(header photo: Miki Yasui with matsutake collected in Mt. Hood National Forest. Photo courtesy of the Yasui Family Collection)

Event Description:

The Gorge is home to a hard-to-find species of mushroom called matsutake. In Japanese, the term matsutake (松茸/マツタケ) essentially means "pine tree mushroom"; a name that reflects the symbiotic relationship between these mushrooms and their natural habitat. This fungi is renowned for its flavor and cultural legacy. It wasn't until the 17th century that people outside of Japanese nobility were allowed to eat matsutake. And one of the oldest collections of Japanese poems contains a reference to the matsutake - and especially their unique aroma – which has been described by one modern-day, mushroom guide as a "a provocative compromise between Red Hots and dirty socks". Join Amy Peterson, longtime mushroom forager, as she shares the unique natural and cultural history of the matsutake, along with her own family history hunting for this elusive delicacy. *This event will also include a brief film featuring Homer Yasui, who was born and raised in Hood River, on his last matsutake hunt.

Speaker Bio:

Amy Peterson is a third-generation (Sansei 三世) Japanese American. She started hunting for matsutake (松茸/マツタケ) mushrooms as a child foraging with her family. She later trained with master matsutake forager, Leke Nakashimada and she now hunts for the fungi from mid-summer through early winter. She regularly leads hunts with the Japanese American Museum of Oregon. Amy estimates that matsutake hunting has been a family tradition for close to a century.

Livestream:

A Livestream of this program will be accessible on the night of the event.

More Info:

Mushroom Hunting with Dr. Michael Beug: Hear in the Gorge podcast. What happens when renowned mycologist, Michael Beug, agrees to take a total fungi rookie into the woods for some mushroom hunting?

Almost Home: Hear in the Gorge podcast. Meet Homer Yasui (who will be featured in a short film at the Matsutake event). Hear the story of his father, Masuo and find out why FBI spying, unexpected death, and the largest mass incarceration in U.S. history, all have roots in the Columbia River Gorge.

The Matsutake Hunter: short film featuring Amy Peterson.

A Matsutake Handout from Amy Peterson

Questions?

Email us at SOP@MtAdamsInstitute.org

Sense of Place: Community, Culture, Food: Matsutake Mushrooms! (松茸/マツタケ)

with Amy Peterson, mushroom forager.