Mycological Society of San Francisco 2015

We went last year, and I took photos, so in a sense, this is going to be more of the same. But I took a few extra shots of aspects of this gathering I find more important, plus the usual oddball suspects like this guy. I find myself fitting in rather well with these eccentrics.

Here's my new buddy Britt, editor of Fungi Magazine, doing a lecture on Psychedelic Mushrooms to a packed house. I met him in October at the Puget Sound Mycological Society meeting.

These meetings usually have great mushroom soups, and this year was no exception. Here's a lentil-based soup with mixed mushrooms (I didn't try it, but I'm sure it was great).

I don't think I got a very good shot of this station last year. These are the folks who collect and use particular mushrooms for dyeing. Here's a nice shot of that in process.

Several folks here had material on mushroom cultivation--some in the other room had growing kits for sale. Last year, Robin & I grew some Shittake mushrooms out back.

Probably the single most important booth at the entire show--these are folks at UC Berkeley who've long been studying the Medicinal benefits of particular mushrooms using both Chinese and Western Medicine.

Some mushrooms have anti-tumor properties & buffer immune systems? That's the head of these programs at Cal to the left. She's been studying this since the 50s.

And here's her book.

Fascinating to me that the lichen society folks attend these meetings too. It's not like mushrooms grow in a vacuum.

Toxicology. Seriously important.

And so is ecology. This all connects.

Mushroom habitat displays.

Mushroom vendors.

More mushroom displays, these with descriptive labels.

I've met this vendor before. Check out the Pink Oyster mushrooms!

Two more shots of mushroom displays.

One of the vendors next to Robin. A vinegar salesman. Well-crafted stuff, but nothing to do with mushrooms. Banana vinegar. 

OK, now we're talkng. Best culinary vendor at MSSF. Yellow Chanterelles.

Black trumpets.

Truffle butters and Porcini powder. Both of which sold out fast!

Some other amazing stuff. Shoulda bought some of this truffle oil.

But wait! Himalayan truffles?!?!

All's well that ends well. I bought one of these.