SOMA Committees

SOMA Committees are subsets of SOMA’s staff and members who share special interests in working with mushrooms, from cooking or growing to identifying and helping with science communication. These committees are meant as an opportunity to share in these interests as well as learn from folks who might have more experience and/or a different way of accomplishing their mycological goals!

Culinary Committee

The SOMA Culinary Committee is a bunch of food professionals and amateur devotees focused on squeezing the most flavor out of mushrooms or preparing them in unusual ways. Learn about cooking and pairing mushrooms with complementary ingredients and wines while enjoying the company of others who share their passions for foraging and cooking with wild mushrooms.

This group focuses on:

  • edible mushroom identification

  • cooking classes

  • tastings

  • social dinners on field trips

  • planning and preparing several of the meals for SOMA Camp.

Let us know if you’d like to be involved and see our Cooking page for more information.

Cultivation Committee

Cultivating some species can be challenging, so why not join with fellow enthusiasts and get started with a stronger foundation?

The SOMA Cultivation Committee focuses on the joy and fun - as well as the practicality - of growing your own mushrooms and fungi! We aim to provide educational opportunities such as presentations, mushroom farm tours, cultivation workshops/demonstrations, site assessments and consultations.

As we expand our efforts we may also provide or sell cultivation materials, inoculated substrate/media and mushrooms. We are also interested in testing/breeding genetics and introducing bio-regionally appropriate species to the broader cultivation community. We are also developing an affiliate program with a local cultivation materials supplier. Stay tuned!

Let us know if you’d like to be involved and check out our Cultivation page for more information.

Foray/Identification Committee

The SOMA Foray Committee is all about fungally oriented outings and educational gatherings that focus on finding, identifying, and collecting fungi. Our events are open to our members and the general public, and we strive to teach about the safety and fun of learning about our local fungi as food, medicine and for natural pigments. We also teach about fungi's importance in ecology, DNA sequencing, photography and more!

Mushroom identification can be tricky, and joining this group is a great way to strengthen your identification chops. And while getting an exact ID from a photo alone is difficult, the group can often at least point you in the right direction.

Let us know if you’d like to be involved and see our Foraging page for more information.

Fiber Arts Committee

Fiber arts have been a part of SOMA Camp since the beginning, thanks to Dorothy Beebee and her groundbreaking work in dyeing textiles with fungi. 

SOMA continues to provide an ever-growing number of fiber arts classes at SOMA Camp and has expanded into other mediums, including block printing, sun printing, sculpture, drawing, and watercolor painting. The Fiber Arts Committee has an advisory role in expanding and improving the fiber and other arts strand at SOMA Camp and beyond.

Let us know if you would like to be involved and see our Art page for more information.