Agnes A. Sieger, Editor
MEMBERSHIP MEETING
This month is the Annual Meeting and Survivors'Banquet, held Saturday, March 24, at the Center for UrbanHorticulture.
Festivities begin at 6:30PM . It will be aninternational potluck, so bring your favorite ethnic dish to share.All this for only $5 ea. To attend, contact Bernice Velategui,(206) 232-0845. Bon apétit!
CALENDAR
March 19 Board meeting 7:30 pm, CUH
March 20 Spore Prints deadline(early)
Note change in deadline from Friday toTuesday.
March 24 Survivors' Banquet and Annual Meeting,
6:30 pm, CUH
March 31 field trip
President's Message
It already feels like spring, and my eyes have begunmaking involuntary sweeps of city landscapes. Several weatheredwalnuts sitting upright in garden bark stopped me in my trackstoday. It's not long now to morel season!
New Field Trip Chair: Lots of things areshaping up for spring. The first news is that we have a new fieldtrip chair. Three cheers for Steve Curtice! Steve has already beenbusy lining up field trip sites, which are listed inside thenewsletter. Hosts are needed for our spring field trips. Hosting isa great way to get to know other members and to feelappreciated!
Banquet: The Survivor's Banquet on March 24should be lots of fun. This year we'll have a potluck of favoriteethnic foods. There's still room to sign up. Bernice Velategui istaking reservations at (206) 232-0845.
Show News is Good News: The first key stepstoward an Annual Mushroom Exhibit have been made. We have a date, alocation, and two excellent chairs! Exhibit dates are October 13and 14, 2001, at Sand Point/Magnussen Park (in the Brig).
Our talented exhibit co-chairs are Karin Mendel andColeman Leuthy. A relatively new member, Karin has already provedto be an extremely energetic, capable, and enthusiastic boardmember. She organized the very successful Quinault Foray last fall,has served as book chair for the annual exhibit, hosted numerousfield trips, and is now our candidate for vice president! ColemanLeuthy first joined PSMS in 1976. In 25 years he has served PSMS incountless ways. From 1986-1988 he servedas PSMS President. Each year he organizes the PSMS/Mountain-eersForay at Meany Lodge. He is one of our important identifiers, takescare of mushroom receiving at the annual show, and has been afeatured speaker at membership meetings. All that doesn't begin todetail his abilities and contributions. Both Karin and Coleman havegreat organizational skills and are a pleasure to work with. Thankyou, Karin and Coleman!
Board Meeting For All ofYou Wonderful Trustees to Be: PSMS holds it's board meetings at7:30 PM in theboard room down the hall from the PSMS office at CUH. Meetings areon the Monday after the regular monthly membershipmeeting.
In March, the board meeting usually follows theSurvivor's Banquet and is the first meeting for the newly electedTrustees. This year it will be different. Because the banquet comesso late in the month, the March board meeting will precede it onMonday, March 19. Voting members will be the current trustees. Thefirst official meeting for newly elected board members will be onApril 16.
All candidates nominated for the board are invitedand encouraged to come to the March 19 meeting even though you willnot be able to vote. (Any PSMS members are welcome at all boardmeetings, by the way.)
FIELD TRIP TIPS A
For those who joined PSMS at the Annual Exhibit inOctober, I thought it might be nice to review some basicmushrooming tips regarding the upcoming Spring field trips.
Apparel: The Pacific Northwest is wet. Wearwarm clothing, preferably in layers, and waterproof shoes or bootsand bring your rain gear. Pacific Northwest vegetation is usuallythick, and the sky is frequently overcast. Bring a compass andwhistle and a map of the area and remember to use them.
Mushrooming gear: You will need awide-bottomed container for your mushrooms. This can be a basket orbucket. Do not use plastic sacks; they tend to condense moistureand turn mushrooms into slime. You will need a sturdy knifesuitable for cutting and prying and perhaps a soft brush to cleanup the edibles; some people even bring a small garden trowel fordigging. To protect individual specimens for identification, takesome wax paper sandwich bags or aluminum foil.
Collecting: If you know you have a goodedible, cut off the steam cleanly and brush off as much soil anddebris as possible. Store like species in a rigid container wherethey won't get crushed or pick up more dirt. Try to keep themushrooms cool and dry, and process them as soon as possible.
