the white canopy). Mushroom receivers should be on hand from about 5 PM to approximately midnight Thursday and Friday. If no one is there, just leave your boxes.
FAIRY RINGS
Spores Illustrated, Connecticut Westchester Mycological Society, August 1997, via Mycelium, Mycological Society of Toronto
The name fairy ring comes from an old folk-tale. People once believed that mushrooms growing in a circle followed the path made by fairies dancing in a ring. Fairy rings are found in open grassy places and in forests.
In grass, the best known fairy ring fungus is Marasmius oreades. The body of this fungus, its mycelium, is underground. It grows outward in a circle. As it grows, the mycelium uses up all the nutrients in the soil, starving the grass. This is the reason a fairy ring has dead grass over the growing edge of the mycelium. Umbrella-shaped fruiting bodies, called mushrooms, spring up from just behind the outer edge of the mycelium.
Large rings are created when the older mycelium in the center finally exhausts the soil nutrients and dies. On the death of the central mycelium, the nutrients are returned to the soil and grass can grow again.
The living edge of the mycelium continues to grow outward. As it grows, it secretes chemicals into the ground ahead. These chemicals break down the organic matter, releasing nutrients so that the mycelium will have food when it reaches this area. For a brief time, the grass at the outer edge of the ring also benefits. The extra nutrients make the grass darker green, taller, and thicker than the rest of the lawn or pasture. This lush grass dies when the mycelium grows under it and steals the nutrients.
Fairy rings made by fungi like Marasmius oreades are called ``free'' rings. They will continue to grow outward until a barrier is reached. Sometimes the barrier is another fairy ring! Rings can grow into each other's territory and die as each reaches the other's ``dead zone.'' If there are no barriers, free rings can grow outward up to 8 inches (20 cm) per year. They can reach a diameter of over 30 feet (10 m). One ring formed in France by the fungus Clitocybe geotropa is almost a half mile (600 m) in diameter. This ring is thought to be 700 years old.
Mycorrhizal fungi, which live in symbiotic partnership with trees, also form fairy rings. Their rings are called ``tethered'' rings. A tether is like a leash. The fungus and its mycorrhizal partner tree need each other to survive. The mycelium of these fungi always remain joined to the tree's roots. Roots are the ``tether'' that keeps the fairy rings of mycorrhizal fungi from growing too far from their tree.
MUSHROOM FONDUE Patrice Benson
Fondue is back in style, as Patrice demonstrated at the September meeting. Her recipe went over so well that we thought we'd repeat it here. Patrice used chanterelles, which are plentiful this year and can be picked up for a low as 3 lb for $10 at the Pike Place Market. However, the recipe works well with any mushroom and is particularly good with morels. So dig out your old fondue pots, and dig into this great-tasting dip.
1 lb shredded cheese
(8 oz. Emmenthaler, 4 oz. Gruyère, 4 oz. Norwegian Jarlsberg
or any other combination. Gruyère has the strongest
flavor.)
1 Tbs corn starch
3 C dry white wine
1 clove garlic
1 lb mushrooms (morels, chanterelles, or store bought)
1 shallot
2 Tbs butter or oil
Sauté mushrooms (leave them in large pieces or whole if they are small) in butter or oil, adding shallot after liquid has boiled off. Set mushrooms aside after shallot has become transparent. Rub inside of heavy pot with garlic. Heat the wine in the pot until simmering. Toss cheese with cornstarch and add slowly to the wine, stirring constantly but slowly. When the cheese is melted and smooth, add the mushrooms. Keep the fondue over a heat source at all times to prevent gumminess. Serve immediately with large cubes of bread. This won't reheat well, so eat it all before it gets cold. This is a good meal to plan for mushrooming trips because you can eat it with or without mushrooms.
My Foot
Fungus
unknown
from http://dechar.tripod.com/p-fungus-project.html
via Fungifama, So. Vancouver Island Myco. Soc., May
2000
I'm growing fungus on my feet.
To tell the truth, it's kinda neat.
I grew it for my science class.
It's got so big, I'm bound to pass.
But it's not easy growing mold.
You must keep it dark and from the cold.
Put your socks on when they're wet,
And feed your fungus lots of sweat
It's been a month since I last showered,
And because of this, it's truly flowered.
It's amazing just how fast it grows.
You've never seen such fuzzy toes!
It has the most delightful hue.
It's sorta green and sorta blue.
But there are drawbacks to its fungal riches.
You won't believe how much it itches.
And the smell is gross, I have to say.
But it's worth it all to get an ``A.''
LAKE QUINAULT FORAY Karin Mendell
Contact Karin Mendell, (425) 868-7918 or infoman@evergo.net, to reserve your place now at the PSMS Fall Foray November 11 -13. The foray mycologist will be PSMS Scientific Advisor Dr. Joseph Ammirati, who will share mycologist duties with Michelle Seidl and Brandon Matheny. Meals will be provided by Wayne Elston, PSMS member and chef extraordinaire, with help from PSMS members. Marilyn Droege will provide an opportunity for artistic expression. The setting is Kamp Kiwanis on the north shore of Lake Quinault surrounded by the Olympic National Park. There is adequate parking for cars, trailers, and campers; no hookups. Bring your own air mattress and sleeping bag. Price is approximately $50 per person.
UPCOMING FIELD TRIPS Mike Lovelady
The chanterelles are out in force. Can the boletes be far behind? We have three field trips left this season. We could still use hosts. To volunteer call Field Trip Chair Mike Lovelady, (206) 937-3857, or e-mail loveladymike@hotmail.com.
Please see the Members' Calendar for the field trip schedule.
Lip-smacking smut George W.
