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A fungus fair fancy

There is no place I would rather spend my Sunday afternoon than at the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair.  That may be stretching the truth a bit, b...

Sunset

There is no place I would rather spend my Sunday afternoon than at the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair.  That may be stretching the truth a bit, but I must say that “Attend a fungus fair” is an activity you should absolutely put on your bucket list.  A couple hundred varieties of fungi in a single room is quite an amazing sight.  The range of size, scent, shape, and color is simply remarkable, and I can see why Alice had a hard time deciding which mushrooms to eat in Wonderland.  Lucky for me, food vendors were whipping up tasty mushroom treats for me to try using only the good ones.  Here is what I ate:

  • Candy cap mushroom gelato from Gelato Massimo
  • Chanterelle and bacon bisque
  • Candy cap mushroom cheesecake
  • Mushroom lasagna
  • Crimini mushroom toffee
  • Candy cap mushroom cookies

Two things you are probably wondering:

1.  Q:  Does this girl eat competitively?

     A:  Not anymore.

2.  Q:  Mushroom gelato, cheesecake, toffee, and cookies?  What do those taste like?

     A:  They taste delicious.  The crimini toffee was my least favorite, but the rest were made with candy cap mushrooms which are sweet and taste very similar to maple syrup.  This was the first time I had ever experienced candy caps, and Ithink I have found a new love.

(Candy cap mushrooms)

Here are a few photos of bizarre fungi from the fair:

Fungus Fairs take place all over the West, so be sure to search for one in your area.  The fungus fair season takes place from late autumn through early spring.