Mad about Mushrooms . . .

Our Fall "Tune Up"

It's fall, and we've performing our annual tune up of all things mushroom.  We've cleaned our baskets and knives, reviewed our mushroom diary, perused our resource books.  We concluded the tune up by sorting/updating our mushroom hunting gear and accessories: forest maps, emergency first aid and food kits, towels, compass, whistles, camera, altimeter, flashlights, and so forth - gosh, we've been busy!

These lovely Woolly Chanterelles shared the landscape
with the showy red-purple leaves of Black Mountain
Huckleberries and with the Vine Maples which are just hinting
of their vividly colored autumn foliage to come.

Make 2018 the Year that You Participate in the Wonderful World of Mushroom Festivals

It's that wonderful time of year again, when the enthusiasm and expertise 0f mycological societies across our great land combine to host mushroom festivals in celebration of the fruits of the forest floor and of the dining table.

As is our custom, we're presenting a list of the festivals-fairs-walks, etc. which cause the mushroomer's pulse to throb and surge as we soak in the pleasures of all things fungi. 

A cautionary note:  Although we make every effort to be correct in our details, please contact the sponsoring group of the event that you choose to attend in order to verify that the event is as we've shown it. 

 

What was in your mushroom basket
this year?

Great News: NAMA foray in Salem, Oregon in October

Since the early 1960s the North American Mycological Society (NAMA) has been holding forays in locations as diverse as New Hampshire, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana.  This year, we're delighted to report that the annual NAMA foray is scheduled in our own backyard:  Salem, Oregon.

 

Downtown Salem is our go-to place for Birch Boletes

September 2018's Recipe of the Month: Chile Corn Beef Soup with Homemade Tortilla Chips

I'll bet you have tried-and-true recipes like me.  They turn up on the dining table on a consistent basis, maybe 3-4 times a year, and are always much appreciated.  They've lost their origins - where did I find this recipe? - but it really doesn't matter where the recipe came from.  What matters is that you can always count on them to please.

Such is this month's Incredible Edible recipe.  Its origins are long lost but it is persistently resurrected from the recipe file when we arrive home after a wet (but wonderful!) mushroom foray.  It's quick to prepare, filling and satisfying.  And, as an added bonus, the soup freezes well, sitting in your freezer until the mood is right for such hearty fare.

Winter rains tend to swell and overwhelm streams near
our mushrooming territory on Mt. Hood!