THE NEWSLETTER OF THE WISCONSIN MYCOLOGICAL SOCIETY March, 1993 Vol. 10, No. 1 Contents: 1) Message from the President 2) Announcements 3) Morel Weekends in Michigan 4) January Meeting Report 5) Up in the Sky ... It's a Black Truffle ?? by Alan Parker 6) A List of Edible Mushrooms by Steve Nelsen 7) Gyroporus Species: Edible, Easily Recognized Boletes by Steve Nelsen 8) Book Review: All the the Rain Promises and More ... by David Arora, reviewed by Ron Armstrong 9) Book Review: The Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and Northwest Europe by Marcel Bon, reviewed by Steve Nelsen 10) Brightondale Foray by Rich Miller 11) Blackhawk Ridge Foray by Tom Volk 12) Recipe: Mushroom Curry-Stroganoff MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT The worst of winter is hopefully over and we can start to think about getting out and looking for spring mushrooms. This year we are planning a morel outing in the south central part of the state. Dr Tom Volk is the leader of this expedition. With morels there are very few promises, but it will be good to see mushrooming friends and be out in the woods again. See the Announcements for more details. On any morel foray it is a good idea to take along a wild flower identification handbook. For outings with a guarantee of finding something interesting, come to the Society's March and April meetings at the Domes Pavilion. The first two meetings of 1993 were outstanding. I want to thank all those who participated in the January meeting and especially Kris and LeRoy Ciombor, who prepared the feast. I also wish to thank Dr. Alan Parker for his presentation and slide show on gasteromycetes. Recently, I have learned something about myself that has been forgotten for many years: how I came to be interested in mushrooms. My parents are very normal in their relationship with mushrooms; i.e. they do not think of them very often and when they do, it is only in a grocery store setting. So when people asked me how I came to be interested in mushrooms I had no answer, only that they had interested me since sometime in high school. But recently while talking with a music professor at the University of Wisconsin Center--Washington County, where I teach, the subject of mushrooms came up. She said that all she knew about them was that John Cage had talked about mushrooms a lot in his piece of music called "Indeterminacy". I knew this piece. I had recorded it in high school and had listened to it many times. But that was long ago. I got a copy of the music from her and listened to it again. Forgotten memories of awe and fascination began to come back to me. The composition itself is a collection of 90 one-minute stories with background sounds. The topics of the stories are mushrooms, eastern philosophy and new music. This was the origin of my interest in identification. In one of the stories was a quote I particularly liked: "Nothing more than mushroom identification develops the powers of observation." Soon afterwards the winter issue of Mushroom, the Magazine came out with John Cage on the cover, in memory of his passing away last year. I think I would have liked to meet this person who was such a subtle influence on my life. If you get a chance, listen to this piece and read about John Cage. Best Wishes, Peter Vachuska ANNOUNCEMENTS Tuesday, March 16, 7:30 p.m, Mitchell Park - Lecture on shiitake growing by Joe Krawczyk. Wednesday, April 21, 7:30 p.m., Mitchell Park - NAMA slide show/video, topic to be announced. Sunday, May 9, New Glarus Woods State Park - Morel foray, led by Tom Volk. More detailed notices will be sent separately. MOREL WEEKENDS IN MICHIGAN April in Michigan means morel hunting: scouring the dark, damp woodland floor in search of the curiously shaped, delicious fungi. To learn the difference between succulent and deadly morels, join in a "Morels and More" weekend at Springbrook Hills Resort, a vacation and retirement community about 50 miles northeast of Traverse City. Morel master Larry Lonik, author of The Curious Morel, teaches guests how to hunt and cook morels with confidence. Choose from the last two weekends in April or the first three in May. Packages that include lodgings and all meals run $125 to $139 per person. Contact: Springbrook Hills Resort Box 219, Walloon Lake, MI 49796 (616/535-2227). (from Michigan Travel Ideas) JANUARY MEETING REPORT The annual WMS slide show/mixer for 1993 was held Jan. 20. About 55-60 persons attended, 9 of whom took up the opportunity to show their slides. Sybil Winter, Tom Fifield, John Steinke, Erich Schmitt, Henry Czarnecki, Carol Czarnecki, Alan Parker, and Ray Llanas presented