Field Trip Format: Most PSMS field trips areplanned for Saturdays, since this is the most convenient time formany people. It is possible to come early on Friday and stay overto Sunday. The campgrounds, unless otherwise specified, havecamping facilities. Almost all field trips have hosts, who set upby 9:00 am on Saturday with hot coffee and snacks. The hosts greetand sign in members, relay general tips on what is up and where tofind it, and introduce newcomers to more experienced members. Theyalso have a map of the area. After signing in, participants gathertheir gear and head for their favorite hunting grounds. In theafternoon, they come back to the campsite to identify their finds,compare notes, and prepare for the potluck.
Potluck: The potluck starts at 4:00 pm(sometimes later when days are longer). You need to bring your owneating utensils and beverage and a dish to contribute to the table.This can be an appetizer, salad, main dish, or dessert. The food isusually delicious, and it is a great time to swap tales, collectrecipes, and share mushroom information with friends old andnew.
SPRING FIELD TRIPS
The spring field trip season is upon us again. Newmembers are encouraged to acquire a copy of the Washington Atlas& Gazetteer with its large folio of detailed topographicmaps and other useful information. Good maps are a joy when you aretrying to find your way around, and this collection is especiallyso with its detailed coverage of logging roads and trails. As youacquire your own ``secret spots'' for gathering delectable edibles,this will help you find your way back in succeeding seasonsespecially useful if your memory is as bad as mine.
New this season, PSMS will beproviding only coffee and doughnuts at the field trips, nopaper cups, plates, or cutlery. Pleaseremember to bring your own dinnerware.
Please see the members'calendar for the field trip schedule
THE EARLY MOREL Agnes Sieger
The first field trips this spring are dedicated toVerpa (Ptychoverpa) bohemica, the first edible mushrooms tolure the mycophagist after the winter doldrums. Often called theearly morel because of its timing and superficial resemblance tothe true morels, Verpa bohemica fruits from late Februarythrough April, depending on the season. In the Pacific Northwest,it is associated with cottonwoods, often fruiting right around thedrip line of mature trees ``when the cottonwood leaves are the sizeof a mouse's ear.'' Once you learn to recognize the cottonwood, atall, dark, poplar-like tree with wrinkled bark that grows in dampriver bottoms throughout western Washington, you can spot yourhunting ground from afar. Finding your quarry amid the debris ofthe previous fall, however, isn't that easy.
Verpa bohemica is a medium-sized (3
In contrast, true morels have pitted, not wrinkled,caps that are attached to the stems at the bottom (or in some casespart way up); their stems, while hollow, are empty.
Unlike other verpas, and most large ascomycetes,Verpa bohemica has only two spores per ascus instead ofeight. For that reason, modern taxonomists have split it into itsown genus, Ptychoverpa. What each ascus lacks in numbers,however, it makes up for in size; the spores are huge.
Although considered a good edible by many, thismushroom causes gastrointestinal upsets and loss of muscularcoordination in some people and should be approached with caution.Many field guides recommend parboiling it and throwing away thewater and eating only small amounts at a time. The effects may becumulative, so don't pig out on it several days in a row, even ifit is the only edible mushroom out at the time.
Survivor XXXVII: The BanquetPatrice Benson
PSMS will host its 37th AnnualSurvivor's Banquet at the Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 NE41st Street, on Saturday, March 24, 2001. Festivities begin at6:30 PM . It willbe an international potluck, so bring your favorite ethnic dish toshare. Label your container and serving utensil with yourname.
If your offering contains mushrooms, please prepare atag to place with the dish to notify folks as to genus and species.Please be certain of your identification and thoroughly cook yourmushrooms if serving to others. Because of limited cookingfacilities, there will be no cooking or preparation at the banquet.Please bring your dish ready to serve.
Plates, cutlery, and glasses will be provided as wellas coffee and a nonalcoholic beverage. Dress in ethnic costume ifpossible. There will be informal entertainment provided by Podhale,a Polish folk singing group. The Golden Mushroom will be awarded,and new officers and board members will be introduced. There willbe fun door prizes. Don't miss this event!
To attend, send $5 per person to
Bernice Velategui
2929 76th
Mercer Island, WA 98040.
If your last name begins with A- H, bring an entrée; if I-M bring a salad, cut fruit, bread, or an appetizer;if N-Z bring a dessert.
