Midwest Edibles and Preservation by Trent and Kristen Blizzard:

There has been a sudden change of plans in our programming for tonight’s Zoom meeting. Due to unforeseen events, our original presenter Chad Hyatt will not be available, but Trent and Kristen Blizzard graciously agreed to do their presentation for us tonight which had been planned for later this fall.

When the rains come the mushrooms often come out in abundance. If you are serious about mushrooms and foraging, as Trent and Kristen Blizzard are, you will go out early and often and end up with way more fresh edible mushrooms than you can cook up and eat. So, if you do not want all those fresh shrooms to go to waste, what can you do with them? Come learn about some of the best edibles in the Midwest and the tips and techniques to preserve them from Trent and Kristen. Once preserved you can enjoy them in the coming year, or give them as gifts to friends and family.

About the Speakers

Self proclaimed “modern foragers” Trent and Kristen Blizzard reside in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. They have been trekking the forests of Colorado, the Midwest and the Pacific Northwest for years mostly with wild, edible mushrooms in mind. At first a hobby, the hunt for mushrooms quickly became nothing short of an obsession for these two mycophiles, both of whom are certified Wild Mushroom Identification Experts in their home state of Colorado.

They are the authors of the soon to be released, Wild Mushrooms: A Cookbook and Foraging Guide. Whether you are a seasoned forager or new to the wild and wonderful word of edible forest fungi, this book has something for you! You will find a wealth of tips and tricks for harvesting each mushroom, along with general cooking techniques and preservation methods. They endeavor to explore not only a selection of delicious cuisine and new methods of cooking these wild edibles, but the question of how to preserve and enjoy your harvests all year long. The book is also a celebration of people they have met over the years. You will find stories, tips and well-loved recipes from well known chefs and mycological society members from around the country!

Regardless of what mushroom they are after or where they are searching, Trent and Kristen often have their two crazy doodles (Benzie and Lulu) helping out. They also employ a wide range of technologies that bring a modern twist to an ancient practice. As modern foragers, they utilize digital mapping, social media, GPS, phone apps, and even satellite internet while on the road. You will find them blogging about their adventures at modernforager.com.

A Zoom link to access this meeting along with instructions and password will be emailed to MMS members.

If you haven’t used Zoom before and don’t want to miss anything, you may want to click on the meeting link to download Zoom and familiarize yourself with it at least 15 minutes prior to the meeting.

This meeting is free and open to the public.  If you are not a member, contact Tim Clemens to get details on how to join this virtual meeting.  Please do so no later than an hour before the meeting.

How to join a Zoom meeting – You do not need a Zoom account, but you will need the Zoom app installed on your desktop or mobile device. You can either download the Zoom app in advance here. Or, you will be automatically prompted to download and install the Zoom app when you click on a meeting link for the first time. You can also join a test meeting at any time at https://zoom.us/test.