Updated! (Alissa can unfortunately no longer attend.)

Join us with Mayumi Fujio for a presentation about the fiber arts, natural plant and mushroom pigments, and a technique called “botanical printing” which uses real leaves to transfer colors and shapes from plants onto natural fibers (silk, wool, etc.) Mayumi will cover some of the natural pigment mushrooms of the Bay Area and how to extract their colors. She will also include some UV-fluorescent colors from mushrooms and how they are used in her work. 

Mayumi is an award-winning fiber artist using natural pigments. She has been a forager since she was young and studied field botany for edible/medicinal plants. For the last 11 years, she has focused on foraging and studying mushrooms for food and pigments, and all of the materials she uses are ethically harvested from the Bay Area. Her art pieces are sold at galleries, art museums and festivals in Seattle, San Francisco and at myco-centric gatherings like SOMA Camp and the Telluride Mushroom Festival.

Zoom Link for remote viewing: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86864067457?pwd=WkovMVlkR3FEbjVCMjZWcWRkMW52Zz09
Meeting ID 868 6406 7457, Password: SOMA

And if the technology gods allow, we try to live-stream to the SOMA Facebook page which has recordings of past meetings. https://www.facebook.com/SOMAmushrooms.org

Zoom Link Here for 630pm, March 6th, 2025

For those of you who joined us in the Grange parking lot in February, here is a version of the presentation Olga would have shared that night under the dim hum of a streetlamp and among the din thump of the DJ’s beats: Olga Tzogas’s Mushrooms + Culture from Greece.

Read more here at Smugtown Mushrooms

Take a visual journey into the diverse and lush natural world of Greece.  Ancient forests, traditional land-based living still exists, providing a rich culture weaved within nature itself.  Connections to fungi are ever-present and they’re only gaining attention. Take a look into the relationships the locals have with certain species of mushrooms, plants & some of their associated recipes.

This is our last Salt Point event of the season!

Registration for 3.22.25 opens March 1st at 930am: Here is the link, which will not work until the event is live.

Learn more about our Salt Point events here.

Olga will present Mushrooms + Culture from Greece with a cooking demo bonus!

Take a visual journey into the diverse and lush natural world of Greece.  Ancient forests, traditional land-based living still exists, providing a rich culture weaved within nature itself.  Connections to fungi are ever-present and they’re only gaining attention. Take a look into the relationships the locals have with certain species of mushrooms, plants & some of their associated recipes.

Where: Sebastopol Grange. Here is a zoom link if you’d like to join remotely.
6000 Sebastopol Ave, Hwy 12, Sebastopol, CA 95472.

When: Potluck at 6pm. Announcements at 630pm. 7pm Presentation.

Olga Tzogas started her love affair with Fungi and plants over 15 years ago, with the help and guidance of family, teachers and community. In 2011, Smugtown Mushrooms was started, which provides cultivation supplies to grow mushrooms, indoors or outdoors, for food or for medicine. Olga has taught hundreds of folks how to grow mushrooms, make medicine and learn about the glory of Fungi and the natural world. In collaborating with The Mycelium Underground, Olga helped create the New Moon Mycology Summit in 2018. She was also a core organizer for the 2016 Radical Mycology Convergence and the MycoSymbiotics Festival from 2015-2017. Annually, Olga returns to her ancestral homeland to guide small groups immersed in land based and traditional knowledge of the country of Greece, highlighting the flora and funga!

Register here through Humanitix.

We will not be having our typical potluck lunch, so please bring food/water to nourish yourself through the day. Your mushroom group leaders will also appreciate yummy/gourmet/delicious snacks - food trades can earn mushroomy secrets, by the way.

With this particular offering, we are trying to fundraise to aid Westminister Woods and their microscopy lab upgrades for their annual 10,000+ visits from kids. Mycologize the youth! We did a similar event last year, and it was a success!

Where: Westminister Woods - 6510 Bohemian Hwy, Occidental, CA 95465

When: 930am arrival/parking. See link above for timeline of the day.

Important: by registering for this event, you are agreeing to the Liability Waiver.  Please read and review.

You should also know that by joining us for this event you might be exposed to poison oak, ticks, mosquitoes, viruses or other sick-making organisms and more natural wonders of the world that you may or may not enjoy.

Registration for 2.22.25 opens Feb 1st at 930am: Here is the link, which will not work until it is live.

Learn more about our Salt Point events here.

Greetings SOMA community!

Please join us for our annual holiday fundraising dinner, an evening of fine food and mushroomy friends! The kitchen crew, led by Jennifer Levine, will begin serving around 6:15pm (menu below.)

We have a few NEW tickets options and are doing things differently this year, please read on!

Potluck appetizers will be served at 5:15/5:30pm. There will be dishes that are vegan and gluten free, so everyone can enjoy the feast!

Register here through Humanitix.

Date/Time: 515pm on Sunday, December 15th, 2024
Where: Sebastopol Grange. 6000 Sebastopol Ave, Sebastopol CA 95472 
Cost: Work-trade - $200 VIP - See below.

And all of our events have an additional donation option for more scholarships and fungal DNA sequencing!

Please select your ticket based on which role you would like to fill - this is a community effort and mycology fundraiser! 

If you are bringing a dish, please plan for 15-20++ servings (we will have 45-60 people) and arrive at 515pm for appetizers!

TICKET CHOICES:

KITCHEN Work-Trade:

• There are 8 tickets available for kitchen volunteers who want to work-trade for dinner. 

  • Please be in touch with Jen to arrive on time, usually around 12pm.

• We prefer those with kitchen experience and/or a necessary willingness to be directed by the chef. This can be a great learning experience and you will see how to prep for a dinner party, learn about mushroom cleaning, cooking, etc!

SETUP + Appetizer/Desssert:

• There are 3 tickets available for those who wish to help Setup AND bring an Appetizer (tables, chairs, decorations, etc.)

  • Please arrive at 430pm.

• There are 3 tickets available for those who wish to help Setup AND bring a Dessert (tables, chairs, decorations, etc.)

  • Please arrive at 430pm.

CLEAN UP + Appetizer/Dessert:

• There are 5 tickets available for those who wish to help with Clean Up AND bring an Appetizer (dishes, tables, chairs, etc.)

  • Please plan to stay 30 minutes afterwards.

• There are 5 tickets available for those who wish to help with Clean Up AND bring a Dessert (dishes, tables, chairs, etc.)

  • Please plan to stay 30 minutes afterwards.

NEW: No cooking asked (but welcome):

• There are 28 tickets available for those who simply want to attend (you may bring a dish if you would like!) 

• NEW - There are 8 VIP tickets available for those who wish to additionally support our mission and this option includes a new and signed copy of Siegel & Schwarz's Mushrooms of Cascadia and perhaps some wine and/or a surprise from the SOMA Store!

2024 MENU:

- Pork Loin Roast (GF) with Mixed Mycopia Mushroom Gravy 
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes (GF)
- Sautéed Mixed Greens & Maitake (V/GF)
- Roasted Mixed Squash & Candy Caps (V/GF)
- Beet Salad, Apples, Walnuts, Balsamic & optional Goat Cheese (GF/V + cheese option)

V/GF Entree Option - please let us know if you want/need this when you purchase your ticket!
- Roasted Portobello Cap & Wild Rice, Dried Cranberries & Walnuts with Mixed Mycopia Mushroom Gravy

Registration for Dec 21st opens at 930am on Dec 1st.

Register here for Salt Point Mushroom Outing.

We are also trying to have the SOMA Camp 2025 class schedule launched by today!