You know we love Russ Cohen. On Sunday, July 31, Russ will join Greenbelt for a Wild Edibles Walk on the Tompson Reservation on Tompson Street in Gloucester. The mixed habitat of this beautiful property is great for mushrooms and other wild edibles. Registration is required, by emailing smd@ecga.org. The event, however, is free. Photo by Nathan Siemers at www.fiveprime.org.
Learn all about fungi with a focus on those commonly called mushrooms on Saturday, September 18, from 1 – 3, at Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, MA. This enormous and diverse group of plants is found in the wild during the fall months. The most common poisonous and edible mushrooms will be illustrated and described. A variety of fungi will be on display supplemented with slides of other commonly found mushrooms. Participants will explore a nearby wood and hunt for mushrooms. This Berkshire Botanical Garden class is not sufficient for learning how to identify wild edible mushrooms. John Wheeler is current president of the Berkshire Mycological Society. He has taught mycology at Simons Rock College of Bard. He has been an avid amateur for over twenty years. Dress for outdoors – participants car pool to a short walk. $18 BBG members, $24 non-members. Call 413-298-3926, or register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org.
In this illustrated talk, David Rose, past president of the Connecticut-Westchester Mycological Association (COMA), will explore the natural history of myxomycetes, commonly known as “slime molds.” Slime molds are colorful harmless organisms that inhabit damp woodland environments. So perplexing to science that they have been classified variously as animals, plants, and fungi (they are actually protists), these organisms are remarkable for their delicate beauty and their surprising transformation from an animal-like to a plant-like stage. Though they are not mushrooms, slime molds reproduce by spores and have traditionally been studied by mycologists for their resemblance to the fungi. The program will be held Saturday, November 21 beginning at 1:00 pm at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington Street, New Haven, Connecticut, and is free and open to the public.
Author-mycologist Lawrence Millman will lead a mushroom walk in Concord or Lincoln (exact location to be determined before the event based on conditions). However dry or unpromising the conditions, he guarantees that participants will find a minimum of 30 different species. You will learn to identify mushrooms both with and without a guidebook, and you’ll also unlearn everything you were ever told about how to distinguish a poisonous from a non-poisonous species. Be aware, however, that the focus of this event is scientific, not culinary. Bring a basket, wax paper, a pocket knife, a hand lens (if you have one), and – most important of all – a spirit of adventure. Please join us come rain or shine! Dress appropriately for weather. Limited to 16. If students have questions for Larry Millman about the walk, call (617) 492-5861. Directions to Estabrook Woods from Concord Center, MA: Get to Concord Center and the Colonial Inn, in the heart of Concord Center. If you’re facing the Colonial Inn, take a right onto Monument Street and head toward the Old North Bridge. Take a left on Liberty Street, then right on Estabrook Road. After less than half a mile, take another right on Estabrook Road when it bends to the right. Go to the end of the road and park (space for cars on the left-hand side of road). Cost – $76.
Under the setting sun over Wachusett Reservoir, the culinary team of Pepper’s will offer an inspired evening featuring an enticing menu created in the tradition of the Slow Food Movement, with the best local raised or produced ingredients from area farms. Proceeds from the evening support Tower Hill Botanic Garden. Crystal Brook Farm from Sterling provides fresh goat cheese for the dessert. The chefs also collaborate with Keown Farm of Sutton, Massachusetts and with John Lee from Allandale Farm in Brookline, Massachusetts, creating foods made from the best that nature has to offer. John Trexler, Executive Director, will offer a spirited tour of Tower Hill Botanic Garden and dinner will follow. The date is Thursday, August 20, beginning at 5:30 pm. Members of Tower Hill – $100, $125 non-members. Register on line at www.towerhillbg.org. You may also call 508-869-6111, ext. 124 to register by phone, or email registrar@towerhillbg.org.
The Menu
Heirloom Tomato, Watermelon & Cucumber Stacked Salad
Roasted Assorted Variety of Baby Fingerling Potatoes
Pan-Seared Local Striped Bass with Lobster Sauce and Stuffed Squash Blossoms
Braised Short Ribs of Local Beef with Organic Mixed Mushrooms
Selection of Artisan Breads
Goat Cheese Cheesecake with lemongrass-scented stone fruits
