Tag: mushrooms

Mushroom forage – 2019

Edible oyster mushrooms growing on an alder log
– M. Koleszar
Izi describing a different fungus to the group
– M. Koleszar
Looking underneath two mushrooms to identify the differences
– M. Koleszar
Izi telling the group about lobster mushrooms
– M. Koleszar
“Don’t eat this one”
– M. Koleszar
Some turkey tail fungus and unknown mushrooms growing on a dead alder
– M. Koleszar
A destroying angel mushroom; as dangerous as it sounds! Do not eat!
– M. Koleszar
Frying up the chantrelles and oysters the group collected
– M. Koleszar
Time to eat!
– N. Pezel
The master mushroom chef at work
– D. Bedry

Mushroom forage – 2019
by Nancy Pezel 29 Sept 2019

Sixteen members met at Squirrel Crossing on this perfect fall day to learn about mushrooms.  After handing out an introduction to mushrooms and showing us a stack of reference books she suggested to help with identification, Izi Loveluck guided us up a loop trail to point out examples of a variety of different mushrooms.

There we found some summer Oysters (Pleurotus ostreatus) growing on an alder log, which Izi said was unusual to still be out at this time of year.  She pointed out a patch of Lobster mushrooms (Hypomyces lactifluorum), which are very unique in appearance and easy to identify.  Lobster mushrooms are edible but she cautioned that they colonize other mushrooms, so could colonize toxic mushrooms which would make them toxic as well!

We were able to compare a Chanterelle spp. (edible) to a similar looking Gamphydrus (toxic), and differentiate the two by their gills.  We then split into small groups and searched for mushrooms on our own.   After an hour we regrouped and laid out the specimens we had gathered.

David Bedry generously provided his stove so Izi could cook up some of the Chanterelles we had found and an Oyster mushroom.  The secret to cooking mushrooms we were told, is to fry them up in a dry pan so most of the moisture evaporates, then add lots of butter!

Delicious!!

Mushroom Festival at Madeira Park

Ocean view at the beginning of our walk to Francis point
– D. Bedry
Two of out newer members, Jane and Cindy
– D. Bedry
Log on forest floor with fungi
– D. Bedry
Some of the mushrooms on display
– D. Bedry
Cooking demonstration
– D. Bedry
Michael looking at mushroom art for sale
– D. Bedry

Mushroom Festival at Madeira Park
by Michael Stewart, 13 Oct.

It was a beautiful morning as we travelled by ferry to Earls Cove.

From there, we went to the southern area of Pender Harbour and had a short but amazing hike along the ocean in Francis Point Provincial Park.  We did some bird watching and found a few mushrooms in this wonderful park.

Next we went to Madeira Park to attend the mushroom festival.  Besides the display of about 100 species of local mushrooms with Duane Sept in attendance, there was a demonstration of dying wool with mushrooms, several cooking demonstrations with trial samples, and a variety of vendors.

After a leisurely snack sitting in the sun of a local cafe, we explored a couple of other areas by car including Egmont.  We then returned by ferry to Saltery Bay.

Marvellous mushrooms in the mist

Walking in the mist
– J. May
Inspecting the hauk!
– J. May
What do we have here?
– J. May
Ioni in his element!
– J. May
There’s always something new to find…
– J. May

Marvellous mushrooms in the mist
by Janet May, 28 Oct 2017.

Ioni Waisgluss led a foggy fungi hunt through Millennium Park.

Tiny candle snuffs and burly red belted polypores were admired, as sunlight gradually brightened the golden maples above us.

Enthusiastic young mycologists and their parents had a fine fall day out!

 

Trail-busting with ORUG

ORUG meets Malnats – D. Bedry
only part of it was scary – D. Bedry
This bit is now a little less so – D. Bedry
The rain wasn’t so bad – D. Bedry
…except it was… – D. Bedry
and it’s not so big a job….– D. Bedry
except…it kind of is!

Trail-busting with ORUG
by Barbara Sherriff and David Bedry, 27 February 2016. 

No, it’s not the title of  bad movie.  Rather, because our members gain so much from having such a wonderful network of local trails, we thought it time to give something back.

So on a misty February morning, seven intrepid Malaspina Naturalists set out to clear the trail along the south side of Powell Lake from Powell River Bridge to Block Bay.

We cut back blackberry, salal and alder to allow free access along the path. Grating was also installed on a small slippery bridge as well as some shovel work for drainage.

After this experience, we’re personally much more appreciative of the many kilometres of hiking trails that are cleared by hard working volunteers coordinated by the ORUG (Outdoor Recreation Users Group).

