New Mexico Mycological Society

November 1997

November Meeting
Our next meeting will be at 7:30PM on November 4th at the Natural History Museum. This month we are pleased to welcome R. Peter Herman, a professor of biology at New Mexico State University, who will give a talk entitled Endomycorrhizal Fungi - Extra Roots for Desert Plants. This talk will introduce mycorrhizal fungi and discuss what endomycorrhizae, such as the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), do for plants in general. Professor Herman will also talk a bit about how these roles are particularly important in desert plants. Finally, he will present a summary of his recent work on the distribution patterns of AMF in desert grasslands. Professor Herman has recently served as a Guest Investigator for the Department of Soil Sciences, Division of Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
We are also planning an informal dinner with Professor Herman before the meeting, probably at 6PM or shortly thereafter. We would like to go to an Oriental restaurant but have not yet determined which one. It would be good to choose a place fairly close to the Natural History Museum. If any members would like to participate or have any suggestions, please contact John or MaryLee Sparks (or David Wallis).
A Letter from Ralph Reynolds
The following may be of interest: I live on four wooded acres here in Moline, Illinois. This is ground hog heaven. Driven out of gardening by the beastly things (I'd sooner have a crocodile in my yard), I have turned to raising wood-inhabiting mushrooms. Shiitake flourish on oak here, and I get bushels of Pleurotus ostreatus on the softer hardwoods. (I've had less luck with velvet foot and others.) With the cooperation of the Luna, NM district FS ranger, I tried seeding oyster spawn on aspen logs at my cabin in Catron County (8,000'). The oyster colonized the logs okay, but in 15 years has produced very few mushrooms. They tend to come out then die back, even when the stump is well-watered. I'm convinced that the problem is lack of humidity in the air. Oyster mushrooms simply have to have it in order to get started off right. Here's more evidence: Last summer in the mountains I found great numbers of oysters in aspen woods along north slopes. But most all of them were growing on stems out of buried wood. I think the soil humidity is what gets them going. Because of this eccentric growth habit, I wonder if southwestern mycobuffs don't overlook a lot of wonderful eating.
Preserving Shaggy Manes
Prompted by the news of our September discussion on preserving mushrooms, John Rahart contributed a couple of methods for preserving Coprinus comatus (shaggy manes). John emphasized the importance of saving the water. He said that if he has more than needed to freeze with the mushrooms, he'll save it separately for broth.

Method #1
  • Clean Coprinus by suspending in water.
  • Place in steamer basket - steam for three minutes - let steamer water cool.
  • Dip in cold water and drain well.
  • Place in freezer container and cover with cooled steamer water about ½" from top and place in freezer.

Method #2
  • Clean Coprinus by suspending in water.
  • Place in boiling water - remove Coprinus and let water cool.
  • Dip in cold water and drain well.
  • Place in freezer container and cover with re-cooled boil water about ½" from top and place in freezer.

Local Flavor
A couple of members have told me that the the latest edition (October/November 1997) of the Local Flavor (a local publication) has an article about Carlo's (Villa Fontana). Ted Stampfer stated that "in fact, the article's author was at dinner the night the NMMS had our dinner before the foray." I did not obtain a copy prior to sending out this letter, but if anyone has a copy which could be brought to the upcoming meeting, I'd like to see it and perhaps say more about the article in the next bulletin.
Proposed changes to NMMS Bylaws
submitted by David Wallis, Secretary

In accordance with Article X of the NMMS Bylaws, I submitted at the October meeting a proposal to change the following items in the Bylaws. The other five Board members present found the proposed changes acceptable. However, some members suggested modifications or discussion of modifications which were not directly related to the changes I have proposed.
We will have a vote by the members present at the meeting on November, 1997, to accept the changes, and only the changes, outlined below.
  1. Article III - make "Membership is open...," "Memberships are divided...," and "Every member over eighteen..." lines of equal "weight" (or importance). Current Item 5 ("Every member over eighteen") is listed as a membership category, which doesn't quite make sense.
  2. Article V . point 4 - replace the phrasing "...approved by the Board of Directors..." with the words "...approved by the officers...". The wording presents a situation where a person must be part of that group which selects that person to be part of the group.
  3. Acceptance of the formatting and appearance of the Bylaws as presented. The differences are solely aesthetic, with no changes to wording or ordering other than those outlined above.
We will probably have more discussion in the future about other changes. Those members with suggestions for additional changes are welcome to send them to me.


Recipe
Sherried Cream of Chanterelle Soup

6 T butter
2 cups chopped chanterelles
2 T flour
4 cups hot milk
2 chicken bouillon cubes (or 1 can chicken bouillon)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup sherry

Melt 4 T of the butter in a 2-quart saucepan. Over medium heat, saute the chanterelles for 10 minutes. Remove to a bowl. - In the same pan, melt remaining butter; add flour and blend until bubbly. Do not brown. Gradually add hot milk. Add bouillon cubes (or canned bouillon); stir occasionally with wire whisk until slightly thickened. - Add chanterelles and heat through; do not boil. Add sherry just before serving. Serve with hot crusty bread, green salad and chilled dry white wine.

Submitted by Maggie Rogers