This morning, Memphis and I headed up to the Enchanted Mushroom Forest to see if we could find some tasty edibles. Ellie Mae really wanted to join us (for those who are not regular readers, Memphis and Ellie Mae are our Newfoundland dogs) but with her recently injured leg I thought it best she stay home to rest it. She was not impressed, and later when Memphis and I returned, Ellie didn’t even acknowledge us, that is until I produced a delicious jerky treat.

Our first stop is a forest that often yields both hedgehogs and lobsters (and in mid-summer the occasional chanterelle). This time there was no sign of any lobsters in the forest at all, but I did pick up about a dozen choice hedgehogs. We then hopped back into the car and continued on our way. My plan was to visit a patch that is very reliable for lobsters. Unfortunately, I arrived to find that the prime bit of forest is now posted. I found some nice lobsters in a nearby bit of public forest and then Memphis and I hiked down the trail quite a way. At an intersection with another trail, I noticed what looked like a hedgehog beside an oak tree. On closer inspection, there were a few. Looking all around the oak and nearby oaks, I found quite a few nice small hedgehogs.

I also came across quite a few pear-shaped puffballs but most of them were well past edibility. If I was there a week earlier, I could have brought home quite a number of them.

Memphis had a great time splashing through some deep puddles and sniffing about in the woods. I had a nice hike – and as a bonus, I came home with a good basket of tasty mushrooms.