Who would have thought? It's a pleasant Sunday morning, and I'm exploring the several trails at the BLM's New River Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) which sits a little north of us and a little south of Bandon. I have an appointment in Coquille in the afternoon and stopping at New River is my morning treat.
Imagine my surprise when I notice chanterelles growing along both sides of the East Muddy Lake Trail. The specimens are moist and firm, with several newly fruited ones among a gathering of fully grown chanterelles. What a gift!
Of course, there's no mushroom gathering permitted at New River (for reasons that elude us!). Yet, for many of us, simply reacquainting ourselves with this fall treasure in June is a sublime pleasure - a reminder that mushrooms really do grow when and where they want to!
Clumps of Douglas Iris enchant the walker at New River.
In case you're unfamiliar with New River, it's truly a splendid spot to stop and restore your vitality wherever you're headed, whether it's Bandon, Coquille or other parts north of Port Orford. The 1.4 long East Muddy Lake Trail is by far my favorite. This weekend it offered a jaw dropping spring wildflower show with the Tiger Lilies being the real show stoppers. A profusion of dragonflies was flitting here and there, and the sound of the Pacific Ocean in the background was almost deafening.
I was rejuvenated at New River. I paused at the bird blind that fronts onto Muddy Lake for a wee bit to search for waterfowl. Further along the trail, I sat at a picnic table for a quick snack before attempting some of the remaining trails at New River (such as Ocean View, Huckleberry Hill and Ridge Trails), although, for me, none of these trails equals the visual joy that East Muddy Lake offers at any time of the year...even when there are no chanterelles.
Back home on Sunday afternoon, I received additional e-mail reports that black and blond morels are still being collected in fire burns on the south coast. With about a million acres burned on Forest Service land in Oregon, Idaho and Washington this past year, we're convinced that this will be a great year for morels in a number of burn locations.
Frankly, collecting in burns is not our cup of tea, but we know that it's not a problem for many morel afficionados and commercial pickers. We prefer wandering the woodlands which have been untouched by fire disasters and logging such as the New River area. And, frankly, many of the fall mushrooms, such as the cauliflower (Sparassis crispa) and the coral hydnum (Hericium abietis) are simply more interesting to us from a culinary aspect. They retain their form and texture during the cooking process, thereby easily seducing the appreciative diner.
And so, we'll conclude this post with best wishes for Happy Mushrooming in June and every month of the year, and we're hopeful that you'll encounter mushrooms of many species in 2016, including morels and chanterelles.