WPMC: Meetings & Programs

Summary: Most people develop an interest in wild mushrooms through a desire to eat them. They may come to a club meeting or walk and be exposed to twenty or thirty species. It can be very overwhelming. As a club member gains experience, the question of which mushrooms to really try to learn well comes up again and again. The speaker presents a system for classifying mushrooms by their safety when collecting for the table;
beginner, intermediate, or advanced. There will be a little something for everyone--beginners can expect to learn a couple easy and safe mushrooms, intermediate collectors will hopefully see something they haven't tried before, and advanced collectors will be invited to help classify all our club favorites.

May 20—Title: More Good & Bad Mushrooms You Should Know

Summary: Everyone who starts hunting wild mushrooms is at first overwhelmed by the surprising number and variety of different mushrooms that are found on a typical walk. Dick will try to encourage beginners by focusing on some common mushrooms which include edibles, poisonous and unusual mushroom everybody should know. More experienced mushroom hunters in the audience will be encouraged to share their experiences as to when and where these mushrooms can be found.

April 15—Title: Morel Hunting and Becker Collection

Summary: The club has obtained a collection of material from the estate of Ellis Becker, an amateur mycologist in Michigan. He was also avid photographer. His favorite mushroom to photograph was the morel. Some of the morels he photographed were truly unique. John Plischke III will give a talk highlighting the Becker’s morel photographs. Since it is the start the start of the morel season, we can be sure John and other club members will share tips on hunting these favorite edibles.

Some of Becker’s photographs of other mushrooms will also be shown. A CD will be available for sale which contains over 400 of Ellis Becker’s best mushroom slides for $5.00.

March 18—Title: Cultivation Techniques

Summary: Mark Spear will give an overview of mushroom growing techniques. Mark & Rebecca will guide us through cultivation techniques for growing oyster mushrooms. They will provide kits to club members attending for growing these mushrooms.

John Plischke III will bring material to inoculate logs to grow shiitake and several other mushrooms.

Jim Tunney will bring us up to date with his latest efforts at cultivation.

John Stuart, president of the club, will also be doing the "mushroom of the month" which will be Flammulina velutipes.

The club will supply kits so members can grow oyster mushrooms at home. In addition, members can bring in logs which will be inoculated with one of several wild exotic mushroom cultures. Non-members are welcome to attend the meeting but only members will receive a mushroom growing kit or have logs innocultated with mushroom spawn.

So bring a log with you. If you have extra logs, please bring them to share. Logs will work if it is cut from a living tree within the last 4 months. Older cut logs will not work. Logs should be about 3 feet long and 3 to 8 inches wide.

Shiitake mushrooms will grow on oak, sweet gum, hard maple, alder or aspen logs. Oysters like maple, poplar, tulip poplar, aspen, cottonwood, beech, willow, sweet gum log. Reishi needs maple, oak, elm, sycamore, or beech. For other types of hardwood, the glow in the dark mushroom Panellus stipticus will be available. Panellus is not edible.

We gratefully acknowledge Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve for their cooperation and friendship, and for providing us with a place to hold our meetings and programs.

Meetings & Programs

2008

June 17—Title: A System for Classifying Edible Mushrooms

May 20—Title: More Good & Bad Mushrooms You Should Know

April 15—Title: Morel Hunting and Becker Collection

March 18—Title: Cultivation Techniques