How Gathering Wild Foods Builds Stronger Communities In a time when many people feel increasingly disconnected from nature, from their neighbors, and even from their food, an old human practice is quietly making a comeback: foraging. A 2014 study by…
On March 7, the Minnesota Mycological Society gathered for its Annual Awards Banquet and Silent Auction. With 129 members and guests in attendance, the event was one of our best and most fun yet! It brought together outstanding food, inspiring…
By Nan Etzwiler – MMS Photo Contest Director 2025 Photo Contest AwardsBy Nan Etzwiler – MMS Photo Contest Director This year, we had three first-time submitters who were among the honorees at theMMS Annual Photo Contest awards. We announced the…
Here we are, preparing for another season of mushroom collection in Minnesota. Like you, I am ready to get into the woods and start finding my favorite mushrooms and making new discoveries. However, I have identified a problem; I’m sort…
The word “hotdish” originated in Minnesota in the 1930s. The Ore-Ida company invented Tater Tots in 1954, about 20 years after the introduction of cream of mushroom soup. Put them all together, and you get the classic Minnesota hotdish. I…
Save the Date for Fungal Discovery Day and the MMS Summer Picnic This summer, the MMS will be holding two events on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at Thomas Lake Park in Eagan, MN. The site is suitable for those with…
Each year, the MMS offers 2 types of scholarships. One is the Marek scholarship, which enables one of our members to attend a North American Mycological Association (NAMA) foray for the first time. The other provides funds for graduate students…
In September of 2024, Gretchen and I visited Japan, a big vacation. As part of that trip, we met a group of Japanese mycologists in the woods. I reported on this trip in the January 2025 monthly meeting of the…
Kathy Yerich shares how we created a mushroom-themed tree for the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s Winter Lights display. Magical Mycological?Mycelium Illumination?Toadstool Tannenbaum? The titles above may sound like a fungal version of a Hallmark made-for-TV holiday special, but they were names…
I joined the MMS Passport Program almost as soon as I joined MMS. It was a way to get involved while building identification skills and documenting my finds in a thoughtful, hands-on way. What appealed to me most was the…
A Message from the MMS President Update on the Legislative Sustainable Foraging Task Force Thank you to everyone who helped advocate for the creation of the Legislative Sustainable Foraging Task Force. Your outreach to legislators was instrumental in getting it…
Forest disturbances can affect mycorrhizal communities, even when these disturbances do not directly impact the soil.1-5 I am studying this relationship between disturbance and mycorrhizae by planting sterile tree seedlings and seedlings inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi in sites with different…
