BULLETIN OF THE PUGET SOUND MYCOLOGICALSOCIETY
Number 326, November 1996
Electronic Edition is published monthly, September through Juneby the
Puget Sound Mycological Society
Center for Urban Horticulture, Box 354115
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
(206) 522-6031
Agnes A. Sieger, Editor
Dick Sieger, HTML Editor
MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Tuesday, November 12, at 7:30 PM in the Center for UrbanHorticulture, 3501 NE 41st Street
In November, Taylor Lockwood,photographer extraordinaire, will present “Treasures from theKingdom of Fungi,” a program of breathtakingly beautiful,exquisitely photographed mushroom slides synchronized withclassical music.
A rare photographic adventure into the wonder of the fungalkingdom, this program brings raves wherever it is shown. Don’tmiss it.
Would members with last names starting with H–M pleasebring a plate of refreshments for the social hour?
CALENDAR
Nov. 12 Membership meeting, 7:30 PM, CUH
Nov. 16–17 Field trip with Drs. Miller and Ammirati
Nov. 18 Hope Miller slide show, cooking demonstration, andautograph party, 7:30 PM, CUH
Nov. 19 Stuntz Foundation Lecture, “Desert Fungi”by Dr. OrsonMiller, 7:30 PM, CUH
Nov. 22 Spore Prints deadline
Nov. 25 Board meeting
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Marshall Palmer
In addition to providing many of the funds for PSMS expenses andactivities in the upcoming year, our recently concluded 1996 WildMushroom Exhibit served as the major vehicle for members of ourcommunity to learn something about us. Many people attended inorder to see the year’s largest display of fresh wildmushrooms in the Puget Sound region, others to learn the identityof mushrooms they had recently discovered in their yards or on ahike or picnic, others to sample the culinary delights thatmushrooms make possible, others to learn about conservation, othersto see what works of art mushrooms could inspire. For all of thesereasons, and many others, our exhibit was well attended. Many ofthese people will also return to our meetings, become members, joinus at field trips, attend ID classes, and help with futureexhibits. Let’s help to make them feel at home.
From my perspective, the most striking feature of thisyear’s exhibit was the abundance of member volunteers. We hadan excellent fruiting of many species in early October, but none ofthem would have been on the display tables unless a large number ofvolunteer collectors had driven many miles from locations near andfar to deliver them Friday evening. Members of the constructioncommittee had already worked Thursday evening to be better preparedfor the intensive assembly session on Friday. Mushroom ID workerswere busy Friday evening (some until early Saturday morning)getting our specimens properly organized. Setup activity by variouscommittees continued furiously Friday evening and Saturday morning.To the credit of our membership, while the work pace was furious,the human atmosphere can best be described as excited, friendly andextremely cooperative. Throughout the weekend, fresh troopscontinued to appear, pitching in to relieve those who needed a napor a bite to eat. Thanks to those who had placed posters in thedays before the show or who had made other contributions topublicity, the CUH parking was often filled to capacity. Thisdegree of volunteer service is outstanding!
Many thanks to all of you who contributed your time and efforts;I salute you. A member who deserves special recognition is JoanneYoung, who has just served for her third year as Exhibit Chair.Joanne’s work on the exhibit has been continuous for the past3 years, critiquing each year’s show to be able to improve itand to offer crucial advice to successive committee chairs. Joannehas earned a well-deserved respite from this role and is deservingof our deepest gratitude. Thank you, Joanne!
This month I have one request. Typically, our Novembermembership meeting is one of our most well-attended programs. Thisis because of the many new members, guests, and prospective memberswho attend in the wake of our annual exhibit. During the meeting,these persons will be asked to identify themselves. Please make aspecial effort to look around, see who these people are, and, atthe end of the meeting, take a few minutes to introduce yourselfand volunteer some information about our group. Let’s givethese guests a warm, friendly welcome.
THE 1996 EXHIBIT Joanne Young
This mushroom show was a great one and a real pleasure forvisitors and volunteers. Thanks to the large numbers of volunteers,the show went up with out a hitch, the mushroom specimens wereabundant, and the displays complete and beautiful. The timing ofthe show could not have been better, coming just between good rainsand the early snows. The chefs were thrilled to have so many wildmushrooms to cook, and crowds were treated to a feast for the eyes,the mind, and the palate.
Thanks to all the committee chair people for their hard work andgood humor. And I’m sure I can speak for them in expressingappreciation for the many people who came forth to help. The numberof volunteers was the best I’ve seen in several years.
Paid attendance was about 1135, not counting PSMS members andchildren under age 12. That’s a little lower than last yearand more like the two previous years. Book sales were good, and 75new members joined the society.
There will be a meeting on November 6 to talk about the exhibitand discuss next year. Charles Pregaldin will be the new showchair! All committee people are encouraged to come as well asanyone who would like to be part of the planning for next year. Themeeting will be held Wednesday, November 6, at Lynn Phillips’shouse at 7:00 PM.
