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
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
I wanted to get out to the enchanted mushroom forest this weekend but the only opportunity was going to be an early and quick trip out this morning, so I hit the road at dawn. I’m glad I did because the forest was fairly generous… Read More
Regular readers will know that Memphis, one of our Newfoundlands, had surgery in the spring for a ligament problem on her back right knee. That has healed up well, but unfortunately, she has the same problem on the other side, and without surgery on the… Read More
Early this morning, I drove up to the enchanted mushroom forest to see if I could find some tasty edibles for dinner. I hadn’t been in the forest since messing up my ankle, and I wasn’t sure how well I’d do, but I picked a… Read More
I hobbled out this morning to the forested bit we have in the back of our yard to see if my ramps survived. For those who are unfamiliar with ramps, they are Allium tricoccum. Ramps are a species of wild onion, sometimes called wild leeks.… Read More
Traffic going north yesterday morning was crazy, with weekend cottagers making their weekly pilgrimage. We avoided the 400 and took a leisurely drive up 27. I collected some edible mushrooms and we went for a long walk. When we got back to the car, George… Read More
Today I met up with my friends Robin and Jamie for a walk in the woods looking for oyster mushrooms. Oysters almost always fruit right around this time, but this year with the long drawn-out winter, some things are late. We found a couple trees… Read More
27th Street 