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Mountain View News Saturday, February 14, 2026 


CHRISTOPHER Nyerges

 Nyerges is the author of “Foraging California,” and “Testing Your Outdoor Survival Skills” 
(both of which have sections on mushrooms). For info on his many books and classes, he 
can be reached at Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA, or www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com 

EXPLORING THE FUNGUS AMONG US 

LOS ANGELES MUSHROOM SOCIETY HOSTS ANNUAL 
FAIR FEBRUARY 15 

The annual Los Angeles Mushroom Society Fair will take place on Sunday, February 15, from 9 a.m. to 
4 p.m. at the L.A. County Arboretum, in Ayres Hall, at 301 N. Baldwin in Arcadia. Admission to the 
Ayres Hall is free, though an entrance fee into the Arboretum is required.
It’s a great opportunity to go on a short mushroom identification walk, to see tables of freshly-collected 
wild mushrooms, and to listen to lectures on various mushroom topics. Vendors also sell everything 
mushroom related, such as grow-it-yourself kits, to books, to t-shirts. Get more information 
on their website at lamushrooms.org 

Studying the tables of mushrooms at a past L.A. Mushroom Society Fair. Photo by Helen Wong 


THE ORIGINAL L.A. MYCOLOGICAL ASSOC. 

In the early 1970s, I got the “mushroom bug,” and joined the L.A. Mycological Association to actively 
pursue my education of the mysterious world of fungi directly with experts, rather than books. I 
learned how to identify wild mushrooms in the field, and I learned how to cook the edible ones. I had 
some great mentors from the organization. 
I was interested in mushrooms from the standpoint of food, though it was always impressed upon me 
to never eat any wild mushroom until I’ve taken the time to absolutely identify it. Joining the organization 
gave me the opportunity to participate in the field to learn about the details of mushroom identification 
with experts. LAMA is still alive, having evolved through a few iterations over the years, and 
now called L.A. Mushroom Society. 

THE MUSHROOM BUG 

Bat Vardeh runs a group call Foraging and Mushroom 
Hunting Women of SoCal. “The group is a place for 
women to find foraging friends, and people mostlylearn about it by word of mouth,” she explains.
The group has a potluck-gathering on the last Sunday 
of month, with wild mushrooms in many of their 
dishes. “We do lots of fun stuff at our potlucks,” saysVardeh, “like hunting crawfish when we met at Lake 
Castaic. I make such good food with crawfish, and we 
caught them all by hand.” 
At their potlucks, they have made quiche from dried 
morels, cooked chanterres in garlic butter, and served 
acorn socaccia (bread) to go with it. “Sometimes I 
make seasoning out of Candycaps mushroom, a species 
of Lactarius, and it gives a maple syrup flavor to 
food,” she adds. 
Vardeh explains that she was drawn into mycologybecause it was such a mystery, and very few people 
knew much about it. “I was a solo mushroom hunter 
in the closet,” she says. She highly recommends the 
book, “All That the Rain Promises and More,” by David 
Arora. It is not a comprehensive book like Arora’s 
“Mushrooms Demystified,” but only covers about 100 
common species so it’s easy for the beginner. Vardeh’s 

group can be found on Instagram @women_forage_ 
socal and on Facebook. 

THE MYSTERY OF MUSHROOMS 

Mushrooms occur when conditions are right, in a somewhat unpredictable manner, and then they 
quickly decompose. The mushroom you see above ground is the spore-producing “fruiting body” 
arising from the underground mycelium. Mycelium is everywhere underground, and its function in 
nature is to break down wood and cellulose into soil, so that trees and other plants can extract nutrients 
from them. 

Mushrooms are fascinating, and many people have spent a lifetime studying mycology after they fell 
into the rabbit hole. 

