Thursday, October 27, 2011

Mushroom Season

Its mushroom season in Seattle.  The season when I forage wild mushrooms for the pot, identify them and do botanical illustrations.  The season seems to be getting going a bit late this year, perhaps due to the later arrival of the rains and some unseasonal warmth in September.  

Still, I have already eaten 4 lbs of gathered chanterelles and frozen many more pounds from a sale on chanterelles on Vashon island.  (Mum, I picked in the same place we went on Vashon last year, there were fewer but we went on the last day before the park was closed for two weeks for hunting season).   I have also gathered boletes, Chlorrophylum Brunneum (shaggy Parasol), birch boletes (leccinum scabrum) and some others for the art rather than the pot.

Beezle has been accompanying me into the woods and has proven to be a great undergrowth dog.  He can squeeze under most logs and through ferns without impediment.  He hangs out with us and does not go far astray.  He sniffs at mushrooms and even tried to eat the boletes in my basket.  He has good taste!

Chanterelles for breakfast with some birch boletes and slippery jack

These coprinus micaceaus were a bit watery on toast.
Just today, jogging around Greenlake, I collected my first boletus edulis (porcini).  It had been disturbed by the lawnmower tractor which had clipped the button in the grass near a pine.  I found a few larger (still small) ones nearby with the distinctive white reticulations at the apex and am going to eat them for dinner.

I have advertised on the PSMS mycoweb list for companions to practice mushroom ID during the week in local parks.  I am failing to advance as much as possible due to lack of keen company.  Already, I have three people who would like to join me so I am anticipating a few more weeks of mushrooming before the frosts.

I believe this is Zellers Bolete due to characteristics and the wrinkled cap
I suspect these are porcini buttons.  From Greenlake area.  I have cleaned them
up after ID.  They were a bit damaged by the lawn-mower tractor.
Anyone interested, come and stay with us for Mushroom Season next year!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

give us a taste assessment of the various species! I think that i must visit next year at this time! Love MUM

Anonymous said...

Shannon--it's your old bus-stop pal, Tara. I thought of you and your mushrooming last Sunday. We tramped around Fauntleroy Park in West Seattle and even I, who knows next to nothing about mushroom foraging, saw at least six different variations! Maybe you and Beezle and Wren need to go for a jaunt? We didn't really follow the map, but here one is as an FYI:

www.fauntleroy.net/fauntleroypark/naturewalk.pdf.

Also--had to comment on your "balls" post. I had it in my calendar over the weekend to call and set up Daphne's spaying. They had mentioned doing it around 6 months. She was 6 months on October 5th and as I was walking her on Monday, I looked and thought "uh-oh"...sure enough, she was in heat. That's a first.

I spent $50 on two "doggie diapers" which we stopped using after two days because she'd run outside though the doggie door to poop or pee with the diaper on. Pain in the neck! So, a dark towel over her bed and less lap time for a bit. Ah, canine "parenthood". Take care!