Mycology

We had a few 'pop-up' thunderstorms over the weekend, and Sunday was particularly warm and humid, a good time to go foraging for mushrooms. So, we headed out for our weekly, (more or less), walk around the trails to exchange the SD cards in the trail cameras and see what was new in our woods.

Well, there are mushrooms popping up everywhere, and I was lucky enough to find a King Bolete, a choice edible, before the slugs and bugs got to him, his pore surface was still smooth and white.

I've been gradually expanding my knowledge of the wild edibles here, with the help of several good mushroom guides, and the internet. I do spore prints and combine all the information I can, until I am positive of an ID. After poring over many, many mushroom pictures, you begin to get an eye for them, and begin to know which section of the mushroom guides to look at first. I do know which mushrooms to leave alone, the white amanitas and the numerous LBJ”S, (little brown jobs), that are so hard for a newbie to ID. There are surprisingly few deadly mushrooms, once your really start looking into the subject.

We have Parasol mushrooms on the property, another choice edible. They have very long stems and a large cap, and are unmistakable when you see them. I've been checking the spot where they come up, but so far, none. We did find one in a new place along the trail, but I left it to spread spores and make more. 

 

Half of the King Bolete was sliced and well cooked in a little butter. We each had a couple of slices, delicious, then waited until the next day to finish it. I returned to the spot I'd picked it early Monday morning, and sure enough, there was another one, young and fresh and unmolested by bugs. It got sliced, sauteed and added to out spaghetti sauce for supper.