Thanks to everybody for making the show such an enjoyable andsuccessful event.
BOARD NEWS Agnes Sieger
September Board Meeting: Joanne Young reported on generalpreparations for the annual exhibit, and Sheila Paar reported onbook sale activities. Joanne unveiled the 1996 exhibit poster andshowed off the set of colored postcards made from the 1984 poster.Doug Ward requested that the membership renewal forms be revised toinclude area codes and e-mail addresses. The summer photographyworkshop went well. Irwin Kleinman plans to reserve the lodge forfield trips in May and September 1997. Kathy Casey has donated acomputer to PSMS.
October Board Meeting: Exhibit Co-Chair Charles Pregaldinreported that set-up and take-down of the show went smoothly; thepaying attendance was about half of last year’s, and BookChair Sheila Paar reported that book sales were less than expected.Marshall Palmer announced that there will be a field trip onNovember 16–17 led by Dr. Ammirati and Dr. Orson Miller, whowill be in town with this wife, Hope, for the Stuntz Foundationmemorial lecture on November 19. Marshall is looking into a1997–1998 membership roster. Colleen Compton will organize aPSMS booth at the flower shower in February. Mary Lynch and IrwinKleinman volunteered for the nominating committee. Because of theStuntz Foundation lecture, the next board meeting will be November25.
Please see Dr. Millers Official Website, which offers Hope Miller's Cookbook for sale.
SEPTEMBER 29-30 FIELD TRIP Irwin Kleinman and BrianLuther
It was a weekend to live for. After several days ofnear-freezing temperatures with some rain, September 27–29turned sunny, warm, and bountiful. The vine maple and the otherdeciduous trees had turned and were spectacular. In myrecollection, this is the first time in many years that no fire wasrequired during the night, and the new stove in the shelter wasused only for cooking. Thirty-eight hardy members remainedovernight to enjoy the comradeship around the camp fire and thetasteful and abundant potluck. Others popped in during the weekendto find out where the action was and were seen no more. Maximumamounts of white chanterelles were everywhere, which furtherenhanced an unforgettable foray.
One hundred different species of fungi were identified on thedisplay tables. Special thanks go to Larry Baxter, Sara Clark, andBrandon Matheny for identifying. Rare, interesting, or unusualfungi included Pholiota squarrosoides which smells like fresh bakedcinnamon rolls; Albatrellus dispansus, a yellow multipileatepolypore; the beautiful and rarely collected Hygrophorusnitidus, and Stropharia squamosa. One of the membersfound a collection of Lentinus lepideus and after findingout that it was edible, decided to try it in a potluck dish.It’s a very tough and unappetizing-looking mushroom, so I wasamazed at how tasty it turned out for a mushroom that’shistorically known as the “Train Wrecker.”
OCTOBER 5-6 FIELD TRIP Brian Luther
The field trip on October 5–6 was blessed with wonderfulweather, lots of mushrooms, a big crowd of enthusiastic people, andstunning fall colors. I got up at 6:00 AM at Coleman Leuthy’sranch and drove 23 miles to meet Mick Mueller (Forest Servicebotanist and our nature walk host) to preview the site of hisnature walk; then we dashed back to the shelter to meet everybody.The maples and cottonwoods were in their prime, with brilliantyellows and oranges.
The mushroom nature walk was scheduled for 9:00 AM, but Idelayed leaving until 10:l5 to allow stragglers to arrive. Weconnected with Mick and a large group of interested AudubonSociety members at 10:30 and then proceeded to the nature walksite, 13 miles away. For 3 hours Mick and I discussed forestecology and the role of fungi in the ecosystem and identifiedplants and fungi that people found as we slowly made our way aroundthe mile-long nature-trail loop. We found all kinds of interestingfungi, and judging from the comments we received afterward,everybody learned something and had a good time.
Back at the shelter on , identification got a very late startbecause of the nature walk, but thanks to Harold Schnarre, ColemanLeuthy, Sara Clark, and Brandon Matheny we had 105 differentspecies of fungi displayed. Some of the interesting or unusualfungi found were the beautiful Mycena amabilissima,Neolecta irregularis, Cudonia circinans, andEntoloma madidum. The shelter was in a cool, shady location,but Tom Ahlers had two roaring campfires going to keep us warm andfor potluck cooking. The potluck was small because many people leftearlier, but nobody went away hungry.
Extra special thanks to Mick Mueller for organizing andco-leading the nature walk. Also, Mick mentioned the possibility ofdoing a Barlow Pass type inventory survey of the fungi in one ofhis ecologically sensitive areas in the National Forest and wouldbe pleased to have the expertise and assistance of PSMS members inthis study.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE Mary Lynch
We are looking for one or two members to help serve on thenominating/election committee. The committee will help recruitmembers to serve on the PSMS board and fill the slate for theoffices of Secretary and Vice President. The elected positions area two-year position. Anyone interested in serving on the committeeor willing to run for office please contact Irwin Kleinman or MaryLynch.
