Happy belated father’s day to all you “fathers” out there and also happy first day of summer!
Yesterday being father’s day gave me the opportunity to do something that I love to do and not feel guilty that I wasn’t at home working on one of the many projects/chores are on my Honey-d0-list.
I was suppose to have spent the day with one or more of my daughters and grand children, but due to last minute changes in plans and also rainy weather, they didn’t make the journey to the coast. They all called and wished me a happy fathers day, we chatted, I went out for sushi with my wife, then came home in the rain.
The sun came out mid afternoon and I was feeling the “call”, so I decided to go a wandering to check out some of my favorite shrooming sites.
I don’t know if I am imagining things or I am actually getting better at this foraging thing, but when I visited a couple of my more productive sites….I swear I got a very slight whiff of pine mushrooms!! I also visited one of my chanterelle sites and got a different, but distinctly chanterelle-ish scent…..oh how the mind plays tricks on one….or maybe it’s the inner canine coming out in me.
I do have to say that I was very pleased to see how damp and succulent looking the forest floor was. I haven’t seen it looking like this in more than two years. I hope that this abundance of rain we have had over the last couple of weeks is doing it’s magic and awakening those sleeping mycelium.
I also discovered a new trail that looks very promising and plan to go explore it once the mushrooming season is in full swing.
What did I find yesterday? You may not believe it, but I found two beautiful examples of boletus edulis…AKA porcini; king bolete, cep and steinpilz.
But alas as you can see….they were mostly consumed by the local wildlife..
You can see this slimy devil sliding away from what looks like some wasabi peas…which where right next to the porcini. I hope the wasabi peas gave it a bit of a “hot foot”.
Duane Sept’s book Common Mushrooms of the Northwest does say that the season for porcini runs from June through October. I have not found them this early before, but maybe some of you have?
It may be the cool rainy weather we have had the last couple of weeks that is fooling the fungi into thinking it is the fall…lets get out there and see what else is flushing.
Just to let you know, these two specimens were right at the edge of the trail and I am always amazed that someone didn’t recognize them earlier for the prize they are.
On the way back I was letting my eyes go “soft” just scanning the forest and shlack.…there to my left was a beautiful oyster flush on a standing dead alder. By the way…”shlack” is one of those generic words used to denote a magical/unexpected appearance of something which is regularly used by an Irish friend of mine. I like it.
I also saw some young dyers…velvet foots… which I will g.o back for later this week and collect them for the Fungi and Fiber Symposium this coming fall.
Not a bad day at all….found a potentially good new foraging sight; inhaled the beautiful aromas of the deep green forests; found some early porcinis and also a lovely flush of oyster mushrooms….. all in all a great Sunday-father’s day ramble in the woods and on the pages.
Looks like it’s time to organize some club forays as the season may be starting early this year. Hope to see you on the trails someday…happy hunting..coatalshroomer.
coastalshroomer 