Mycological Society of San Francisco 53rd Fungus Fair

Tickets will be available at the door (cash or eventbrite)

The December 2025 MSSF 53rd Fungus Fair will display fungi collected in various locations in California. Annual collections have been made by MSSF since 1972. This historical information is a potentially important contribution to science as climate change affects our local ecosystems.

• Creative and hands-on mushroom activities for people of all ages. Dyes, Clay, Sunprints
• Lectures: Chad Hyatt, Daniel Winkler, Kathi Meier, David Arora, Mai Lovaas, Reggie Harris, Thomas Garrett, Christopher Hobbs
• Workshops: Jack Laws, JR Blair, Eleana Hsu, Alan Rockefeller [Each Workshop requires an add-on ticket, in addition to your general admission ticket. Space is limited.]
• Naturalistic displays of more than 300 species of locally collected fungi
• Identification table - bring your specimens to find out the species!
• Educational tables on varied subjects such as medicinal mushrooms, myco-remediation, cultivation, ecology, psychedelic fungi, dyes from fungi, toxicology, edible mushrooms, and more...
• Microscopes and spore prints
• Vendors with fun mushroom products
• Mingle and meet other mushroom loving people.
• Come and try a bowl of delicious mushroom soup.
• Book signing by the authors.

• The Fair provides information on the uses and abuses of fungi, with displays and exhibits on ecology, toxicology, and cultivation. Campsite gourmands learn how to serve up the safe and scrumptious species through identification tutorials, and sales of books, teas, snacks, and fresh edibles.

Info: Daniel will share lots of insights from his book “Fruits of the Forest – Handbook to Edible Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest", which also works great in Northern California. This richly illustrated presentation will help you to get to know, identify and find these wonderful mushrooms while steering you clear of dangerous look-a-likes.

Info: Dr. Meier will present the problems associated with severe mushroom poisoning from her perspective as the Senior Toxicology Management Specialist at the San Francisco Division of California Poison Control.  This presentation will focus on the most dangerous poisoning syndromes, mechanisms of toxicity, clinical aspects, and medical management.

Info: Stories of pursuing and preparing wild mushrooms with an emphasis on California and contemporary China.

Info: Learn the basics of drawing mushrooms from the side, above, and below. Then learn to sculpt this basic design to draw the varieties of species you find in the woods. Bring a notebook or journal, a pencil, or your favorite drawing supplies. Paper and pencils will be available if you do not have them.

Info: For this workshop, J.R. will give a PowerPoint presentation on how one goes about mushroom identification, primarily focusing on the variety of macroscopic (i.e. visible without a microscope) characteristics of typical mushrooms. After the presentation, we will practice using dichotomous keys to the identification of certain mushrooms that will be available at the Fair. First we will work through one or two species as a group, then you will have the opportunity to work in smaller groups while J.R. is in the room. Ideally, everyone will have access to an identification guide that has keys. The best choice is California Mushrooms by Desjardin, Wood, and Stevens. Other options are the second edition of Mushrooms Demystified by Arora or Mushrooms of Cascadia by Beug. If you have one of those books (or can borrow or buy one ahead of time), then please bring it to the workshop. There are other mushroom guides that might work, but only if they have dichotomous keys

Info: “The magical world of fermenting koji, an ancient fungi”
Learn the magic of koji with Eleana Hsu of Shared Cultures. Koji is an ancient edible fungus that has long been used in China and Japan to make soy sauce, be an pastes and rice wine. We will go over the history, what it is, and how to grow it. Samples and tastings of koji related products will also be provided for further culinary education and exposure.

Info: Numbers Don’t Lie: Over the last six years, Hyphae Labs has run the largest independent dataset of psilocybin potency testing, working directly with cultivators, patients, and communities.

Info: Karen Rusiniak For ages 6+

Info: Free demonstration. Silk handkerchief can be purchased for $5.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

El Camino High School, 1320 Mission Rd, South San Francisco, United States

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