Hudler
Magical Mushrooms,
Mischievous Molds, Princeton Univ. Press, 1998, via
Fungifama, So. Vancouver Island Myco. Soc., May
2000
Not all plant pathogenic fungi are associated with tales of woe. In fact, when left to the devices of the right spin doctor, some of the most grotesque diseases are grist for some of the best stories.
Take bunt or stinking smut of wheat, for instance. This disease is caused by Tilletia foetida, a fungus that spends the winter as dormant spores on the surface of the previous year's seeds. In the spring, the spores germinate to produce secondary infectious spores, and these attack wheat flowers just as pollination is occurring. Not only does each infected flower become a site for fungus growth rather than the desired seed growth, but, what's worse, the infected plants smell like rotted fish.
Legend has it that a miller in England (some say France) received a shipment of gray, foul-smelling flour made from smutted wheat, and he experimented with ways to save his investment. The fruit of his labor is still with us today. By adding molasses to darken the flour (thus masking the ``smut gray''), and a pungent new spice from India to cover the fishy odor, he produced the first generation of ginger snaps.
RUSSIANS
ARE LITERALLY DYING FOR FUNGI Jan Lindgren
MushRumors, Oregon Myco. Soc.,
Sept.- Oct. 2000
Several of our members passed on to me an article from the LA Times about the large number of Russians and Ukrainians dying after eating Amanita phalloides.
To make a long story short, 95 people have died since the beginning of their mushroom season this summer. Sixty-six of these were in the Ukraine. This number is much higher than normal, according to the chief doctor in charge of treating epidemics and sanitary problems in the city of Voronezh, where 19 people have died. No figure was given for how many were made sick but lived. According to the writer, mushroom hunting is a national obsession and the Russians call it ``quiet hunting.'' Many wander the forests picking wild strawberries, hazelnuts, and mushrooms during their short summer season.
Voronezh police are now patrolling the forests, stopping mushroom foragers and checking their baskets. (I wonder if all the police have a degree in mycology.)
Most of the victims were said to be elderly, with failing eyesight. Others have become overconfident, and even pride themselves on their expertise. Health authorities have rejected the idea that environmental contamination has caused the mushrooms to mutate and become deadly. Also, the poisonings have nothing to do with industrial poisons, salts, acid, or radiation. The authorities are convinced that people in Russia are extremely undereducated about mushrooms and the situation has to be addressed before more people die.
Many of the victims did not seek treatment until more than 48 hours passed after eating the mushrooms, and that delay was another reason they didn't recover. Liver transplants are not available, and prompt treatment of the symptoms is most important.
I would like to suggest that all OMS members read the section on mushroom toxins in Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora. Become familiar with the toxic mushrooms in this area and be sure of your identification before eating any wild mushrooms.
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Joanne Young
After such a beautiful, dry summer it's time to do our rain dances. October is here! This is our busiest month. Most important is our Annual Exhibit, October 14 and 15 at Sand Point. Other upcoming activities are the membership meeting October 10, weekend field trips, classes, the Meany Lodge overnight field trip with The Mountaineers, and, for those who want to head south, the mushroom conference at Breitenbush Hot Springs in Oregon.
The Annual Exhibit is our most important event of the year. It provides a major source of income for PSMS and is a great way to learn about mushrooms, to meet others who share your interest, and to serve the community. Besides that, it's a lot of fun. Show chairmen Ben Woo and Ron Post are making the last-minute preparations. As usual there is need for volunteers to help with all aspects of the show. If you can get the day free on Friday, it's wonderful to go out collecting for the exhibit. Friday night set-up is also a great pleasure¾but you'll have to come to see why for yourself. Most of the jobs do not require vast knowledge of fungi. If don't know how you could best help, call or write the Show Chairs Ben Woo, (206) 722-6109 benruwoo@msn.com, or Ron Post, (206) 783-1244 ronp46@hotmail.com, or sign up at the meeting on October 10.
It's not too early to register for the Veteran's Day foray (Nov. 11-13) at Lake Quinault. Foray Chair Karin Mendell is hard at work and has many bright ideas which promise make this foray a great one.
VOLUNTEER WISH LIST Joanne Young
Meeting Hospitality. PSMS needs one or more people to take care of setting out the cookies and snacks and making punch and coffee at our monthly membership meetings.
Membership List/Mailing. We need a volunteer to maintain the data base of membership names, addresses, etc., and to print the mailing labels once a month. Thanks to Ramona Owen for already offering to do the Spore Prints mailing each month! Call Joanne Young, or Dick Sieger.
COUPLE GUILTY OF MAKING ILLEGAL MUSHROOM PICKS Michael Jamison
condensed from The Missoulian
Two mushroom pickers have been convicted of committing fungi felonies in Glacier National Park, where munching morels could land you six months in jail.
On June 29, 2000, 43-year-old Terry Doss, of Trinidad, CA, and 39-year-old Phyllis Doss, of Unity, OR, were nabbed with what park officials say was a ``substantial quantity of morel mushrooms that they had harvested near Anaconda Creek,'' the site of a large forest fire last summer.
The burned-over landscape has sprouted in tasty morels in this season following the blaze. Just as the morels were sprouting, however, up popped a new park rule banning mushroom harvest. On May 23, Park Superintendent Suzanne Lewis laid down the law against ``the picking of mushrooms (or other edible fungi such as morels) for personal use,'' threatening fines of up to $500 and six months in jail.
A month later, the Dosses were caught with several bagfuls of ``edible fungi.'' According to park officials, the couple had been harvesting morels in the area for some time and had been selling them commercially. Both have pleaded guilty in federal court, and were fined $200 and banned from the park for two years
article contributed by John Goldman