their slides, while Sybil Winter graciously ran the projector. There seemed to be an amphibious subtheme running through the slides, with Erich Schmitt offering some humor with a slide of a tree frog on a bolete, and Alan Parker also showing some slides of frogs. John Steinke offered some less common fungi - slides of Polyporus umbolatus and Clorophyllum molybdites. After the slide show, Del Holtz volunteered to discuss his experience this past summer with growing oyster mushrooms on logs. Evidently, he had a bumper crop, and growing oysters is easier than growing shiitake. His experiences were interesting to hear about, and we hope that other members who try similar things will have an opportunity to share their experiences. As in the past, the slide show and discussion was followed by a wonderful buffet meal, put together by Kris and LeRoy Ciombor. Thank you to Kris and LeRoy, and to all who made a contribution toward the food expense. UP IN THE SKY . . . IT'S A BLACK TRUFFLE ?? by Alan Parker Everyone familiar with these very expensive gourmet treats knows that their native habitat is far from Wisconsin - black Perigord truffles are found well-buried in the soil in certain regions of France. Those who have read Tom Fifield's "Truffle Updates" in past newsletters are aware of the increasing level of sophistication in hunting these buried treasures. It has advanced from using trained pigs or dogs to that of employing non-living machines. These "truffle detector" machines analyze complex odors coming from the soil and flash or buzz when the right combination of odors is detected. How did a truffle located by animal/machine in the French countryside end up several thousand feet in the sky over Mukwonago, Wisconsin? The 12 January 1993 issue of the Milwaukee Journal (Waukesha section) reported that "fresh French truffles would descend from the heavens by parachute" on 19 January (weather permitting) outside Heaven City restaurant. For future reference, the restaurant is located on County ES just east of Mukwonago. The truffles were to be brought to earth by Florenzo Antognini (chef at the La Foorchette restaurant in St. Louis) and Heaven City chef Scott McGlinchey. Also jumping would be Mike Farrow, a member of the US National Skydiving Championship Team that was coached in 1992 by Antognini. Judging from Antognini's diverse expertise, we assumed the truffles would arrive safely on earth and be well-treated in the Heaven City kitchen. The 19th turned out to be relatively warm and sunny, so John Steinke and I ventured forth to witness this historic event. The jump was scheduled for 4:30 p.m.; by 4:20 there were over 30 people milling around the Heaven City parking lot. Three people had some expensive-looking video equipment trained on a hillside between the restaurant and Hwy ES, so we assumed this was the designated target. A small plane appeared right on time, circled once, and delivered the truffles attached to one of three skydivers. The three jumpers' timing was excellent; they all landed within a few feet of each other in what appeared to be less than 30-second intervals. One of the three video people turned out to be from Channel 18 News, and did a brief interview with the trio. To the best of my knowledge, this is a mycological "first" in Wisconsin, although it's difficult to find the appropriate category in which to classify the event. Being a taxonomist and mycological historian can be frustrating; I may have to create a new "genus" to accomodate this "flying fungus." One great idea (at least to me) has come to mind; if I can contact chef Scott McGlinchey of Heaven City, maybe I can convince him that morels falling from the heavens would be of even greater interest than the truffle triumph. Then there would be at least two flying fungi in the new taxon, both Ascomycetes. The weather would be much more favorable in early May to attract both sky diving enthusiasts and us strange people who will attend almost anything new relating to fungi. I also have the feeling that skydivers, like mushroom hunters, will use almost any excuse to have the thrill of enjoying their hobby. We'll keep you posted if a morel skydive becomes reality. There is one slight problem that John and I noted about the Heaven City experience - we never did actually see the truffles! Maybe they were unveiled inside the restaurant - we had to depart without joining the warmup party. A LIST OF EDIBLE MUSHROOMS *: on A. H. Smith's list of approximately 50 best edible mushrooms, Mushroom Hunter's Field Guide, '58. +: on Smith's list of mushrooms recommended for beginners. Some other widely used species have been