Here I would love to share with you our travels and adventures as international mushroom consultants. MEMOIRS about husband Pieter Vedder, who was a SCIENTIFIC PIONEER in Commercial Mushroom Cultivation Education. His practical handbook is in 9 languages and is called the MUSHROOM BIBLE: https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2020/08/modern-mushroom-growing-2020-harvesting.html
We both flew to San Francisco, California on Wednesday, March 6 of 1985, and got picked up by one of the Pescadero mushroom farm people; Ed Zoliniak.
Pieter had to do a farm review for Campbell Soup.
We did not get dropped off at a hotel, but instead at the home of the manager... Don Richards or Daddy Don as he affectionately got called.
His wife Donna was partly paralyzed... she toured me around on my very 1st visit in October 1983 and we'd gathered at their home before going to dinner at the Shadowbrook restaurant in Capitola, California.
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We got the home key on Thursday, and also their Ford LTD, for going to the farm till noon and then to the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in Felton together.
A HUGE Redwood tree...
Even both of us together still do dwarf in front of this Redwood giant...
Overlooking the Pacific Ocean
Admiring a spring garden, probably at The Greenhouse in Soquel, California.
Flowers and plants always make me so happy...
My blouse from Hungary with hand embroidery blended in well here.
Don Richards, the Pescadero mushroom farm manager with his wife Donna and Pieter before they left with us, back to the SF airport for our flight...
Flying to San Diego for the 5th North American Mushroom Conference.
Don, me and Donna Richardson
So glad that I did clean on Friday, all outside lower windows for Donna, as she could not do such chores.
Donna went to heaven early September of 1988 when Don lived at 1393 Pleasant Hill Street in Escondido, CA 92026
Wish one of their children or grandchildren would read this!
This is where we would stay for seven nights... more photos via link above.
Both of us enjoyed having time for reading, as we did here on the 25th in the newly added Pavilion outside, due to lovely weather!
Photo courtesy of Josh.
On the 26th I'd prepared supper for all four of us; owners Donna and her son Josh.
It was a bit windy, as you can see on Pieter's 'tie'...
Since the Pavilion is fairly new, there still needs to be some grass seeded (bare spot).
Appetizers in the form of fresh basil leaves with Mozzarella cheese and tomatoes.
Also found some Jicama at the Whole Foods Market in Atlanta...
Trader Joe's Roasted Pepper and Tomato low sodium made a perfect base for my home cooked soup.
Fresh leek and home made meat balls from Whole Foods Market's Grass Fed Ground Beef 95% lean, mixed with egg, Panko and hand rolled into balls.
Farro grains got also added.
Photo courtesy of Josh and in the bottom right corner you still can see what's left of my Tiramisu, made from mascarpone and Italian lady fingers and dusted off with Dutch Droste cocoa.
Josh always dreamed of going to Italy so we treated him on some Italian foods like e.g. Prosecco the sexy Italian cousin of champagne. It comes from the area where we lived and worked in Italy...
And yes, Pieter had brought his box with the accordion for playing again after about one year, due to his ring finger not being able to straighten. He had a little surgery done on March 18, by a hand surgeon and since then used a splint twice daily, for straightening his finger further.
A topical surgery—incision of tendon covering... but painful and done in the hand surgeon's office while seated in a chair.
Pieter playing in their pavilion while the wild geese were flying overhead...
Walking alongside Cherokee Lake on May 27...
A sunny day and my cap kept the sun out of my eyes.
The road had dead ended here... but I loved seeing those daisies growing in the wild.
In the distance you can see German Creek Bridge on Cherokee Lake in Bean Station, with to the right some condos.
On May 27, while I was working on some little projects for taking out stitches with a seam ripper, Pieter walked towards the German Creek Bridge.
Too narrow for a pedestrian or biker with its two 8 feet lanes!
Previous trips when not using the Interstate, we'd come across this bridge as well.
Same vegetation but Pieter now stood a little more to the left for this photo.
May 29 another walk together on Mary's Chapel Rd just to show the stretched out meadows where cows were grazing. The weather had become rather cool and windy.
But even with a jacket on, we enjoyed wildlife and the incredible views!
Here Pieter holds a thistle flower that was growing on Cherokee Drive...
Somewhat further down on Cherokee Drive we caught a view of Cherokee Lake but overall, the huge hardwood trees were blocking the view.
