In October fellow plot holder and amateur mycologist Pam Islip gave us a talk on fungi at All Saints Church in East Sheen. It was well attended and enjoyed by all. Halina Kessler (committee Events Organiser) has written a few words about the talk.

“Over thirty people came out on a chilly Autumn evening to hear Pam Islip’s great talk about Fungi. Pam is a knowledgeable amateur mycologist and she brought with her a vast array of fungi foraged that very morning from Surrey.  There were excellent examples on display of everything from poisonous fungi to the very edible. Pam explained their role as agents of decay in our compost bins and also as the symbiotic promoter of growth offered by mycorrhizal fungi to our roses and other plants. There is much to learn about fungi and how they can benefit our allotments.

There was also a lot of discussion about foraging and Pam reminded us of the expression: ‘All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once…’ (Terry Pratchett). Some of us might now think twice before rashly frying up our finds!

If anyone has any suggestions for talks or presentations we could put on for our members, please do let us know hello@thefoldline.com”