Sweet Tooth Mushrooms and Black Truffles - what could they possibly have in common? They are both here in Curry County this February.
The Sweet Tooth Mushroom is like a hedgehog on steroids - see our post Hedgehogs 101. They are a favorite of locals who tend to consider them an entirely different mushroom from a hedgehog. Our friend Curt brought a bag full of them to the office the other day, and at this size, it didn't take long for him to fill the bag! Curt typically finds the sweet tooth mushroom around 200-250 feet elevation in the Cape Sebastian area. Every year he returns to the same patch, and claims that the mushrooms have moved over about 25 feet and straight up. Here in the Port Orford area, we're still finding hedgehogs peeking through a thick cover of oak leaves, although they are the much smaller cousin of these sweet tooths, with caps averaging 3/4 to 1" in diameter.
The "Sweet Tooth" Mushroom: Hedgehogs on Steroids!
Truffles or moon rocks?
So where can you find large, black truffles in Curry County? Ask our friend and she'll advise: Look for "reprod" (for the uninitiated, that means Douglas Firs which have been replanted after a logging operation) that are 15-20 years old and trees that are 1 to 1- 1/2 feet in diameter. Look for black soil with a 4 inch layer of duff. Carefully rake back the duff and be prepared to find a rare treat: black truffles! It's just that simple... at least, according to our friend!
What a wonderful discovery!