The guest speaker for our April 8th meeting will be Eric Mueller. The meeting will be hosted in Room 101, Casa del Prado in Balboa Park at 6:30 pm.

We will take Eric to dinner before the meeting around 5:00pm at the Blue Water Seafood Grill at 3667 India St.

Eric will be discussing basics of mushroom cultivation and different methods for growing mushrooms. He will also be discussing medicinal mushrooms and their health benefits. 

Please bring mushrooms you find so we can get them identified 6:30-7 pm and help promote our citizen science project “San Diego Mycoflora Project” at the same time. Print out data slips here and fill them in before leaving any specimens!

Eric Mueller is a mushroom educator, producer of mushroom grow kits and high-end medicinal mushroom fruit body tinctures. He is also an electrocutioner of various wood items. He has been selling his tinctures and grow kits at both the San Diego Mycological Society and Los Angeles Mycological Society, as well as a few local Farmer’s markets. He also gives lectures to high school students about mushrooms. Learn more and  follow him at @muellermushroom &  muellersmushroom.com

Sam Andrasko is the head grower and managing partner of Creekside mushroom Farms located in the Samataguma Valley in Guatay, CA. He has been growing mushrooms for the past 23 years and is a past President of The San Diego Mycological Society. Sam has invited us to the farm on Saturday March 30th from 10am to 3-4pm’ish to tour his farm and learn about cultivating mushrooms.

We will have the opportunity to make fruitable shiitake and oyster logs and learn hands on how to make our own King stropharia beds that will fruit in the late Spring and Fall here in Southern California. Sam will do his best to provide us instruction on how to manage the cultivation of mushrooms in our arid environment with tips and tricks he has learned through his years of cultivating mushrooms. The farm is located about 30 minutes east of San Diego so bring a dish to share for a lunch potluck.

Cost for the class:
$20 SDMYCO Members
$30 Non-Members

(CLICK HERE TO REGISTER)

Directions to the Ranch:

Address-

Rancho Samataguma Ranch
26930 Old Hwy 80
Guatay, CA 91931

From San Diego: Take I-8 east to to CA-79N/Japatul Valley Rd. exit 40 and turn left after exiting. 5 miles up the road will be Heavenly Oaks residential trailer park on the right. Our entrance to the ranch is on the left. The driveway is called Farley flat road. Enter through the gate and drive 1 mile up the drive to our location. We will direct you where to park once you arrive.

The guest speaker for our February 4th meeting will be Mary Ann Hawke. The meeting will be hosted in Room 101, Casa Del Prado in Balboa Park at 6:30 PM.
We will take Mary Ann to dinner before the meeting around 5:00 at the Blue Water Seafood Grill at 3667 India St.

Volunteers from the San Diego Mycological Society have been archiving mushrooms gathered during their forays at the San Diego Natural History Museum (the Nat) with the goal of cataloging the diversity of mushroom species of San Diego County. Documenting our local flora and fauna is crucial because our region is a global hotspot of biodiversity, yet habitats and species are threatened by wildfire, urbanization, invasive species, and climate change. Come learn how YOU can become a citizen scientist and use the iNaturalist app to participate! You’ll also hear about the DNA Barcoding initiative we’re undertaking, as part of the North American Mycoflora Project.

Please bring in mushrooms you find  so we can get them identified 630-7.

Mary Ann Hawke Ph.D. is a SDMS member, ecologist, and educator who has been spearheading this project in conjunction with the San Diego Barcode of Life and the San Diego Citizen Science Network. Mary Ann was the Director of the San Diego County Plant Atlas and trained 500 citizen scientists to document our local flora.

We need to collect fresh specimens for the fair! Join us on a Foray this Saturday Feb 16 with the San Diego Mycological Society.

***** Members Only *****
(if you are not yet a member you can join online here )

10am @
24251 Highway 76, Santa Ysabel.  Sign says Lighthouse Farm. If you get to the lake or San Luis Rey campground you have gone too far.

Bring your own basket and collecting tools.

Pot-luck style, no access to inside house (so no facilities!).

Please print out, complete and bring along a signed Liability Waiver

If you can’t go on the foray, or prefer to collect somewhere else and bring specimen for the day. (Anyone welcome, i.e., you don’t need to be a member to bring specimens to the fair). Here are some collecting tips.

Store with some of the substrate with which it was found. Can store in fridge inside paper bag, waxy paper bag, or even to go containers. Bring either Saturday night during set-up or Sunday (hopefully before fair begins) and we can use the specimen for our Identification table.
Collect specimen with ID, where it was found, substrate, smell, and other identification details.
Bag for Duff with each collection.

Keep up with mushroomy news, events and stay connected with us on all of our social channels.

You can find us on our newly revamped Facebook Page and on Twitter, Instagram and Meet-Up.

We look forward to connecting!

