There's tasty treasure lurking in the hills around Eagle for folks who know how to find it.

Scavengers don't need a treasure map, but novices do need a bit of education before setting out to mine the mountains' mushroom trove. That's where the Eagle Mushroom Festival comes into play. The three-day event is planned Friday, Aug. 26, through Sunday, Aug. 28, and will include mushroom identification classes, preparation and cooking sessions, and fungi forays in nearby forests.

Renowned mushroom expert Larry Evans and Dr. Deborah A. Wiancek (see accompanying information) will be featured speakers for the event. Nate McMullen of Paradigms Restaurant and Ryan Murray of Red Canyon Café will share their mushroom culinary skills and all participants will team up for foraging and round-up events.

“You have had a pretty good mushroom season there in Colorado,” said Montana resident Evans. However, he noted that while moisture and temperature will determine the types of mushrooms that thrive in any given season, there are always varieties of fungi to be found.

“Organisms such as mushrooms and trees have been adapting for years. They are pretty well prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws at them,” Evans said.

Mycophobia mission

Evans says his mission is to stamp out mycophobia — the fear of mushrooms — across America. That may be easier said than done.

In mainstream America, collecting mushrooms in the wild can sound like a dicey proposition. To wit, on Tuesday, the “Popular Searches” section on MSN.com showed a photo of mushrooms under the heading “Foods that can kill you.”

But for folks such as Evans, the dangers associated with wild mushroom collection can be easily avoided with a bit of education. That's why the Eagle festival places a great emphasis on teaching people what to look for and helping them learn how to prepare mushrooms correctly. Evans, a former restaurateur himself, says he loves cooking mushrooms as much as he loves finding them, so the weekend's combination of foragers and foodies should be a winning mix.

For more information about the Eagle Mushroom Festival, contact Tom Boni at 328-4482 or Karen Kalfas at 328-4088, or visit www.townofeagle.org.

Larry Evans

Featured in the indie film sensation, “Know Your Mushrooms,” by Ron Mann, Larry is an avid mushroom hunter, mycologist and educator.

He teaches workshops at the Glacier Institute in Glacier National Park, Madidi National Park in Bolivia and leads mushroom hunting expeditions in various locales in North and South America. He is the founder of the Western Montana Mycological Association, a 501 (c)3 nonprofit educational organization, writes for FUNGI magazine, and is a contributing editor at the Journal of Wild Mushrooming.

Larry is commonly referred to as the Indiana Jones of mushroom hunting. For more information, visit fungaljungal.org or montanamushrooms.com.

Dr. Deborah A. Wiancek

Dr. Deborah A. Wiancek specializes in natural health. She has founded and practices Naturopathic medicine at the Riverwalk Natural Health Clinic and Natural Pharmacy LLC in Edwards for the past 13 years.

Wiancek is featured in “The Idiot's Guide to Natural Remedies.” She is the author of “Natural Healing Companion” and created one of the first CD-ROM's in natural Medicine, which is titled “The Complete Natural Reference.” Wiancek has done various seminars including the latest research in breast cancer prevention for the Betty Ford Breast Cancer Association. She has been featured in Women's World, Ski Magazine, Energy Times, Prevention Magazine, Natural Health, United Hemispheres and Cleansing magazines.

Eagle Mushroom Festival — Schedule of Events

Friday, Aug. 26

5:30 p.m. Slide show with orientation at Paradigms Restaurant in

Eagle — Mushroom experts Larry Evans and Danny Newman will discuss mushrooms of the Colorado Mountains

7 p.m. Kick Off Dinner at Paradigms — Four-course dinner

prepared by Nate McMullen with optional wine pairing

flight. Cost for orientation and dinner is $32 per person

with an additional $18 for the wine flight. Reservations

are recommended: 328-7990.

Saturday, Aug. 27

8 a.m. Orientation at Red Canyon Café in Eagle— Call in

advance to order a box lunch, 328-2232.

9 a.m. Free foray open to the public

4 p.m. Round-up at Brush Creek Pavilion Studio Building in

Eagle

4 to 5 p.m. “Edible Mushrooms of Colorado” by Larry Evans and

Danny Newman

“The Medical Properties of Mushrooms” by Dr.

Deborah Wiancek

Classes cost $25 per person

5–7 p.m. Foray Celebration — Mushroom identification, cooking

and tasting with appetizers, beer and wines, courtesy

of Broadway Liquors. Cost is $20 per person.

Sunday, Aug. 28

8:30 a.m. Orientation at Paradigms Restaurant — Optional

breakfast is available. Call 328-7990 in advance to order

breakfast or a box lunch.

10 a.m. Free foray open to the public

3 to 4 p.m. Foray in review at Paradigms Restaurant

“Mushroom Identification” by Larry Evans and Danny

Newman. Class cost is $25.

4 to 6 p.m. Salon de Fungi at Paradigms Restaurant — Cooking

demonstration by Ryan Murray followed by lighter fare

mushroom delicacies by Nate McMullen. Cost is $28 per

person. Reservations are recommended: 328-7990.

People interested in participating in any of these classes or forays may call Tom Boni at 328-4482 or Karen Kalfas at 328-4088.