KERHONKSON – Despite the drought, when 300 mycophiles gather, mushrooms will be found. Every year for the last 34 years, area mushroom clubs gather to collect, study, eat and otherwise enjoy mushrooms. Each local area is represented on a rotating schedule. This year's NEMF (North East Mycological Federation) foray was held at Soyuzivka Ukrainian Cultural Center in Kerhonkson, NY, the perfect location to enjoy the onset of leaf season. The accommodations were welcoming, the staff treated us like family, and the home-cooked food was too good to miss, even after an amazing mycophagy.

This regional event was co-hosted by four area clubs — COMA, MHMA, NYMS, and LIMC. But presenters, vendors and attendees came from all over the world. I could not begin to attend all the workshops or forays that interested me.

I was glad I attended Roz Lowen's Ascomycete workshop. I haven't made a slide sample or looked through a microscope since I left school, but Roz made the experience fun. I'm beginning to understand what she's talking about when it comes to mushroom reproduction.

I have no doubt that Dorothy Smullen's presentation on the genus Marasmius, Lawrence Millman's program on rare mushrooms, Marie Heerkin's mushroom wreath-making workshop and the microscopy workshop presented by Jerry Sheine and Paul Sadowski were top notch. I was still out in the field during Erin Page Blanchard's talk about California mushrooms, Noah Siegel's mycological trek through New Zealand, and Doug Bassett's polypore program.

I'm lucky to be mentored by Gary Lincoff and Bill Yule, who manage to present information as storytellers, making the learning fun. Rod Tulloss, with amazing patience, has taught me not to fear Amanitas.

As a lifelong forager, I would have loved to pick up pointers from Russ Cohen's Edible Wild Plant slide show.

John Plischke's presentation on mushrooms that grow on other mushrooms, insects and people and Walt Sturgeon's discussion of when and why mushrooms fruit were also programs I missed, due to the lure of the field.

The first day, the most interesting find on the newly blazed Soyuzivka trails was a spellbinding stinkhorn. Oddly, it never turned up in the display room. True to their names, these mushrooms stink, but luckily Gary Lincoff was present, so I learned that we found Dictyophora duplicata (a/k/a Phallus duplicata).

I found my first ever Hericium coralloides, which mushroom expert Michael Kuo says used to be called Hericium ramosum, while the mushroom formerly known as Hericium coralloides is now called Hericium americanum. The world of mycology is undergoing an extreme makeover, as additional research and DNA sequencing provides information that apparently justifies changing the botanical names of many fungi.

I now also know that tooth-fungus is delicious and I was also happy to find fresh oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) and aborted entoloma (Entoloma abortivum) which I'm sure ended up in our mycophagy, along with mushrooms others found including a chicken mushroom (Laetiporus sulphureus) big enough to fill the trunk of a sedan, hen-of-the-woods or maitake (Grifola frondosa), and even a few chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius).

Honey mushrooms (Armillaria mellea) were abundant, but because they cause an allergic reaction in some people, were not included in our mycophagy.

As for mycophagy, the generous donation of candy cap mushrooms (Lactarius rubidus) from our West Coast attendees and Elinoar Shavit's talent as a pastry chef, added candy cap cookies to our outstanding feast.

Beyond the lectures, hikes and feasts, the evening programs were engaging and fun. Roy Halling and Tim Baroni took us mushroom hunting in Tropical America, Raymond Archambaud shared mycology from Quebec, Gary Lincoff posed a mushroom quiz with prizes, Archivist Dave Rose paid tribute to Sam Ristich and we attended the premier of SAM's WORLD: A PERSONAL VIEW, a documentary produced and directed by Ruthie Ristich. I never met Sam Ristich, but this film made me feel like I was attending one of his classes.

Thanks to Kathy Americo, the silent auction brought in over $1400 to support the Ristich Project, an archive of the writings, photography and correspondence accumulated by Mushroom Guru, Sam Ristich during the course of his extraordinary life.

For those who had some energy left, Sue Rose and Morrs Palmer made sure the evening socials were filled with opportunities to visit, dance or gaze at a dazzling night sky.

This is only a brief first-person glimpse of an event packed weekend, which went by too soon for me. Luckily, NEMF is already planning for next year's foray.

JJ Murphy is a freelance nature writer, photographer, forager and mycologist giving nature a voice at www.WriterByNature.com.