added. Non-Gilled Gilled Morels: * + Morchella augusticeps(elata) * + Morchella esculenta & crassipes Boletes: * Boletinus(Suillus) cavipes(1) * Boletinus(Suillus) pictus(1) * Boletus edulis & variipes(2) * + Boletus mirabilis (rare in Gt. Lk.) * Gyroporus(Boletus) castaneus(3) * Gyroporus(Boletus) cyanescens * + Leccinum(Boletus) aurantiacus group(1) Suillus americanus * Suillus brevipes * + Suillus granulatus * + Suillus luteus * Phylloporus rhodoxanthus (gilled, but a Bolete nevertheless) Chanterelles, Corals, Toothed: * Cantherellus cibarius(2) * Cantherellus clavatus(1) * Cantherellus subalbidus * + Craterellus cornucopoides & fallax * + Clavicorona(Clavaria) pyxidata * Dentinum repandum(2) * + Hericium (all species) * + Sparassis (all species) Polypores: * Fistulina hepatica + Laetiporus (Polyporus) sulphureus(1) * + Grifola (polypilus) frondosus Puffballs: * + Lagermania (Calvatia) gigantea Calvatia cyathiformis & craniiformis + Lycoperdon perlatum (& others) Non-Gilled Gilled Milk Mushrooms and Russula: * + Lactarius deliciosus * + Lactarius volemus & corrugatus + Lactarius indigo * Russula virescens Hypomyces lactifluorum (infected Lactarius and Russula) Light-spored: * + Armillaria mellea (complex) * Armillaria ponderosa * Collybia dryophila(1) Hygrophorus russula Laccaria ochropurpurea * Lepista(Clitocybe) nuda * Leucoagaricus(Lepiota) procera * Leucoagaricus(Lepiota) rachodes * Marasmius oreades * + Pleurotus ostreatus `Pleurotus ulmarius' Dark-spored: * Agaricus augustus & pattersonae * + Agaricus campestris * Agaricus rodmanii(1) * + Coprinus comatus + Coprinus micaceus * Cortinarius violaceus(1) * Pholiota squarrosoides * Pluteus magnus (& other `cervinus') * Rozites caperata Entoloma(Rhodophyllus) abortivum Notes: (1) Not listed in the 1980 edition of Smith M.H.F.G. (2) Listed in the 1980 edition of Smith as recommended for beginners (3) A recent manual by Bon (1987) considers G. castaneus "suspect" (in Europe). compiled by Steve Nelsen GYROPORUS SPECIES: EDIBLE, EASILY RECOGNIZED BOLETES by Steve Nelsen Most Boletes are hard to identify to species, but Gyroporus is a welcome exception. The species cyanescens and castaneus were first published by the pioneer French mycologist Jean Baptiste Francois Bulliard in 1797, and are common both in Europe and the U.S. They are also both on Smith's 1958 list of about 50 "best edible mushrooms", and are well worth learning to recognize. Although included in Boletus by Fries and by Peck (in Tribe Cariosi), modern books follow Quelet's 1886 transfer to genus Gyroporus. Gyroporus has a hollow stem at maturity, the pores are small, round, and whitish turning yellowish at maturity. The spore print is light yellow (and under a microscope, the spores are elliptical, easily separated by shape from Boletus spores). The species in the Great Lakes region are also easy to separate from each other: G. cyanescen (Fr.)Quel. has a light yellowish brown cap 4-12 cm. broad and instantly turns indigo blue in all parts upon bruising or cutting. The major compound causing this bluing reaction has a different chemical structure from that causing bluing in Boletus species, but both are complex hydroquinones which air oxidize to quinones. G. castaneus (Fr.)Quel. has a 3-7 cm. chestnut brown (to yellower or oranger brown) cap, and does not discolor. G. purpurinus (Snell)Sing. is smaller (1-5 cm.) and a dark vinaceous (purplish) color, but otherwise is like castaneus. It was described as a variety of castaneus by Snell in 1936, but it is distinct in the field, and now appears to be considered a separate species. Smith does comment that removing sand can be a problem in eating Gyroporus, especially castaneus. Disconcertingly, Bon in his 1987 manual says that castaneus is "suspect" in edibility, which is surprising because so many other books say it is fine. Even Bon says cyanescens is fine to eat. BOOK REVIEW All That the Rain Promises, and More . . . Author: David Arora (Mushrooms Demystified) Available from: Ten Speed Press, P. O. Box 7123, Berkeley, CA 94707 List price: $15.95 This book is a pocket-sized field gude that is designed for the western United States, but with over 200 mushrooms, all with color pictures, this is still an excellent guide for the Wisconsin area. Each mushroom is listed with its common and scientific name, other names, key features, where it is found, edibility and additional notes, including page indexing to Mushrooms Demystified if you want more information. The author also includes basic information on eating mushrooms, medicinal uses, and hallucinogenic and poisonous effects. All this, and it will fit into your pocket like