The February meeting will be at 7:30 on Thursday, the 15th, at the Natural History Museum. Vice President Gary Runyan will hold a discussion and ask for suggestions for future programs. We will also view the winning pictures from the 89-90 NAMA Photo Contest.
Although we did not discuss at the January meeting my idea for putting a NMMS homepage on the World Wide Web, the board later discussed the idea and considered it imprudent. The consensus was that NMMS does not need to make itself more visible. Considering the small number of Web users within the NMMS membership, a homepage would really be of minimal benefit. Furthermore, it could call unwanted attention to New Mexico's wealth of mushrooms. That is the main concern.
Editor's Note: It didn't take long to change this decision, and look how dependent we are on the Web today. - dmw~c4y
Place sun-dried tomatoes in small dish. Add boiling water to cover and set aside 25 to 30 minutes (or plump according to package instructions). Drain well and chop. Heat charcoal grill until coals glow red with white ash around edge.
Wash mushrooms gently. Drain and shake off as much water as possible. Place damp mushrooms in bowl and sprinkle with salt. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and toss well. Arrange mushrooms and shallots on skewers or use fine-mesh grill rack. Grill about 4 inches from heat, turning frequently and brushing with remaining oil, until mushrooms are lightly browned and slightly soft, about 8 minutes. Cool. (Instead of grilling the mushrooms over a charcoal fire, you can cook them under the broiler in your oven.)
Chop mushrooms into ½-inch dice. Combine mushrooms and shallots in
bowl with sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, brown sugar, and any remaining oil.
(Salsa can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated in airtight
container.) Add basil just before serving. Serve at room temperature.
Makes about 2 cups.
Members attending the January meeting rejected Ted Stampfer's suggestion for holding fewer meetings. Some voiced concern that there would be confusion about which months would have meetings. Others suggested that if Ted doesn't want to come to all the meetings, he doesn't have to. The unanimous response, however, was that the meetings are just too entertaining to even consider holding fewer. Therefore, we will continue to meet the third Thursday of every month.
At last month's meeting, Larry Weingarten suggested that NMMS members willing to lend their books could work with him to establish a library database. He pointed out that among the membership, there is an abundance of literature, including some rare and unusual titles. Larry has volunteered to create and maintain a catalog, but it will involve members' cooperation. Those wishing to participate should send a list consisting of title, author, and brief description of subject and content. Larry plans to sort the titles by category such as identification, cooking, and so on. Send information to Larry Weingarten
I apologize to those recipients of last month's mailings whose names were misspelled or whose addresses were inaccurate. When I started mailing cards and newsletters, I found numerous inconsistencies among various address lists. I intend to maintain an accurate phone and address list, a copy of which I plan to mail with next month's newsletter. If, in this month's mailing, I have erred or need to make any changes, please contact me (David Wallis) or one of the NMMS officers.