 

FUNGUS FAIR!!!
Fungus Fair is this: Sunday February 17, 2019 10:30-3:30. As a club we need your help to make this event great!
Please mark your calendars and spread the news to colleagues, family, friends and mycology enthusiasts!        2019 Fungus Fair Flyer

Expanded FAIR description

Volunteers

Consider being a volunteer for the event, we have several positions available to fit your needs and availability. We will train you for any position you wish to help us with. It is very minimal and mostly self-explanatory, but we will be there to guide you so you can enjoy the event and feel confident in helping us.

Also, as a member perk you get to come on our annual foray to help find fresh specimens, held Saturday Feb 16 location TBD. (Weather cooperating, otherwise we will suggest possible areas to scour for specimen). We will be discussing this a bit further in our January Monday meeting.

Here’s how to volunteer:
If you are interested in being a volunteer at the fungus fair you can let us know several ways:

In each please include your : name, telephone, email address (what’s the best way to contact you), what position you would like to do (can also leave it open and we place you where you are needed the most), what times you are available

• Send an email to info : sdmyco@gmail.com or sdmycomich@gmail.com

• Let a board member know you are interested in volunteering at Monday’s Myco Meeting

Positions available:

Set Up 1: Saturday 2/16, 5-10 pm, food provided. We need to set up tables, chairs, booths, ID table, to be ready for next days event.

Set Up 2: Sunday 2/17, 8-10am. Last minute touches making sure the room is ready to receive guests.

FAIR BEGINS::::: 10:30 am Sunday Feb 17

Greeters: We need two at a time, located at each entrance. Helps answer questions about events as well as direct people to the right location so their answers can be fully met. (Don’t worry, you don’t have to know everything about mushrooms being in this position)

Membership Table: Collect money and enroll new members (and old) for their membership.

Children’s Table: Help facilitate activities for children during the fair. We have some games and ideas with this, but you are able to get creative and plan some of your own.

Book Store: Need several!!! Sell merchandise from our book store (T-shirts, books and other interesting material). We accept money, Venmo, Paypal and CC.

Floaters: Help all positions in the room. This helps people vending, greeting, and sales people are able to take adequate food and bathroom breaks. Will be able to help with all positions.

Break Down: Severely needed help to break down everything after the fair! We need to make sure we remove all our items as well as the vendors, break down of tables and chairs.

The guest speaker for our February 4th meeting will be Alan Rockefeller. The meeting will be hosted in Room 101, Casa Del Prado in Balboa Park at 6:30 PM. We will take Alan to dinner before the meeting around 5:00 at the Blue Water Seafood Grill. 3667 India St.

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/02/deadly-mushroom-arrives-canada/581602/

For members only (not already a member? you can sign up via Paypal here: membership):
9am this Sunday, January 27,  FORAY at Mt Woodson in Ramona.It is a moderate difficulty area.
Be sure to have good shoes, water, snacks, basket/knife etc.
Print out and fill the LiabilityWaiver and bring with you.
Meet at 9am at the trail head ( coordinates 33.0083,-116.9552 )

Park off the side of the 67 near the trail head. Here ( geo coordinates  33.0083,-116.9552 ) google map location  On Apple maps on an iPhone you can find close by entering “Mt. Woodson Trail” or by entering the coordinates 33.0083,-116.9552 directly. Google maps on an android may lead you astray if you enter “Mt. Woodson Trail” so with them either use the coordinates or the link above.

Please print out and bring along a signed LiabilityWaiver

NOTE:
It is a moderate difficulty area.
Be sure to have good shoes, water, snacks, basket/knife etc.
Print out and fill the LiabilityWaiver and bring with you.
Meet at 9am at the trail head ( coordinates 33.0083,-116.9552 )

Our club proudly presents our January speaker : Dr. Robert “Bob” Cummings.

10 Best, the 10 Worst, and the 10 Ugliest Mushrooms in Southern California

Bob Cummings, PhD, Prof. (Emeritus)
Department of Biological Sciences
Santa Barbara City College
Overview of Lecture

Out collecting in our lovely forests and oak woodlands, people always stop to look in our baskets and ask if we’ve found any good edibles. And which ones are the best. There are so many, I usually forget some of the best ones. I’ve been asked this question so many times that I decided to make a checklist of my personal favorites to be better prepared to answer next time. So, what’s number one going to be? Black Truffles don’t occur here. They’d top my list and probably everyone else’s, but it wouldn’t be fair to include them. White Porcini? Black Trumpets? Morels? Or Coccoras (…think about that last one)?  Over the years my rankings of the best edibles has had to be revised many times. Usually because of the most recent exotic and memorable mushroom dish I’ve eaten. If you are a mushroom hunter you have your own strong opinions that probably conflict with mine. Heated discussions to follow.