any good paperback, so you can easily carry it with you while hunting for mushrooms. Of course, if that was all that this book contained, it would make for dry reading, and anyone familiar with Mr. Arora knows that this could not be the case. For example, have you ever had "candy cap cookies" or put 'shrooms in the toaster? Have you ever gone "mining for mushrooms" in the Arizona desert, or have you ever "slimed" and dyed your dog? This book contains many such tidbits of information and amusing accounts in typical Arora style. Unlike many guides, this one has photos of people with fungi, not just fungi. Nonetheless, a personal favorite photo was of the western jack-o-lantern glowing in the dark, truly an impressive sight. The book contains many novel cooking tips, done with a touch of humor. A recipe for using slippery jacks as a substitute for snails is known as "parsley, sage, rosemary, and slime." Of special interest to boletivores and all those who like mushrooms with a high water content but don't care for them being slimy or rubbery is a method of cooking called dry-saute. Put sliced mushrooms in a pan on high heat with no butter or oil. Sprinkle with salt to help drain out the moisture. Stir constantly until they give off liquid which you can use for stock or allow to evaporate. Turn down the heat, add oil or butter and saute for 5-10 minutes. This can make your mushrooms chewy instead of slimy. I am considering this for my next stir-fry. It was a surprise for me to find out that corn smut is not only considered edible, but actually excellent, and is a delicacy highly prized in Mexico. All those years we went to great lengths to try to rid ourselves of this blight, and the solution was so simple - eat it! At the end of the book is an article on the future of, and the ecological impact of, mushroom hunting that is well worth reading. I got this book from the library, but I think it is a sound investment and easily worth the price, so now I gotta get me one, too. by Ron Armstrong BOOK REVIEW The Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and North-west Europe Author: Marcel Bon, Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1987 (Available from Lubrecht and Cramer for $19.95.) This paperback handbook is for northern Europe and has only paintings instead of impressive photographs; I was not tempted to buy it sight unseen. After seeing a copy, I am convinced that this is a useful book for a U.S. enthusiast. The closest American book in format is the Peterson guide by K.H. and V.B. McKnight, which also covers all large fungi using color paintings for illustrations. The Bon book has significantly more illustrated species (1200 vs. 500), has each description facing its illustration, and coverage is rather different. Bon is not very interested in either Ascomycetes or Gasteromycetes (the commonest species do appear), has no more Coral, Tooth, and Chanterelles, and only fractionally more Boletes than the McKnights, and under 40 polypores and crusts. As a result, Bon has the broadest coverage of gilled mushrooms I have seen in a decently illustrated manual. For example, there are illustrations of over 90 Russula, 70 Lactarius, 70 Hygrophorus + Hygrocybe + Camarophyllus, 35 Clitocybe (plus 12 Lepista), 90 Cortinarius, and 35 Entoloma species (but only 23 Amanitas). Valuable features include fiercely modern (European) nomenclature, extensive keys, and division of large genera into sections which are concisely described, conveying an idea of the range of species now included in a genus, and what features to look for in comparing them. For most species, there is a drawing of a spore included in the margin of the description, a real bonus for those of you that use a microscope. Coverage of recently segregated genera is spectacular. Illustrated Tricholomataceae segregates which Largent and Baroni (Modern Genera, Mad River Press, 1988) list either as no illustrations available in books in English, or only in monographs published before 1950 include Callistosporum, Delicatula, Dermoloma, Fayodia, Geopetallum, Hemimycena, Hydropus, Mycenella, and Phaeoomphalina, as well as Phaeotellus and Floccularia, which are not in L. & B. I believe that I have seen Wisconsin examples of Clytocybula lacerata and Arrhenia (Leptoglossum) lobatum, which I had not previously seen illustrated well enough to recognize before. There are, of course, many species in Europe which do not occur in our area, or even in the U.S., but all large manuals have many species from outside the Great Lakes region. I am principally impressed by the large number of species in common. Bon is not one of the first