The inaugural month-long Fungi Feastival was launched last weekend across Eurobodalla and Bega Valley, with events from Batemans Bay to Merimbula.
The first weekend of the Fungi Feastival saw mushroom growing workshops in Batemans Bay and Central Tilba, a truffle hunt in Dignams Creek, a fungi photography workshop near Merimbula, and at Tilba markets, fresh gourmet mushrooms, a ‘Medley of Mushrooms’ educational tea towel and whimsical mushroom themed pottery. A limited edition of Australia Post, Fungi Feastival stamps were also launched. This was just a taster of what is yet to come over the coming month.
The Feastival led with two mushroom growing workshops focused on growing mushrooms to increase food resilience and also promoted local commercial production of gourmet fungi. Josh Whitworth of Collective Cultures near Narooma presented a mushroom growing workshop at Batemans Bay Library. Participants learnt how to grow oyster mushrooms and red wine caps on straw and woodchips in shady garden beds and then made a mushroom bucket kit to take home for indoor mushrooming.
In Central Tilba, workshop participants learnt from Annette Kennewell of Tilba Mushrooms how to grow oyster mushrooms and lion’s mane indoors, and red wine caps in the garden. As a successful producer of shiitake mushroom on hardwood logs and both oyster mushrooms and red wine caps in outdoor vegetable garden beds in Narooma, Elisabeth Newfield shared her expertise with workshop participants. For those interested in growing truffles for their own use or commercially, Fiona Kotvojs of Gulaga Gold truffle farm discussed her experience growing truffles and promoted others to consider producing truffles.
On Saturday afternoon, the Feastival included a truffle hunt at Gulaga Gold in Dignams Creek. Truffle hunting participants all unearthed truffles and enjoyed the tasting that followed – particularly the truffled icecream!
The weekend finished with a hands-on fungi photography workshop at Bournda Environmental Education Centre near Merimbula. This workshop was facilitated by award winning photographer Andrew Larkin who has discovered the joy of photographing mushrooms and fungi in their natural environment. Watch out for many more amazing fungi photographs from the area.
This is just the start. If you missed out on these events, there are more workshops on mushroom growing and fungi photography and also truffle hunts between Batemans Bay and Eden over the coming month.
In addition, Narooma Kinema will be showing Stephen Axford’s visually stunning documentary ‘Fungi Safari in North East India’ this Wednesday and ‘Truffle Hunters’ the next week.
There are two fungi themed dinners this week: in the north, The Oaks Ranch at Mossy Point have a truffle feast with the finest coastal ingredients on Friday 23 June; and in the south, florabel in Eden are hosting a truffle and mushroom tapas night on Saturday 24 June. Following this, there will be further dinners in Central Tilba (The Drom), Bermagui (il Passaggio) and Pambula (Wheelers).
On top of this, Kelly Eastwood is running a fungi cooking workshop and nine restaurants and cafes are offering fungi meals or products daily. These include Mr Bold in Narooma, Tilba Bakery and Real Dairy in Central Tilba and, in Eden, the Fig Café and the Australasia. Fresh oyster mushrooms and truffles along with fungi tea towels, pottery and stamps will be available at the Tilba Markets
For more information and to book Fungi Feastival events visit www.fungifeastival.com.au
Truffle Camembert Cheese ripe now and ready to taste at Tilba Dairy
