Foray Report: Oct. 21, 2006

by Bill Wolpert

Amanita breckonii

Amanita breckonii, Salt Point State Park.
Photo © 2006 Darvin DeShazer.

You just can't beat the fall season along the California coast. The slight off-shore condition made the horizon seem a hundred miles away. Abalone divers were out in force, despite the surging surf. Private boats were out with fishermen enjoying the current abundance of rock fish. If we had not been planning to walk through waist high grasses and brambles, certainly everyone would have worn shorts.

As we prepared to go into the woods, I had high expectations from the modest rain we had earlier in the month. The weather had also cooled off and fog had again been prevalent along the coast. While my probing fingers were telling me that the soils were a little more moist compared to September, the chanterelles were still elusive. Only a couple nice chanterelle buttons were found. However, our group turned up many more varieties of fungi than last month. (See Darvin's complete list of fungi found below.)

The Culinary Group had two camp stoves fired up. Mark Todd, The Cheese Dude, and his straightman, Robert, had a sumptuous risotto and Linda Morris had a big skillet of sautéed morels and onions. The pot luck dishes were all delicious, including not one, but two people bringing smoked fish from their personal stash. A nice selection of wines and beers kept the smiles going well into the afternoon.

Foray Recipe

by The Cheese Dude

Not much into recipe writing, but the SOMA dish was Chanterelle Risotto with Walnuts, Tart Dried Cherries, Hazelnut Liqueur, Ossau-Iraty (Pyrenees sheeps milk cheese) and Stravecchio (premium domestic Parm from Wisconsin aged about 5 extra years in my cellar). Also used dried chicken bullion cubes and a shot of Sweetened Indonesian Soy for flavor and salt.

Species List

Compiled by Darvin DeShazer. All of the species marked with * have a photo at Mushroom Observer.

  1. *Amanita breckonii
  2. Amanita constricta
  3. Amanita franchetii
  4. Amanita pachycolea
  5. *Boletus edulis
  6. Cantharellus cibarius
  7. *Chalciporus piperatus
  8. Chroogomphus rutilus
  9. Cryptoporus volvatus
  10. *Fomitopsis pinicola
  11. Ganoderma applanatum
  12. Gomphus floccosus
  13. Gymnopilus spectabilis
  14. Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca
  15. Hypholoma fasciculare
  16. *Lactarius torminosus
  17. *Leccinum scabrum
  18. *Lenzites betulina
  19. Lycoperdon pyriforme
  20. Osteina obducta
  21. *Paxillus atrotomentosus
  22. Phaeolus schweinitzii
  23. *Phycomyces blakesleeanus
  24. Pleurotus ostreatus
  25. Pluteus cervinus
  26. Ramaria botrytis
  27. *Russula brevipes
  28. *Russula brunneola
  29. *Russula nigricans
  30. Russula silvicola
  31. *Sparassis crispa
  32. *Suillus caerulescens
  33. *Trichaptum abietinum
  34. *Tricholoma sp.
  35. *Truncocolumella citrina
  36. *Tylopilus porphyrosporus