Truffles, fungi, forest walks, and mushroom talks: Flavorful fests sprout in January

SLICE 'EM, DICE 'EM, dip them in batter, julienne a few before tossing them into a sizzling, oh-so-garlicky pan: Mushrooms are some of the most versatile tidbits to be found on this planet. That they're frequently associated with the very spirit of our planet — fungi is, after all, so often called "earthy" — only ups their cachet in the eyes, and, more importantly, upon the palates of mushroom mavens everywhere. But if you happen to be a lifelong mushroomie living in California, and it is January, you're in some sort of loamy luck, for that's when so many of the food festivals focused on fungi tend to sprout. And two of the loamy larks are just ahead, with a truffle-tastic to-do popping up in Napa and, a weekend later, some feast-y foraging afoot around Big Sur. If damper, cooler days, the sort of weather that's often associated with the moister environs where mushrooms curl up through the forest floor, make you want to hobnob with other fungi fans, look to these two gatherings.

FIRST UP, from Jan. 12 through 15, is the Napa Truffle Festival, a gourmet gadabout ready to visit some of the area's most appetizing spots. A Festival Marketplace at the Oxbow Public Market, a Truffles & Wine Dinner at La Toque, and a lunch and cooking demonstration starting at the Westin Verasa Napa are on the schedule (that yummy adventure wraps up at Bouchaine Vineyards, by the by). Also happening at Oxbow? The tantalizing chance to purchase fresh truffles. Then, just four days later, the Big Sur Foragers Festival will begin its merry mycology-minded weekend, with "Wild Foraging Walks and Talks Hikes" and the oh-so-popular Foragers Face-off; a Krug x Ventana feast, starting it all off, is another highlight. Devoted mushroomies of California, these two venerable festivals are fine places to make 2024 more fun(gi); just be sure to secure your tickets before you go.