FORAGING YOUR WAY TO WELLNESS
Liv Sisson & Valetta Sówka
Explore the fascinating world of fungi with Liv Sisson (Fungi of Aotearoa) and Valetta Sówka (Family of Forest and Fungi – He Tukutuku Toiora). Chaired by fellow fungi fanatic Sylvan Thomson.
In her practical and up-to-date guide, forager and fungus enthusiast Liv Sisson shares her top tips and takes the reader on a journey to discover the unique and diverse fungi Aotearoa has to offer.
Discover how to identify the best edible varieties, and how to cook with them, how these incredible organisms have shaped the world as we know it, and the role they are playing in modern medical and environmental research.
Featuring stunning full-colour photographs, fun facts and current descriptions of over 130 species (including our brilliant blue national fungus, werewere kokako), Fungi of Aotearoa is packed full of information and advice that will delight armchair enthusiasts, backcountry explorers and budding experts alike.
With her husband Michael (Mihau), Valetta Sówka (Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Te Arawa) owns Matariki Mushrooms, their family business based in Tasman’s lush Motueka Valley. Drawing on their experience, she recently collaborated with award-winning children’s book illustrator Isobel Te Aho-White to create Family of Forest and Fungi – He Tukutuku Toiora. He tukutuku toiora translates as ‘a network of life’ and refers to the role of fungi as an interconnector of Papatūānuku, Mother Nature. This book is suitable for everyone from 8-12 years old and over, especially whānau have an especial interest in understanding more about te ao Māori and including more te reo Māori in their lives.
Following the session, you can taste some of the region’s most delicious edible mushrooms – pre-order your choice of light lunch, featuring Neudorf Mushrooms dried wild mushroom mix and Matariki Mushrooms’ oyster mushrooms, prepared by Food Forest Catering – and enjoy a glass of Neudorf Wine or taste one of Wildwoods’ functional mushroom cacao blends.
Mushroom tart – $12.50
Sautéed, Matariki oyster mushrooms, caramelised onion and thyme cashew cream tart with a sourdough hazelnut crusted. Served with a homemade garden chutney.
Gluten-free | vegan | organic
Arancini ball – $15.95
Neudorf mixed mushrooms, roast Matariki oyster mushroom, slow roast red onion, mixed herb, and mozzarella baked Arancini ball with a rich tomato sauce.
Gluten-free | organic
Lentil and mushroom salad – $11.00
Puy lentil, split yellow pea, kale, Walnut and Neudorf mixed mushroom salad. With a zesty lemon and cumin dressing.
Gluten-free | vegan | organic
Keen for lunch? Pre-order local kai when you book your ticket. Drinks for sale on the day.
All pukapuka will be for sale through our Festival bookstore Paper Plus Nelson, both at their shop and at their stall at Pukapuka Talks sessions – your opportunity to meet authors and get your books signed! You can also purchase books from Paper Plus online.
Liv Sisson
Olivia ‘Liv’ Sisson is a forager and fungi enthusiast who has been enchanted by the minutiae of nature for as long as she can remember. Liv was raised in Virginia, USA, and first learned how to spot small wonders in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She studied geology and art before moving to Otautahi Christchurch, where she works for New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and leads foraging tours in addition to her work as a writer. Liv has spent countless hours exploring Aotearoa with a curious eye for the flora, fauna and fungi that define this special place. Her writing appears in The Spinoff, Cuisine and Stuff, she has featured on RNZ, and she loves how fungi-spotting micro-adventures introduce wonder and awe into her every day.
Valetta Sówka (Te Arawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa)
Valetta Sówka (Te Arawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) is a journalist and author who lives with her husband and two children in Tasman, where they operate their family business Matariki Mushrooms. Originally having studied film-making, she honed the interviewing skills she now uses for journalism. Family of Forest & Fungi is her first book.
Sylvan Thomson (Chair)
Sylvan Thomson is a writer of fiction and non-fiction. He has taught creative writing at the University of Michigan. His fiction and essays have been published in New Zealand and the USA and his work can be found in Sport, Metro Magazine, The New Zealand Review of Books, Best New Zealand Non-Fiction, and A Public Space (USA), among others. He has an MA in Creative Writing from the IIML at Victoria University and an MFA from the University of Michigan. In 2020 he was awarded the Todd New Writer’s Bursary and is currently hard at work on his first novel.
Pukapuka Talks are presented by:
Thank you to:
MOUTERE HILLS COMMUNITY CENTRE
Mon 23 Oct | 12pm | 60 min
Pay What You Can (PWYC)
All Ages