After edibility, the next question people invariably ask is if we’ve seen any poisonous species on our hunt. And which ones are the worst. And how likely might it be for a beginner to make an unfortunate mistake? We answer best we can without enough specimens or pictures to illustrate our points. For the remainder of the hunt I find myself making a mental checklist of the toxic species around here, too. Number one on most peoples’ list has to be the Death Cap, a European species, as is the aforementioned Black Truffle. But unlike the Truffle, the Death Cap was successful in getting established in Southern California. Why couldn’t it have been the other way around? But many other toxic mushrooms cause a lot of pain and suffering here, too. My list of toxic species has had to be revised also over the years, due in large part to the specimen identifications I do for emergency rooms. Good stories to follow.

Finally, the ten ugliest mushrooms (that only a mother (or a mycologist?) could love). I think these less-than-lovely species deserve their share of time in the spotlight too, warts and all. They may be photogenically challenged, but they merit appreciation equal to that of all forms of life (I’m thinking of Naked Mole Rats for some reason). How many times have you had to point out the mycorrhizal value of The Dog Turd Mushroom, or the fascinating life cycle of the Dog Vomit Slime Mold, after stopping someone from giving them thoughtless kick? Should our list include Black Witch’s Butter instead of the Black Witch’s Saddle? Should we swap out the Dog Penis Stinkhorn for the Dog Turd Mushroom? Tough questions.  By the way, have you noticed how often witches and dogs get dragged into this odd sector of mushroom names?

BIO

Bob has been leading forays, collecting, photographing, and eating wild mushrooms in the Santa Barbara area since the 1960s.  Over the years he has built a large collection of photos and a modest herbarium of specimens for taxonomic reference.  He is a member of the North American Mycological Association Toxicology Committee.  He fields calls on a regular basis from lay persons, physicians and veterinarians from central California involved in mushroom poisonings, as well as working closely with emergency room physicians at local hospitals and clinics.  He is a frequent foray leader and speaker for such organizations as the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Slow Food of Santa Barbara, the Los Angeles Mycological Society, and other mycological and natural history groups. Bob currently teaches an online course for Santa Barbara City College in plant diversity. For the past seven years he has pursued his other passion, wine making. He lives in Montecito with his wife, Lynne, a retired elementary school teacher (and bird-watcher).

We will take Bob to dinner before the meeting around 5:00 at the Blue Water Seafood Grill  3667 India Street   Come along to meet Bob over dinner.

At 6:30 PM, January 7, 2019 please come join us on an auditory adventure kicking off 2019 San Diego Mycological Society Meeting, in Room 101, Casa Del Prado in Balboa Park.

Important Information for SDMS events:

GET YOUR MEMBERSHIPS IN JANUARY. IN FEBRUARY MEMBERSHIPS WILL BE RAISED TO $25 FROM $20.

FUNGUS FAIR!!!
Fungus Fair is less than 2 months away: Sunday February 17, 2019 10:30-3:30. As a club we need your help to make this event great!
Please mark your calendars and start spreading the news to colleagues, family, friends and mycology enthusiasts!

Consider being a volunteer for the event, we have several positions available to fit your needs and availability. We will train you for any position you wish to help us with. It is very minimal and mostly self-explanatory, but we will be there to guide you so you can enjoy the event and feel confident in helping us.

 

Here’s how to  volunteer:
If you are interested in being a volunteer at the fungus fair you can let us know several ways:

In each please include your : name, telephone, email address (what’s the best way to contact you), what position you would like to do (can also leave it open and we place you where you are needed the most), what times you are available

• Send an email to info : sdmyco@gmail.com or sdmycomich@gmail.com

• Let a board member know you are interested in volunteering at Monday’s Myco Meeting

Also, as a member perk you get to come on our annual foray to help find fresh specimens, held Saturday Feb 16 location TBD. (Weather cooperating, otherwise we will suggest possible areas to scour for specimen). We will be discussing this a bit further in our January Monday meeting.

Positions available:

Set Up 1: Saturday 2/16, 5-10 pm, food provided. We need to set up tables, chairs, booths, ID table, to be ready for next days event.

Set Up 2: Sunday 2/17, 8-10am. Last minute touches making sure the room is ready to receive guests.

FAIR BEGINS::::: 10:30 am Sunday Feb 17

Greeters: We need two at a time, located at each entrance. Helps answer questions about events as well as direct people to the right location so their answers can be fully met. (Don’t worry, you don’t have to know everything about mushrooms being in this position)

Membership Table: Collect money and enroll new members (and old) for their membership.

Children’s Table: Help facilitate activities for children during the fair. We have some games and ideas with this, but you are able to get creative and plan some of your own.

Book Store: Need several!!! Sell merchandise from our book store (T-shirts, books and other interesting material). We accept money, Venmo, Paypal and CC.

Floaters: Help all positions in the room. This helps people vending, greeting, and sales people are able to take adequate food and bathroom breaks. Will be able to help with all positions.

Break Down: Severely needed help to break down everything after the fair! We need to make sure we remove all our items as well as the vendors, break down of tables and chairs.