 

Ioni Wais – “Corn Smut, Fairy Rings and Ergotoxicosis”

Corn Smut, Fairy Rings and Ergotoxicosis: Looking at plant diseases under a different lens. Plant diseases are a fascinating subject because they teach us about biology and cultural perspective. The study of plant diseases is called phytopathology; the anthropology of plant diseases is called ethnophytopathology.
The Plant Disease Triangle. Central to phytopathology (the study of plant diseases) is the Plant Disease Triangle. It is composed of a host (e.g. Zea mays), a pathogen (e.g. Ustilago maydis) and environmental conditions (e.g. rainy growing season) that lead to the development of disease.
Cultural perspective. Disease is often thought about as a particular abnormal condition—a disorder of a structure or function—that affects part or all of an organism… but what does it mean for something to be abnormal, or to be a disorder? Are we injecting our own bias into science?
Corn Smut (Ustilago maydis). In Canada and USA, corn smut is treated with fungicides and other methods in an attempt to eradicate it from fields. Its common name implies its undesirability.
Biology of smut fungi. The life cycle and biology of fungi are fascinating! Much to the demise of farmers, they are fantastic at replicating!
Huitlacoche. It turns out Corn Smut is actually edible. Not only that, it’s delicious and nutritious! For many farmers, it can be more lucrative than growing uninfected corn…try “Corn Truffle” on for a change.
Fairy rings are another fungal phenomenon thought about as a pest, especially in lawns and golf courses.
Fruiting Bodies (Mushrooms). What the apple is to the tree, the mushroom is to the fungus. These structures serve for propagation, and are made of dense hyphae. The bulk of the fungus exists underground, in a network of hyphae known as the mycelium.
Fairy Rings appear throughout Western European culture in art, folklore, mythology, and theatre. In today’s age, they are common in video games, often serving magical or decorative purposes.
Removing fairy rings from lawns and turfgrass is notoriously difficult. Come to think of it, the maintenance of lawns and golf courses in general is an uphill battle, originating as a way to show off status.
Lund Community Centre, working with King Stropharia. Much like the fairies in European folklore which invite us to dance ourselves into madness, mushrooms invite us to put away our lawnmowers and join the beautiful dance of diverse and resilient ecology.
Rye Ergot (Claviceps purpurea) is fascinating to think about from a biological and historical perspective.
Rye Ergot’s life cycle has secured it a place in our food supply for perpetuity. In Canada, Rye may contain up to 0.05% ergot sclerotia and still be considered top-grade.
Rye Ergot was a cause of devastating human disease throughout the Dark Ages. In certain parts of Europe, mass outbreaks of ergot poisoning occurred every 5-10 years! The latest documented case was in 1951, as told in the story of The Day of St. Anthony’s Fire.
The identity of this mysterious disease was finally linked to rye ergot poisoning in 1670, and rye ergot was finally identified as a fungus in 1853. Hip-hip-hooray for science!
The scientific study of rye ergot would bring forward such discoveries and isolations as histamine, acetylcholine, and vitamin D2. Its unique chemical backbone (lysergic acid) led to the development of drugs for the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease, labor-inducing drugs, drugs for migraine relief, drugs for cancer of the pituitary gland, and LSD—which would go on to change the course of psychiatry and shape the counterculture movements of the 60s.
Science is a tool for asking and answering questions. With corn smut, for example, we can ask how to get rid of it, or how to propagate it. With fairy rings, we can ask how to keep it out of golf courses, or we can ask if golf courses are sustainable. With rye ergot, we can ask how to eradicate it, or how to use it to bring forth a plethora of medicines. Science as a tool can help us answer all these questions, but the questions that we ask are ultimately up to us.

Ioni Wais – “Corn Smut, Fairy Rings and Ergotoxicosis”
by Andrew Bryant, 21 January 2016.

Ioni Wais is a relative newcomer to Powell River and somewhat difficult to categorize.  He describes himself as a “community animator”,  with a focus on “people, plants and place”. Actually, I think that sums it up pretty well!

In any event Ioni, or more accurately Ionatan Waisgluss, led us on a fascinating exploration of plant diseases and their influence on humans, society, and history.

It was truly one of those rare talks that one attends without having any idea what it might be about, and which winds up occupying your mind for days afterwords.  Or at least that was my experience.

Welcome to Powell River Ioni – and thank you for the nice note, detailed image notes, and links to further reading, which can be found here!

Edible plants, mosses and ferns

we had a healthy turn-out! – B. Sherriff photo
garter snakes – B. Sherriff photo
Lady fern fiddle head – B. Sherriff photo
lady fern fiddle heads – B. Sherriff photo
Suzan eating her favourite yellow jelly – B. Sherriff photo
Suzan showing us the finer points of berry identification – B. Sherriff photo
a winter chantrelle – B. Sherriff photo

Edible plants, mosses and ferns
by Barbara Sherriff, 21 March 2015.

Diana Rosburgh and Suzan Roos led nineteen of us on a gentle walk along the forest trails at the rear of the Recreational Complex.  They not only identified many plants, they also explained which ones were edible and which would make us very sick.  Among the plants that they described were trailing blackberry, which have separate male and female plants, explaining why some patches have no fruits.

The berries of salal, oregon grape, salmonberry, red huckleberry and evergreen black huckleberry are all great to eat or make into jam but not twin berry or red elderberry.  We found edible fiddle heads of the lady fern but were warned off those of bracken, spiny wood or sword fern.

