Special Issue, October 15, 2001
MSSF Yuba Pass Foray, October 13-14, 2001

by Herman Brown
herman@fungi-zette.com

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On Friday, my wife Cecelia and I went to the Chapman Creek Campground, to attend the MSSF Yuba Pass Foray that weekend. The foray itself wasn't very productive, fungi-wise, but we all had a great time, and I learned a lot. This was the first time Cecelia and I camped over for any foray.  We wanted to be able to spend more time meeting others interested in mushrooms, but mainly we wanted to finally be able to be a part of the infamous Saturday Night Feast.

The Group

The few names that I can remember for those that attended, besides my own, my wife's, and our foray hosts, Terri Beasejour and Norm Andresen, are Lynn Marsh, Tom Sasaki, J. R. Blaire, Rob from Sacramento, Ester and Herb from Berkeley, and on early Sunday morning, Fred Stevens.  Cecelia also  remembers talking to a young student from Singapore named Lynnette (SP?).

Lynn Marsh came along with several students, more than a few from other countries.  Many who were present on Saturday night's feast said it was their first mushroom foray, and that it would not be their last.   

Sorry if I missed mentioning any that came, but I am very bad at remembering names.

The Find

On the table afterwards, I remember seeing a Suillus pungens, a few Suillus tomentosus, More suillus, some Ganoderma oregonense, some pluteus, some Sulfur Shelf - the conifer-loving variety, the newly named Laetiporus conifericola, a small puffball, many tiny mushrooms, a weird but colorful mushroom that Cecelia found growing against a living tree, and a group of Tricholomopsis rutilans.  Because of the lack of moisture, most of the mushrooms found that day were wood-inhabitors.

Fred Stevens later told me that he felt the weird mushroom might be a Echinodontium tinctorium.


A small Ganoderma oregonense


Some tiny mushrooms


Another tiny mushroom (ATM)


Close-up of a Pluteus


J.R.'s Tricholomopsis, the prettiest
 find of the day


The Weird Find
Click HERE to see a close-up of the top

And this later, from Fred Stevens:

Yuba Pass Foray,  October 15, 2001
       
It was a beautiful weekend at Chapman C.G. on Hwy 49 near Yuba Pass, sunny, warm,  dry, in short, not very good for mushrooms. Collecting was fair at best, but some things were found on wood and in seepage areas. Here's a list (not complete) of fungi displayed on the tables. J.R. Blair gets the award for the prettiest collection, Tricholomopsis rutilans. My best find was a Stemonitis slime mold, tiny, brown upright fingers on a log. No boletes found unless you count Suillus species.

Chrysomphalina aurantiacus
Clitocybe sp.
Cryptoporus volvatus
Echinodontium ?
Fomitopsis pinicola
Ganoderma oregonense
Laetiporus conifericola
Nolanea sp.
Pholiota malicola group
Pluteus sp. magnus?
Pluteus cervinus
Suillus brevipes
Suillus tomentosus
Suillus umbonatus
Tricholomopsis rutilans
Helvella sp.?

Lyophyllum decastes was brought to the foray by Herman Brown

The Feast

Everyone that came to the Saturday evening dinner contributed something to the traditional feast.

 

 Norm, our foray leader, brought several jars of his own dried mushrooms and utilized some morels and Boletus edulis.  I added some dried morels and a jar of dried Boletus pinophilus, the spring King Bolete, plus I brought a small supply of some locally picked Lyophyllum decastes (Fried Chicken mushroom) and apples.  Many others contributes good beer, good wine, mixed nuts, and more food PLUS their company.

For an appetizer, Cecelia cooked the Lyophyllum in garlic, butter, shallots, and a bit of Sake, and Terri spread these warm over small pieces of thin toast with Gorgonzola cheese.

Everybody seemed to enjoy them!

Norm made a spectacular morel and chicken pasta dish using the Chicken of the Woods (the Sulfur Shelf that they found) as a chicken substitute, with lots and lots of onions.

 


 

Terri made a big pot of delicious soup using both dried boletes, with lots of fresh vegetables and herbs.
 

 

 And there was more!

The Mess Afterwards >

 
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