Bring a mushroom object for our mushroom chachkadisplay and don't forget your favorite wine. Bring your recipe todeposit in the recipe box. Phone Patrice Benson at (206) 722-0691with any other questions.
New Antiviral Drugsfrom Mushrooms Paul Stamets(from FungiPerfecti Web site)
A new class of antiviral drugs has been recentlydiscovered in mushrooms. Dr. Frank Piraino, University of WisconsinMedical School, has found a new antiviral, RC-183, which showsactivity inhibiting in vitro the herpes simplex I and IIviruses, as well as the varicella zoster virus, the influenza Avirus, and the respiratory syncytial virus (Piraino & Brandt,1999). The mushroom yielding this novel antiviral is Rozitescaperata, the Gypsy Mushroom, a mycorrhizal speciesassociated with pines and Douglas firs. A resident of old growthforests of Washington and Oregon, this mushroom has thus farresisted cultivation attempts owing to its complex interdependencewith the host tree. In a more recent article, Brandt & Piraino(2000) have identified a new class of antiviral drugs frommushrooms.
Antivirals from other mushrooms have been identifiedpreviously: lentinan from Shiitake, Lentinula edodes (Sarkaret al., 1993); PSP from Turkey Tail, Trametesversicolor; and ganaderiol-F, ganoderic acid-ß,lucidumol from Reishi, Ganoderma lucidum. A number of uniqueantivirals from mushrooms have shown efficacy in inhibiting thereplication of the human immunodeficiency virus (Suzuki et al.,1989; Nanba, 1992; Kim et al., 1994; Collins & Ng, 1997;Ghoneum, 1998; Hattori, 1997). Other antivirals, not yetcharacterized but having shown activity from hot water extractsfrom Chaga, are Inonotus obliquus (Kahlos et al., 1997) andZhu Ling, Polyporusumbellatus (Yan, 1988).
The predominant mushrooms showing promise for theirantiviral activities are polypores the so-called woody conks,thought to be the ancestors of most, if not all, gilled mushrooms.(Interestingly, we know of no poisonous polypores, whereas thereare more than a hundred poisonous gilled mushrooms, of which only afew are deadly.) Most all these antivirals are water soluble andrelatively heat-stable, and most of the mushrooms mentioned and/ortheir mycelia can be cultured to commercially significant levels.The causal compounds are present both in the mycelium and in thefruiting bodies. The current literature points to mushrooms,particularly those in the Polyporaceae, as a rich frontier of newmedicines. Many of these mushroom species are long-term residentsof old growth forests, playing an essential role in nutrientrecycling by decomposing aged trees. In a time when new antiviralmedicines are critically needed, mushrooms stand out as an untappedresource and deserve intensive studies.
Bibliography
Brandt, C.R. & F. Piraino, 2000.``Mushroom antivirals.'' Recent Research Developments inAntimicrobial Agents & Chemotherapy, 4: 11
Collins, R.A. & T.B. Ng, 1997.``Polysaccharopeptide from Coriolus versicolor has potentialfor use against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection.''Life Sciences, 60 (25): PL383387.
Ghoneum, M., 1998. ``Anti-HIVactivity in vitro of MGN-3, an activated arabinoxylane from ricebran.'' Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications,243: 25- 29.
Hattori, M., 1997. ``Inhibitoryeffects of components from Ganoderma lucidum on the growthof human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the protease activity.''Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium on Ganodermalucidum in Japan, Nov. 17- 18th, Tokyo, pp.128- 135.
Kahlos, K. et al., 1996.``Preliminary tests of antiviral activity of two Inonotusobliquus strains.'' Fitopterapia, 6 (4) 344
Kim, B.K., H.W. Kim & E.C. Choi, 1994. ``Anti-HIVeffects of Ganoderma lucidum.'' Ganoderma: Systematics,Phytopathology & Pharmacology: Proceedings of ContributedSymposium 59 A, B. 5th International Mycological Congress.Vancouver, Canada.
Nanba, H., 1992. ``Immunostimulantactivity in-vivo and anti-HIV activity in-vitro of 3 branchedß-1-6 glucans extracted from Maitake mushroom (Grifolafrondosa).'' Proceedings of the VIIIInternational Conference on AIDS and the III STD WorldCongress.