GETTING STARTED 

If you are a complete beginner, seek out a group local to you where live so you can get some field experience. 
You could inquire also through the North American Mycological Association to find a grouplocal to your area, at https://namyco.org/.
Research can also be done on-line. My favorite site for identification is MushroomExpert.com by Michael 
Kuo. 

AN ON-LINE CLASS 

School of Self-Reliance offers an on-line introduction to basic mushroom groups including the “foolproof 
four.” The class is offered on March 13, at 7 p.m. Go to the Schedule at www.SchoolofSelfreliance.
com 

CLASSIFICATION 

The basic categories are gilled and the non-gilled fungi. The gilled fungi are further delineated by their 
spore color. Spores are analogous to seeds, and they fall from the gills onto the ground, and there are 
simple ways to determine spore color. There are excellent pictorial guides for determining genus of the 
gilled and non-gilled fungi, such as ‘David Arora’s “All That the Rain Promises and More.” 

Remember, don’t be eating any wild mushrooms until you are familiar with all the details for identification. 
This year alone there have been many deaths from eating poisonous mushrooms which were 
look-alikes for edible one. 

CAVEAT 

Mycology is a Science, and it requires a substantial amount of study and field work to be able to collect 
wild mushrooms and eat them without getting sick or dying. 
The California Department of Public Health reported that in the season up to mid-January, there were 
at least 36 cases of poisoning from the Amanita phalloides mushroom, which has an edible look-alike. 
Three of those cases resulted in death. Never eat any wild mushroom that you have not positivelyidentified! 

Gary Gonzales shows a blewitt, an edible mush-
room, with a distinct violet color. Photo by Nyerges. 


HAVE A 
HEART FOR 
VALENTINE’S 
DAY! 

Debonair without 
a care, stands 
Smudge! Wearing 
his heart on 
his nose instead 
of his sleeve, 
this sweet boy 

came to be rescued after he was left behind and 
abandoned by his family. 

So broken-hearted, but his love for people 
did not waiver. Smudge is the kind of gentleman 
who always checks on you. He wants to 
be around you and share the couch cushion 
or sleep at your feet and protect your slumber. 
At age 4, sometimes he still wants to play like 
a kitten and gets silly little spurts of energy!
Smudge is grateful for any ounce of love you 
want to give to him and will lean into chin 
scratchies anytime of day. 
He's got a great appetite and is not picky about his treats. Smudge does 
okay with other cats but wants to be around people above all. He is 
FIV+ which means he will do fine as long as his health is monitored. 
He would be the perfect fit for humans wanting a little loyal companion 
with tons of unconditional love to give! Born 2022. 


To apply to meet him, just go directly to Smudge's website page at 
https://www.lifelineforpets.org/smudge.html or use the qr code. 

Pet of the Week 

Rolo is basically a box of chocolates — where you’ll neverstop being delighted, and every moment is pure sweetness!
This 2-year-old German Shepherd mix at PasadenaHumane is affectionate to his core. He’s confident, bold,
playful, and just the right amount of silly. A foster field 
trip favorite, Rolo has an amazing demeanor whether he’scuddling close to you or heading out for a 5-mile hike(yes, 5 miles!). Around town, he’s a perfect gentleman: heloves strolling through Old Town Pasadena, popping intoa dog bakery for a sweet treat, making new doggy friends,
and sniffing around Huntington Ambassador Park whilekeeping an eye on those funny squirrels.

 
Rolo is guaranteed to make your heart melt. He truly seems in love with life and isready to share that love with his forever person. Fall head over heels this weekend duringPasadena Humane’s Swipe Right Adoption promotion, happening February 13–15, whereall adoptions (including Rolo’s) are just $14. Skip the candy and treat yourself to somethingeven sweeter - adopt Rolo and make this Valentine’s one to remember! 

The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip, andage-appropriate vaccines.

 Walk-in adoptions are available every day from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. View photos ofadoptable pets at pasadenahumane.org. 

New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA Animal 
Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for your pet.

 Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phonecalls or email. 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com