|
2004 Fungus Fair Deadly. Delicious. Magical. Medicinal. Psychotropic. The humble mushroom can wear many caps. Explore the mysteries of the mushroom at the 35th Annual Fungus Fair, presented by the Oakland Museum of California and the Mycological Society of San Francisco, Saturday and Sunday, December 4–5, on the Oakland Museum's first level. Open hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and 12-5 p.m. on Sunday. s.jpg)
Hundreds of freshly gathered native specimens will be part of the Fair’s displays, along with cooking demonstrations, ecology, mycophagy, toxicology, and cultivation exhibits, and children’s activities. Bring your collections to our identification table for a free ID! Visitors can learn the connection between fungi and Eastern spirituality, see how mushrooms are used to dye yarn and paper, and learn to recognize toxic and edible species. Natural science aficionados can talk with mycologists, attend a lecture, or learn about home cultivation. Mushroom crafts for kids include sculpting, painting, and jewelry making. Fungus foodies can watch Bay Area chefs whip up fresh mushroom specialties, or relax with a cup of mushroom soup from the Fair vendors. Saturday's cooking demonstrations begin at 11 a.m. with plant pathologist and mycology expert Tara Dubey preparing her native Indian vegetarian cuisine. Frances Wilson, head instructor at Tante Marie's Cooking School, follows at 1 p.m. Patrick Hamilton, expert wild mushroom finder, chef, and writer, will prepare a raw porcini salad at 3 p.m. Sunday's lineup includes Steve Jaramillo, executive chef at Lalime's in Berkeley, at 1 p.m. and Eric Tucker of Millennium, a vegetarian restaurant in San Francisco known for its innovative organic menu, at 2:30 p.m. “We’ve noticed a growing awareness of the culinary aspects of mushrooms,” said Dan Long, co-chair, with Ken Litchfield, of the annual Fungus Fair. “Most grocery stores now carry several varieties—Bay Area produce markets may carry 10 or more. People are cooking with mushrooms!” Mushroom-centric items for sale will include cultivation kits, books, clothing, cookbooks, and posters. What holiday would be complete without a mushroom placemat? During the Fair, members of the Mycological Society will present slide shows and lectures on mushroom hunting and identification, fungal diseases, and mushroom toxicology. Speakers include Dr. Tom Bruns ("Ectomycorrhizal Fungi: The Hidden Side of Forest Ecology"); Mo-Mei Chen ("Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms of China," 1 p.m., Sunday, 12/5); Dr. Dennis Desjardin ("Mushroom Diversity: An Age of Discovery and Opportunity"); Taylor Lockwood ("Fantastic Fungi of the World"); Gary A. Lincoff ("Mondo Fungi"); Bob Mackler ("Mushrooms 101"); and Debbie Viess ("Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms of the Bay Area"). Admission to the Fungus Fair is $8 general/$5 seniors and students/members and kids under 5 free, and includes access to the museum’s other exhibitions and galleries. (Admission to the What’s Going On?—California and the Vietnam Era special exhibition is $13 general; $9 seniors, students; members free.) The public is welcome to go on one of the Fair's fungus forays, which will be held on Friday, December 3 (just before the Fair). Forays are planned all over the bay area, including the north bay, mendocino, east bay, and south bay. Call Norm Andresen for schedules in all areas. Foray schedules for the south bay are given below:
Speaker Information Copyright © 2004 Michael Wood & the Mycological Society of San Francisco |