I Am a Forager - The Wild Mushroom Fair

Sunday we drove to the Los Angeles Arboretum to attend the 27th Annual Wild Mushroom Fair.

Patricia at the entrance, with one of the placemats she purchased.

Foraging for mushrooms is part of the Italian Heritage but somehow it bypassed my personal experience.  I can remember my mother telling me that when her parents cooked mushrooms they place a silver coin the in the pot and if it turned black they knew the mushrooms were poisonous.  I don't know if that might just be an old wives' tale, or if it is true. But I don't think I would put my faith in a silver coin!  I have always enjoyed mushrooms but mine come from the market.

When we were in Ferla (in Sicily) in 2007 we visited my cousin's farm/ranch and while there my cousin's mother grabbed a plastic basket and headed into the field to gather mushrooms.

Tina hunting for mushrooms!

Here is her gathering!

I remember wondering how Tina knew that the mushrooms were safe to eat!

Well, it turns out like with everything else in the world, if there is an activity...there is a following that creates an underground of interested people who meet and share and learn together.  Such is the case with the Los Angeles Mycological Society.  Throughout the year they gather to go on forages into the local mountains and hillsides looking for edible and non-edible mushrooms.  Every year they host a fair with cultivation lessons, cooking demonstrations, mushroom-themed vendors and a guided mushroom walk.  Sunday, there was a large group of people of all ages. Who knew that many people in Los Angeles were interested in wild mushrooms!

One of the children...dressed as a mushroom!

We were there when the doors opened so we were able to take the Mushroom Walk with Biology Professor Bob Cummings.  Bob, like any expert, loves to share his expertise and as we all gathered around him, he told us story after story about how he is called to the local hospitals in the middle of the night when a patient has been admitted in pain after eating mushrooms. He goes to the hospital, identifies the mushroom to determine if it is poisonous so the doctor can then consult with Poison Control Center. He explained how most edible mushrooms also have a look-alike mushroom that is not edible.

After giving us an introduction on the subject of mushrooms, we proceed to go on a walk, staring down at the ground, looking for bumps in the ground cover or wood with white growth.  We ended up at a large log from a tree that was covered with mushrooms growing from the fungus.

Bob Cummings identifying mushroom.

Fungus is amazing.  It lives in the ground and spreads its fibers into the soil looking for matter to digest.  And in the process it sends up plumes of living matter, the mushroom, that creates spores to scatter so that it can propagate. 

After the walk we went into the main event room and looked at the various types of mushrooms on display.

Jay checking out the displays

People were demonstrating how to cultivate your own mushrooms...just tuck this little plastic bag full of planting material and live spores into the dark corner of a closet and you, too, can grow your own mushrooms.

There is so much to learn about the world.  And there are so many experts available to teach you.  All we have to do is poke our head out the door.  I know that after this little foray into a new environment, I will have a greater appreciation for mushrooms.  Right now I am dreaming about a Mushroom Risotto!!

Here is a video of Professor Bob Cummings:


Dr. Bob Cummings from David Fenster on Vimeo.