“Help others get ahead. You will always stand taller with someone else on your shoulders.” – Bob Moawad
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Novice Mycophagist #4 “Fall Harvest”
I really should have posted this article back in late August when the story takes place, but I am running behind.
During the third week in August I was very interested in finding a Matsutaki mushroom, which I’ve never seen or “smelled”, but I think should grow on our land. And, I am quite sure we have some King Boletes on the property, because I’m positive I collected one several years ago before I started paying attention to mushrooms on our land. So, with some advice on what to look for and where to look for it from Norm (of the Colorado Mycological Society), we scoured our 74 acres.
But, it has been a very dry year. We found some oyster mushrooms earlier, and really enjoyed them. We have not had the quantity and variety of mushrooms this year that we had last year.
Last year we found dozens and dozens of different varieties and they kept us busy throughout the Summer and Fall attempting idenfications and speculating on edibility. However, this year was pretty boring in comparison.
Still, I would not give up.
We decided one day to concentrate our search along Bart’s Creek, which was dry by then, but still the wettest part of the land. As Lynne and I followed the creek and scanned the forest floor we found a few little brown mushrooms (LBMs) and other unidentifiable mushrooms. At one point, we were almost on hands and knees scouring the ground when Lynne noticed something.
“Look, Rick” she said.
I, (very grumpy at this point), asked what was so damned interesting.
“Raspberries”, she said!
Sure enough, along the road where it crosses Bart’s Creek were a bunch of young raspberry bushes. In the more than 15 years we’ve owned the property, I’ve never seen a raspberry bush before! And, they were loaded with ripe, wild raspberries. We picked them all, and they did not make it back to the cabin. We ate them all on-the-spot.
So, mushroom hunting can be very frustrating and disappointing—especially in a very dry year. But, we still benefitted from the hunt with a tasty raspberries harvest.
Posted under: Mushroom Articles • by Rick on 10/06/2005 at 08:09 PM
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Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Novice Mycophagist #3 “The Oyster Tree”
Last year, while walking our southern property at Sand Creek Park, I found a dead, fallen Aspen tree that had a few oyster mushrooms growing on it. It was mid-August, I think, and the mushrooms were well beyond their prime. So, I made a mental note to check the tree, which I dubbed “Oyster Tree” (I have a habit of naming things on the land—there is Picnic Rock, Bart’s Creek, Dick the Tree, and so forth), the next year.
We spent four days at the cabin in late July and on the second day we hiked to Oyster Tree.
Posted under: Cabin News • Mushroom Articles • by Rick on 08/02/2005 at 05:44 PM
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Friday, July 22, 2005
Novice Mycophagist #2 “To Eat or Not to Eat”
Even though we spent 10 days at the cabin over the 4th of July week, it just wasn’t enough! So, we were back up there again the following weekend. We arrived in late afternoon on Thursday, and shortly after arriving we had a real downpour. Lightning, thunder, rain and hail. Altogether about 2/3 of an inch in less than an hour. The moisture was really needed. It was the first precipation in many weeks. The temperatures had been running in the high 80’s and low 90’s and it was getting really dry.
Of course, one of our first thoughts was “mushrooms!”.
On Friday morning, early, we took the dogs “around”. That is what we call our walk on the trail to the beaver pond and back—“around”. It was cool and wet and wonderful.
Posted under: Mushroom Articles • by Rick on 07/22/2005 at 02:55 PM
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Monday, July 18, 2005
Novice Mycophagist #1
I’m calling this series of articles “Novice Mycophagist” because first, I’m a novice at all things to do with mushrooms. Second, one of the reasons I am so interested in mushrooms is to eat them. However, as I’ve become more familiar with mushrooms, I’ve developed an interest in finding them, photographing them, and generally learning more about them, even when they are not edible.
There may be few things more dangerous than a novice mycophagist. After all, there are plenty of poisonous mushrooms out there, and you typically don’t want a novice sorting the good from the bad. But, everyone must start somewhere. I’ve been seeking out and identifying mushrooms for a couple of years. I’ve joined the Colorado Mycological Society and try to attend their meetings. I’ve got a half dozen reliable books for identifying mushrooms. And, I’ve actually been confident enough to eat a few mushrooms I’ve found. Still, I think the classification of “novice” fits—and may fit for the rest of my life. (No joke intended.)
Posted under: Mushroom Articles • by Rick on 07/18/2005 at 08:12 AM
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Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Wild Mushroom Gallery
Just a quick notice that I’m turning on a wild mushroom photo gallery site. Most of the photos will be of mushrooms that Lynne and I (and the dogs) find around our mountain cabin. I’ve posted a couple of dozen photos from last year just to get it started and will post photos throughout the mushroom season this year.
You can find the site by going here or, you can click on the link under “Links to My Other Websites” on the home page of this site.
Hope you enjoy. And, as always, feel free to comment.
Posted under: Cabin News • Mushroom Articles • by Rick on 05/24/2005 at 03:13 PM
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