Each summer month brings its own special harvest treat – June offers salmon, July is great for berries and in August we can look forward to mushrooms. It’s also the time that coho salmon are returning to the delta’s clearwater streams, which is fortunate because salmon and mushrooms go so well together. They will be the showcase of the Wild Harvest Feast dinner held Aug. 31 at the Cordova Center.
Part of the Fungus Festival weekend, the Wild Harvest Feast is a fundraiser for the Copper River Watershed Project. A guest chef sponsored by the Copper River/Prince William Sound Marketing Association will be preparing a three-course meal, and Cordova’s finest bakers contribute decadent desserts.
Proceeds from the dinner support programs in salmon habitat restoration, watershed education, tourism resource development, and invasive plant management. We also assemble a silent auction table loaded with preserves, specialty food items, mushroom-dyed silks and yarns, and hand-crafted items. These goods raise funds for CRWP scholarships to high-school graduates pursuing further education that will benefit the watershed region in the future.
If you’re interested in getting in on the fun and supporting the Copper River Watershed Project, please contact us to volunteer as a server or decorator for the Wild Harvest Feast, or make a donation of preserves or other craft items for our silent auction.
This fungi-filled weekend is put on by a host of partners. Reflecting this diversity are activities ranging from guided mushroom forays organized by the Chugach National Forest’s Cordova Ranger District, craft workshops offered by The Net Loft, and a Mushroom Mixer on Friday night hosted by the Cordova Chamber of Commerce. A full weekend schedule is available at cordovafungusfest.com.