Suzan made us tasty tea from Douglas fir fronds and right at the end of the walk we found edible winter chanterelle mushrooms also known as yellow foot.

 

Mushroom cook-out

Unknown species – D. Bedry photo
Well-dressed mushroom people – H. Harbord photo
Brian Lee shows his skill – D. Bedry photo
Learn to identify before consuming! – D. Bedry photo
Part of our bountiful harvest – D. Bedry photo
Let the cooking begin! – D. Bedry photo
More to come! – D. Bedry photo
By this time we were all getting pretty hungry – D. Bedry photo

Mushroom cook-out
by David Bedry, 17 October 2014. 

Twenty adults and three children headed into the woods for a follow-up field trip after our monthly meeting. Brian Lee, the previous nights speaker, led a great trip into the forest at Squirrel Crossing.

Despite a forecast of heavy rain and strong winds the weatherman cooperated for our field trip. Most people were prepared and dressed appropriately for the weather with water repellent clothes and in layers.

Brian lead us into the forest and we started seeing mushrooms that he began talking about almost immediately. Brian would either show and talk about mushrooms that he came across or commented on specimens that members brought to him.

Brian constantly emphasized the safety of what we were picking and referred to two field guides (All That the Rain Promises, and More by David Arora and Common Mushrooms of the Northwest by J. Duane Sept – both are available at Breakwater Books) to accurately identify what we were picking.

After a couple of hours of traipsing through the woods we converged on the picnic site at Squirrel Crossing (thanks to the BOMB Squad for the new picnic tables and benches) where Brian treated us to his mastery of culinary skills regarding our pickings. He suggested a cast iron skillet on high heat to “dry sauté” the mushrooms. This evidently both cooks the mushrooms as well as removing the excess moisture so you don’t have a “slimy” product in the fry pan. He only added a bit of butter towards the end of cooking to emphasize the taste of the mushrooms and not all the other flavours that could be added.

We all learned a great deal about mushroom identification, picking, and how to prepare and cook them.

 

Brian Lee – “Mushrooms”

White chanterelle
– D. Bedry
Pine mushroom
– D. Bedry
Cauliflower
– D. Bedry
Golden chanterell
– D. Bedry
Amanita
– D. Bedry
Lobster
– D. Bedry
a more colorful amanita
– D. Bedry

Brian Lee – “Mushrooms”
by Andrew Bryant, 16 Oct 2014. 

Brian Lee is a local resident, a member of the Sechelt Mycological Society, and all-around woodsman and master of bushcraft.  He gave a lively talk about our local mushrooms, including tips for field identification, potential pitfalls for the unwary, and interesting culinary tips.

His talk was ably assisted by some of David Bedry’s marvellous mushroom photography, and in what must be a first for our club, Brian even served some of his exceptional home-made mushroom soup!

The Great Mushroom Cook-out

a Powell River harvest
– D. Bedry
The feast – D. Bedry photo
Heather cooks – A. Bryant photo
Hungry yet? – A. Bryant photo
Unknown species – A. Bryant photo

The Great Mushroom Cook-out
By Heather Harbord, 15 October 2012. 

Dave Taylor from Texada had been asked to lead this but at the last minute declined saying there were no mushrooms.  Eight of us went to Squirrel Crossing anyway and found about 20 species.

Despite a recent injury, Izi Loveluck led the trip as she knew far more than the rest of us.  Claudia Boelcke brought the huge remains of a 10 lb cauliflower mushroom which she found up Scout Mountain a few days before.  Andrew Bryant brought cooking gear and we ate the very tasty cauliflower as well as some chanterelles that we found.  This was just as well as the trip stretched into four hours instead of the usual two.

David Largent – “Collecting mushrooms in Australia”

Woodend Mushroom (Amanita muscaria)
– James Edmunds

David Largent – “Collecting mushrooms in Australia”
by Sherri Wretham, 20 October 2011.  

Dr. David Largent is a mycologist and former Professor of Botany at Humbolt State University in California.

David spoke to us about the mushrooms he’s studying in Australia.   The talk emphasized the two areas in which the research was done, namely The Wet Tropics Heritage Areas in far northern Queensland and the temperate rainforests in central New South Wales.  

He showed the vegetative areas in which he collected, and the diversity of a few of the mushrooms found in those areas.  The talk provided good views of the areas, things to avoid when visiting, things that are really interesting, and introduced a few of the people with whom he was collaborating.

Terry Taylor – “Mushrooms”

unknown species
– D. Bedry
unknown species
– D. Bedry
a Powell River harvest
– D. Bedry
Terry Taylor – “Mushrooms”
by Heather Harbord, September 27, 2007.  

Terry Taylor has studied the ecology and flora, including the mushrooms and mosses of southern British Columbia, for several decades.  Terry is a member of Nature Vancouver,  the Native Plant Society of BC and the Vancouver Mycological Society.

His talk concerned identification, taxonomy,  and even the infamous Piltdown mushroom, which you can learn more about at his personal blog located here.