Fungus Among Us: Mushrooms

Our theme for Eden By The Bay this year is "Fungus Among Us: Mushrooms". According to an AI Overview:

Mushrooms are the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting bodies of certain fungi, which constitute their own biological kingdom, separate from plants and animals. The visible mushroom is only a small part of the larger organism, the majority of which is an underground network of thread-like filaments called mycelium.

I'd like to learn more about the Fungi kingdom, and explore shrooms in the garden, great outdoors, kitchen, and dye pot. I'm always fascinated to see the mushrooms that pop up in our yard from November to February, coinciding with fall and winter rains. I've been surprised how many mushrooms we encounter throughout the year on our bi-monthly Over-the-Hills Gang hikes, especially in moist ecosystems. 

Fungi exhibit in Mendocino

We frequently add mushrooms to soups, stews, stir fries, quiche, and omelets (typically Button, Cremini, and dried Shitake). This would be a good year to try some of the other types available at the grocery store, such as Portobello, Oyster, Enoki, Lion's Mane, and Porcini. Additional verities may be available seasonally via Farmer's Markets and mushroom farms, such as Mikuyta Mushroom here in the Bay Area.

Dyeing with mushrooms also sounds interesting. Some beautiful colors can be produced in a wide range of colors, especially with protein fibers. Would be fun to see what colors can be produced with cellulose fibers using various mordants and additives. Some artists even use mushrooms to produce spore prints and hand crafted paper! As always, I hope you'll join me on this year of exploration.

Looking Ahead to 2026

Happy New Year! I love having a new year stretching ahead of me with all of its possibilities. This year, however, I'm easing into 2026 instead of rushing in to fill it with projects, plans, and goals. Losing my Dad, at the age of 97 years, may have something to do with it. Upon my college graduation, his advice to me was to work hard, but stop and smell the roses. I'm finally taking the last part of his advice. Of course all my natural interests remain, but maybe at a different pace.

I've chosen the theme of "Fungus Among Us: Mushrooms" for Eden By The Bay in 2026. I'm always fascinated to see the mushrooms that pop up in our yard and that we encounter on our Over-the-Hills Gang hikes. I'd like to learn more about the Fungi kingdom, and explore mushrooms in the garden, great outdoors, kitchen, and dye pot.

Clockwise: Family, friends, and Bobo the Husky
Fungus Among Us
Hikes, nature, and the great outdoors
Enjoying the landscape, plants, and critters

Looking ahead, my husband and I continue to research trip ideas for the coming years. We love to travel, learn, and take photos, and want to do so while we are able. A few candidates include Hawaii, Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks, and the New England states. We also plan more journeys up and down the West Coast including Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California (we might even take a road trip with Bobo the Husky). Travel enriches our lives and makes us more appreciative of what we have at home.

I'll continue some of my favorite activities like tending our new landscape (now almost two years old); visiting gardens and landscapes; enjoying the seasons and weather; and experiencing nature and wildlife. There are books to read, movies to see, puzzles to work, seeds to plant, fabric to dye, and new ideas to try. At the heart of it all are the family, friends, and Huskies that travel along on that journey!

Reflections on 2025

Farewell, 2025! It's been a busy year for plants, gardening, the great outdoors, family and friends, traveling, and the pleasures of life and retirement (despite the continual assault of horrifying news articles and dishonorable world events).

Our theme for Eden By The Bay this year has been "Ethnobotany and Dyeing with Plants". Since ethnobotany is such a broad topic, I focused on the plants used for dyeing by three specific people groups—Tlingit and Chimmesyan/Tsimshian (Alaska coast and Canada interior); Ohlone/Costanoan (Northern California); and Polynesian/Pacific Islander (Hawaii). As I progressed in my research, I expanded my vision to include dyeing and decorating baskets and other objects, in addition to fibers. I also realized that in past years my perspective has been on the plant explorers who were learning about dye plants from the people they encountered, rather than on the people who were already using them. Throughout the year I experimented with a few more dye projects, with blackberry cane and leaves producing the best color.

Clockwise: Ethnobotany and dyeing
Experiencing nature with family and friends
Exploring the world together
Learning to tend the garden

I spent a lot of time in our renovated garden this year learning about the plants, their seasonal cycles, and the wildlife they attract. I also enjoyed getting out in nature in the company of Mari, Gaymond (and Jayden in the summer), and the Over-the-Hills-Gang hiking group. Together we explored many of the parks and ecosystems of the East Bay Regional park system (and found some delicious lunch places). My husband and I traveled to Mesa Verde National Park in the fall and learned more about the geology and plants of the Great Basin. We welcomed Bobo the Husky to our home in October, kicking off the many pleasures and challenges of inter-species relationships. In December, I lost my Dad, who has been my inspiration for plants, nature, and the great outdoors.

We also continued to experiment with the monthly "Field Notes" format for reporting observations and projects throughout the month. We learned about two plant hunters in Western United States; and watched some movies. It's been a year of growth, beauty, pain, and joy, and I'm grateful to have you on the journey with me!