Piraino, F. & C.R. Brandt, 1999.``Isolation and partial characterization of an antiviral, RC-183,from the edible mushroom Rozites caperata.'' AntiviralResearch, 43:67-68.
Sarkar, S., J. Koga, R.J. Whitley& S. Chatterjee, 1993. ``Antiviral effect of the extract ofculture medium of Lentinus edodes mycelia on the replicationof herpes simplex virus 1.'' Antiviral Research, April20(4): 293- 303.
Suzuki, H., A. Okubo, S. Yamazaki, K. Suzuki, H.Mitsuya & S. Toda, 1989. ``Inhibition of the infectivity andcytopathic effect of human immunodeficiency virus by water solublelignin in an extract of the culture medium of Lentinusedodes mycelia (LEM).'' Biochemical and Biophysical ResearchCommunications, 160(1).
Tochikura, 1987. ``A biologicalresponse modifier, PSK, inhibits immunodeficiency virus infectionin vitro.'' Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications,148: 726-733.
Yan, S.C., 1988. ``Clinical andexperimental research on Polyporus umbellatus polysaccharidein the treatment of chronic viral hepatitis.'' Chung Kuo ChungHsi I Chieh Ho Tsa Chih Mar; 8 (3): 141-143, 131.
Spring ID Classes
Beginning and Intermediate Mushroom Identificationcourses will be offered this spring. Both classes will consist offive two-hour sessions, held on weeknight evenings from 7:00 until9:00 at the Center for Urban Horticulture. Dates for the Beginningclasses are 5/1, 5/9, 5/15, 5/22, and 5/29. Intermediate dates are4/30, 5/7, 5/16, 5/23, and 5/28.
The Beginning course will cover common edible andpoisonous mushrooms found in the spring, cooking and collecting,and toxins. The Intermediate course will focus on morphologicalfeatures of fungi and identifying spring mushrooms with dichotomouskeys. Both courses will cover mushroom toxins and symptoms.
Mushrooms Demystified, by David Arora, is therequired text for both classes. Identifying Mushrooms toGenus, Book I, by David Largent, is recommended forIntermediate students. Cost for either class is $35, and there isstill room for more registrants in either one. Contact Colin Meyer(206) 722-6687 or cmeyer@helvella.org to reserve aspace.
The Mycological Microscopy workshop will be held onMarch 31 through April 1. This class is already filled up.
INTRODUCING McGEE MS (Mushroom Sniffer)
Thanks to the talent and generosity of PSMS memberGloria Barber, who graciously volunteered to chronicle theadventures (real and imaginary) of her basset hound McGee, theMushroom Sniffer.
Ride Wanted from East of the Cascades
I live in Ellensburg but am interested in joiningyour group. I was wondering if there is anyone else who attendsyour meetings who resides east of the Cascades. I am hoping I canshare a ride to your meetings.
I was also wondering if anyone knows of any mushroomgroups here in Ellensburg (or possibly Wenatchee or Yakima). Anyhelp you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Ken Boettger
email: alpine@ellensburg.com
Phone: (509) 933-3063
TACOMA AREA GET-TOGETHEREd Levesque
As a member of PSMS who lives inTacoma, I am holding a no-host dinner for anyone in PSMS who wantsto come to Tacoma and talk and eat/visit about mushrooms. The dateis Thursday, March 29, at 7:00 PMin the banquet room at the Yankee Grill andRoaster, 72nd andI-5, Tacoma (6812 Tacoma Mall Blvd). I am not interested instarting a new club. I just want to get together to talk and visit.For more information, call (253) 588-6229 (days).
MUSHROOM SOUP Mary Beth Tyrholm
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms
2 Tbs butter
2 tsp lemon juice
1 TBs flour
l/2 tsp. salt
4 C canned chicken stock*
2 egg yolks
1 tsp sherry
Brush off mushrooms. Trim ends of stems, slice thin.Sauté, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with lemonjuice and toss lightly to mix. Blend in flour and salt. Stir inchicken stock (or water and bouillon cubes). Heat, stirringconstantly, until mixture boils
1 minute. Beat egg yolks and sherry in a small bowl; blend inabout a half cup of the soup mixture, then stir back into remainingmixture in saucepan. Heat, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
*You can substitute 2 chicken bouillon cubes and 4cups water for chicken stock. I also use my dehydrated mushroomsand replace whatever amount of stock with the liquid from themushrooms.