THANK YOU Patrice Benson
As Publicity Co-Chair for the show, I would like to extend mythanks to the Elliot Bay Book Company for their encouraging supportof our 33rd Annual Wild Mushroom Exhibit. They not only displayedour poster in their window, but did a complete mushroom displaywith books and our gorgeous new mushroom cards. Kudos also to KathyCasey for her support and efforts to promote our show and theculinary side of things. Her article appeared in the October 2 foodsection of the Seattle Times. Thanks to the Timeseditors for double checking the mushroom facts and for being soaccurate and imaginative.
As Cooking and Tasting Co-Chair, I extend my heartfelt thank youto Vail St. Vrain for her edible decorations for the tasting andcooking exhibit at the show. The whole thing was made easy andenjoyable for all by the assistance and work of the other co-chair,Colleen Compton. Thanks Colleen! The cooking demonstration is ateam effort, and this was never so apparent as this year. TheCooking and Tasting Committee was huge! The generous chefs werecompetently assisted by many, many members, and this cooperationmade it a fun experience for us all. Thanks from the bottom of myheart.
BOOK SALES Sheila Parr
Thanks to all of you PSMS members who helped at the Book Salesbooth; both in setting up and tearing down and in selling duringthe show. Special thanks to Beth Schnarre. A special thank you alsoto Marlin Greene of EYE2EYE Design for his donation of NW mushroomnote cards to PSMS for sale to members. Single cards will be $1.50each and there are eight different designs.
The PSMS greeting cards made from the 1984 exhibit poster areselling well. The Amanita card is making a wonderfulChristmas card for many.
All books and cards will be available for sale on November 12.Paul Stamets’ new book, Psilocybin Mushrooms of theWorld, is in. November 18 we will have Hope Miller’scookbook for sale at a separate table, and Hope said she willpersonally autograph any purcase.
Book sales will NOT be set up during the November 19th lecture andthe December membership meeting.
NAMA DUES Lorraine Dod
To join or renew membership in the North American MycologicalAssociation, send a check for $17.00 to Lorraine Dod at thePSMS office, Center for Urban Horticulture, Box 354115, Universityof Washington, Seattle, WA 98195.
PORCINI SAUCE from Hope’s MushroomCookbook by Hope Miller
1-1/2 C dried porcini (cèpe, Steinpilz, Boletus edulis)
4 C beef stock
3 oz bacon, chopped
3/4 C minced shallots
1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
3/4 C dry sherry
3/4 lb button mushrooms, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbl butter
3 Tbl flour
Reconstitute dried mushrooms in 2 C of warm stock for 30minutes. Cut reconstituted mushrooms into small pieces. Setaside.
Cook bacon, covered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally.Add peeled shallots and cook until golden. Add sherry, tomato, andbutton mushrooms; cook over medium heat until liquid is evaporated.Add porcini, mushroom liquid, remaining stock, salt, andpepper.
In a small pan melt butter; stir in flour and cook overmoderately low heat, stirring until golden brown. Add 1 C ofmushroom stock mixture and bring to a boil over moderate heat,beating with a wire whisk. Add mixture to a casserole and cooksauce, covered, in oven for 3 hours or until it is thickened and adeep brown color.. Stir occasionally the last half of the cookingtime. Serve this sauce with veal chops, brown rice, potatoes,polenta, or grits. Yield: 4 to 5 cups sauce.
Meet Hope Monday, November 18, at 7:30 PM atCUH.
SEPTEMBER 21 FIELD TRIP Robert English
The mushroom hunt September 21 was a wet one, but everyone thatI saw found an abundance of chanterelles. There were also somecollections of Lepiota rhacodes and at least one Agaricusagustus. Larry Baxter, with help from Bill Bridges and BrandonMatheny, identified 58 species, including a Phallus sp.brought in by Bill from Boston .
The coffee was hot even if the weather was not. And thechanterelles were as nice as they get. Thanks to everyone for theeats, and happy birthday, Al.
AMISH FAMILY EATS POISONOUS MUSHROOMS Dick Sieger
On September 27th, an Amish family in Akron, Ohio, was strickenby mushroom poisoning after eating soup containing several speciesof mushrooms including Amanita virosa, the "Destroying Angel." Four brothersages 2, 3, 5, and 6 were hospitalized in an intensive care unit andtheir mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, and uncle weretreated in hospitals. The family's milkman had found the familyincapacitated by severe diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Thegrandfather usually inspected wild mushrooms picked by the family,but failed to do so this time.
Amanita virosa fruits during the hot rainy season in Ohio.Containing amatoxin, it causes a three-stage poisoning that may befatal. At least 6 hours after its ingestion, the victim suffersfrom gastrointestinal distress that usually ends in a day. Threedays later, symptoms of liver damage appear.
Mushroom web site: Doug Ward recommends checking out
http://www.mv.com/ipusers/dhabolt/dad/mushroomlinks.html