On the third Tuesday of each month from September thru May, the Mycological Society of San Francisco hosts a General Meeting open to Members and the public. The Society has maintained our schedule of events using electronic media, Zoom, to meet and share our mission to educate about the kingdom of Fungi.
In-person meeting at the Randall Museum
Doors open at 6:30pm
Hospitality hour and ID of mushroom specimens in the Buckley Room.
At 7:20pm everyone moves to the Theater. General meeting and Zoom session start at 7:30pm.
First Announcements are made followed by the featured presentation of the evening and attendee questions.
We wind up at 8:30pm, people are able-bodied help stack chairs;
the room needs to be cleared by 9:00.
General meetings are open to the public.
Talk Title: Truffle Lust & Puppy Love
Talk Title: Truffle Lust & Puppy Love
Description: The first time I smelled a truffle, it reached inside me and made me want it more than anything in the world. With that first whiff, it was as if the entire forest opened and invited me into its deepest, most profound essence. Yet once a truffle is unearthed, it only has a short window before it becomes a scentless lump. Truffles are a living metaphor for desire: rare, mysterious and ephemeral. That first whiff led me to my truffle dog, Flora Jayne, an Italian Lagotto Romagnolo, that’s born and bred for truffle hunting. Flora Jayne and I have been exploring forests in search of this seductive tuber and underground driver of forest ecosystems. She’s got a talent, and I have an obsession.
Truffles exist – wild and cultivated - on every continent except Antarctica. This talk and visual presentation will briefly trace the history of truffles, from manna from heaven in the Bible – which were most likely desert truffles – to their roles as sacred, outlawed, and hyper valued. The truffle’s vital role in the forest ecosystem will be discussed, along with how the planting of truffle orchards makes them a regenerative species. I’ll also speak about the Renaissance they are currently enjoying. We’ll then segue into a talk about culinary techniques for truffles and if appropriate, Flora Jayne can come along and do a truffle hunting demonstration.
Bio: MARIA FINN is an author, chef, speaker and maker who lives on a houseboat in Sausalito, CA. with her truffle dog, Flora Jayne, two tabby cats Spike and Ariel, and a native oyster garden collectively named Billy. Her cookbook, Forage. Gather. Feast. was published in April 2024 by Sasquatch Books. She creates food, art and storytelling experiences inspired by ecosystems like kelp forests in crisis and salmon and redwood watersheds; her work explores themes like love, awe, desire and grief in regard to our relationships with the natural world. In 2024, she launched The Institute for Ecosystem Based Living that produces events combining science, art and food. Maria has told stories for The Moth Mainstage at the Museo del Barrio in New York City and the Castro Theater in San Francisco. She has given talks at the SOCAP Conference, the California Academy of Sciences, and SXSW, among many other places.
She was a fellow in the first creative cohort in the Design Science Studio and Living Systems Collaboratory, as part of the Buckminister Fuller Society. She created an augmented reality menu that expresses her lockdown experience. It's online now as a website, Pandemic Menu from Spaceship Earth. As Artist-in-Residence at Autodesk, Pier 9 maker space, Maria created an edible map of the San Francisco Bay that is on display at the San Francisco Exploratorium. She was chef-in-residence for Stochastic Labs, a residency for artists, scientists, and tech innovators in Berkeley. She is also the founder of Flora & Fungi Adventures, where she hosts wild food-centric adventures from California all the way north to Alaska. Visit her at MariaFinn.com.
| 11/19/2024 |    |