A Celebration of Wild Mushrooms

In the San Francisco Bay Area, when the first rains tease up the chanterelles and porcini, fungus lovers head to the Fungus Fair: A Celebration of Wild Mushrooms at the Oakland Museum of California. The Fair, hosted by the museum and the Mycological Society of San Francisco, provides information on the uses and abuses of fungi, with displays and exhibits on ecology, toxicology, and cultivation. Arrays of identification tables display locally collected mushrooms. Campsite gourmands learn how to serve up the safe and scrumptious species through identification tutorials, cooking demonstrations, and sales of recipe books, soups, snacks, and fresh edibles. Watch renowned Bay Area chefs prepare dishes like matsutakes & roasted cauliflower in coriander cream or sautéed caramel candy cap pears and dentelles.

chanterelles

The Oakland Museum of California, 10 & Oak Streets in Oakland, is block from the Lake Merritt BART and a few blocks from Highway 880. Admission to the Fungus Fair is $8 general/$5 seniors and students with ID/members and kids under 5 free, and includes museum-wide access.