We had some rain showers on Canada Day after what radio reports suggest was the driest June in a quarter century. From a forager’s perspective this is bad news. Most years, I find chanterelles up in the enchanted mushroom forest at the beginning of July.… Read More
We have enjoyed lovely weather around these parts for some time and while that is pleasant enough, it’s time for a couple days of rain. Normally at this time, I’d be thinking about which forests to visit in search of the first chanterelles of the… Read More
It was in-between-times in the forest this morning. Morels are about done. Ramps are about done. Oysters haven’t started in earnest. Still I can’t complain. There were a few oysters, and they were nice and fresh, and a few ramps, enough to assure a… Read More
….and it’s only November. A local Loblaws is selling dried morels for $249.94 /pound. I missed morel season this year because I broke my ankle, but I’m looking forward to getting out to the secret morel grounds in May. I collect all kinds of different… Read More
The other days several clumps of mushrooms appeared on one section of the lawn in the back yard. These turned out to be some species of the group of mushrooms we call inky caps – genus Coprinus. Coprinus means “living on dung” but there was… Read More
This time of year, this blog receives more than its usual number of visitors, and many of those visitors land on my posts about foraging for mushrooms. Yesterday there were 37 visits specifically related to foraging, and 28 of those to a post about preparing… Read More
Yesterday afternoon my friend Jamie sent me pictures of a spectacular chicken of the woods, asking me if in fact it was a chicken he had found. Chicken of the woods, or Laetiporus sulphureus, is also sometimes called the sulphur shelf. Most of us mushroom… Read More
In mid-August in Southern Ontario the lobster is the mushroom hound’s best friend. They’re plentiful right now and they are wonderful mushrooms, which retain a great firm texture when cooked. The lobster, Hypomyces lactifluorum, is what happens when a certain cup fungus attacks host mushrooms.… Read More
I spend the morning foraging for lobster and hedgehog mushrooms, and found quite a few. Here is some video… When you find lobster mushrooms, they are often half buried in the forest duff, and can look dirty and unappetizing. If it is scarlet red and… Read More
There is an old apple stump out in our back yard. Today I noticed an unusual growth on it. This brown feathery growth is on the top and sides of the stump, which suggests the organism producing it has spread throughout the stump. I was… Read More
27th Street 