mushroom books you would want, but if you already have a few, I don't think anything approaches the amount of additional information for the price. by Steve Nelsen BRIGHTONDALE FORAY by Rich Miller On Saturday, 12 September, the Brightondale Park foray was held in Kenosha County. A large number of members attended. In the morning, the eastern section of the park was explored, followed by lunch. In the afternoon, the western section was hunted by a few members who were still enthusiastic. The weather cooperated and although not a large number of fungi were found, a satisfying number of interesting and edible mushrooms were. Included amongst the edibles were Grifola frondosa, Hericium coralloides, Calvatia gigantea, Hydnum repandum, and large numbers of Suillus americanus. The interesting species included two hypogeous fungi and the beautiful but pungent Mutinus elegans. The foray was made successful by the combination of experienced members and newer members whose enthusiasm assures the future vitality of our club. BLACKHAWK RIDGE FORAY by Tom Volk About 30 people turned out on a somewhat-less-than-beautiful fall day at the third annual Madison area foray, this time at Blackhawk Ridge across the Wisconsin River from Sauk City. This strikingly beautiful area was taken over a couple of years ago by the Wisconsin DNR as part of the preservation of the Lower Wisconsin Riverway. The area is also rich in history, having been the site of the Battle of Wisconsin Heights during the Blackhawk Indian War. This very sandy area has many rich deciduous woods, mostly oak, birch, and maple. There are also several plantations and incidental plantings of white and red pine. This year we concentrated on the lower area of the preserve, where there is an extensive mixed red and white pine plantation as well as an area where there was extensive harvesting of oaks, leaving many stumps. The pine plantations were very rich in fungi this year, with their usual complement of edible Suillus species, including S. americanus, S. granulatus, and S. luteus. The last species was most abundant at this time. Several Lactarius species were also found, including some over the hill Lactarius deliciosus. Many other mycorrhizal fungi were also present including two Thelephora species and at least five Tricholoma species, (including Tricholoma flavovirens, the "man on horseback." I still can't figure out how it got that name. Does anyone know?), as well as several Russula spp., many Scleroderma spp., at least seven Amanita species, and the unusual Paxillus vernalis. Several unusual small fungi were found, including the sphere-thrower, Sphaerobolus stellatus, the pine cone fungus, Auriscalpium vulgare, jelly babies, Leotia lubrica, and Leotia viscosa, and a strange tiny black fungus growing on old polypores, Mycocalicium polyporium on Trichaptum biforme. Also found were three species of Cordyceps, parasitic on underground grubs or hypogeous fungi. The cut oak stumps provided many with some good edible fungi including at least two species of Armillaria, including true Armillaria mellea as well as the smaller A. gallica. Black chanterelles were found as well as the late fall oyster, Panellus serotinus, a beautiful green to black colored segregate from the genus Pleurotus. Participants identified a total of 106 species, with 31 of these new to the list of fungi found at the site. The list that the Forest Products Lab is making for the Wisconsin DNR now numbers over 255 species and counting, with several people taking home fungi to identify, promising to give the foray leader a list of what they identify. Although the weather was something less than ideal, people had a good time and enjoyed seeing the area, the fungi, and each other. We hope to have another Madison area foray next year. RECIPE: MUSHROOM CURRY-STROGANOFF 2 onions, chopped 1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced somewhat thick 2 tbsp. butter 4 tbsp. whole wheat flour 2 cups milk 1-1/2 tsp. curry powder 1/2 tsp. ginger 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 1 tbsp. soy sauce 8-12 oz. dry pasta, such as egg or spinach noodles, cooked Steam vegetables or cook in a small amount of water. Melt the butter. Stir in the flour, coating all the flour with butter. Mix the milk and seasonings and add to the flour-butter mixture. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Add the cooked vegetables and heat through. Makes about 4-1/2 cups of sauce. Serve over hot noodles. Makes about 4 servings as a main dish, more as a side dish. Adding cooked green beans or chopped green peppers to the sauce would make a more colorful dish. THE END