On Saturday evening the 29th of May it was the perfect chilly evening for sitting near the fire pit.
Josh is a master at building a good fire!
Photo courtesy of Josh
On Sunday May 30, we walked again a somewhat different loop and this picture I took from Tater Hill overlooking Cherokee Lake.
On Monday May 31, on Memorial Day, we had to say goodbye again to these two very special friends.
Driving back home via Knoxville, Tennessee, past Chattanooga into Georgia via Atlanta to the south.
Fond memories and we enjoyed our time for relaxing and being in nature!
Our kitty welcome committee was heart warming but they were fine and well cared for, thanks to their cat-sitter Ingrid.
Pieter received this book from one of his mentors, Dr. James W. Sinden, with a neat fountain pen written message inside...
Sinden on Mushrooms
Collected Papers by
Dr. J.W. Sinden and Associated Authors
Sorry for the 'odd' scan by me, using the iPad as the previous scanner did constantly interfere with my Mac, we recycled it!
It was Fred C. Atkins (see previous post below) who wrote the INTRODUCTION
This is just part of the collected papers as I don't want to bore you with that...
Just on the side, writing a book (original content!) or publishing a compilation and adding other authors is not the same!
Just as Roel Dreve from Mushroom Business here stated about writing a comprehensive mushroom cultivation manual. You had Bels (Pieter's boss) and Atkins (the one my previous post was about) and Kligman and later Van Griensven. But the latter and Vedder's book seem to have stood the test of time and are still being sought–after today.
Well, the late Fred C. Atkin's books are STILL BEING SOLD but for decades L.J.L.D. Van Griensven's book has not been available.
And, as Amazon UK, here above correctly states, he was not the writer but the EDITOR!
As written in the Dutch Champignoncultuur 1968-6 (click for ISMS uploaded Pdf) about a visitor at the Experimental Station in Horst where one of the youngest employees made the mistake to explain to a visitor how one lets spores germinate to make mushroom spawn... The visitor said that she knew 'something' about it as she was the famous Dr. E. Hauser
She was born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland and she married Ulrich Hauser
She later married Dr. James W. Sinden...
Husband Pieter has met Erica Hauser, while on vacation in the German Schwarzwald, he paid a visit to their laboratory in Gossau, Switzerland, and she graciously had arranged a very nice hotel room for all three, including little adopted daughter Lizzy.
For several decades Dr. James W. Sinden got married to Edith Sigel
Yes, I too have personally met Dr. James W. Sinden and Edith Sigel.
My previous writing about Harvesting, got dedicated to DR. JAMES W. SINDEN
the man who meant so much to us and everyone in the industry.
In our latest published book: modern mushroom growing 2020 - harvesting there are 9 mentions of Dr. Sinden and this one on page 411 is a very special one.
Pieter used this picture, received from Dr. Sinden, made through an electronic microscope, from the surface tissue of mushroom caps (enlargement 2,000x). On the left, clean hyphae without bacteria; on the right, tissue loaded with Pseudomonas bacteria, causing the brown blotch.
We received a letter note from Edith Sigel-Sinden from February 20, 1995
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Vedder,
Thank you for your thoughtful letter of condolence and the special Valentine greeting. I appreciate your kind sympathy. It is comforting to know so many care and are sharing their fondest memories of Dr. Sinden with me, I treasure them. They sustain me. I am happy the Sinden Award was an outstanding event for Pieter.
Dr. Sinden touched so many lives in so many special ways.
All Best wishes for continued success and happiness.
Sincerely,
Edith
Indeed, for Pieter receiving the prestigious Sinden Award, named after Dr. Sinden, was the highlight of his career!
October 7, 1982 when Pieter was the very first non British recipient of the prestigious Sinden Award.
Pieter is pictured here with Dr. Jim Sinden.
Published in1983-1 The Mushroom Journal (click for ISMS uploaded Pdf)
Dr. Sinden was honored by mushroom-growing associations throughout the world, as well as by the International Society for Mushroom Science (ISMS) for 50 years of dedicated service to the industry in 1980. In addition, the Sinden Awards were established by the Mushroom Growers Association of Great Britain: One is presented for the most outstanding practical contribution to the mushroom industry in research, development, advisory work, communications, and leadership.
