After The Rains Come
A day or so after a big soaking storm, the mushrooms start popping up.
Many of them are the bog standard beige and cream colored ones.
But others pop out in more striking colors.
And some take on even more unexpected shapes and sizes.
Some mushrooms don’t pop out of the soil, of course.
And there’s no guarantee they’ll emerge in distinct forms.
People will knock them down for fun, or because they think they’re unsightly, but the deeper system of the fungus that produces them will usually still live out of sight, waiting for the next opportunity to send out more.
I will almost never eat mushrooms I see. Definitely none that are growing wild. No way am I risking massive digestive system distress and liver failure.
But when it comes to the mushroom vendor at my local farmers market, that’s a different story. My favorite are the King Oysters, the third group from the left.
You can even buy your own innoculated blocks of growing medium and raise your own, if you want, although I’ve never tried it.
Foraging is a big deal here. There are a ton of farm/field/forest to table chefs. I’ve seen thistles on a menu . . .
I’d love to learn from someone who really knows their stuff. But it’s one of those things you know going online for info would be a huge mistake….
I don’t know enough about foraging to date eat anything I find outside of a store or market. But I do enjoy seeing all the different varieties in the wild.
People here forage for morels and chanterelles.
i considered foraging for magic mushrooms…and know where to find them
i also know a really quite deadly mushroom looks very similar to it….and is found in much the same location…. decided that seemed like not the best plan
but as i do love shrooms….i decided to invent the portobello burger (which is probably quite deadly if consumed regularly too)
ah…im still so proud of my portobello bunned double black angus beef burger with cheese and bacon (cooked the portobellos with the bacon coz duh..added healthy)
does it fit in your mouth? oh hell no…..and you’d burn your fingers on the…uhh… buns
made for delicious layers and a really stupid picture,…i call that a win
I’d need cheese on the top and bottom for extra grip or else I’m afraid it would all squirt out of my fingers in a second.
yeah…..i just stabbed a fork in each layer…
i could hold it in both hands…..but no way in hell was that going to work out without at least a skewer to hold things in place
also…hot….you know…
Corn skewers would do the trick.
eeeeh… well…kinda…i bet you would end up with two half portobello burgers….
which is about as much as you can fit in a bite anyways….
We have foraged for morels in the past and enjoyed them.
I briefly dated a Polish dude who would forage for mushrooms with his family. They were secretive about the best locations. The mushrooms were amazing so understand why.
We have a mushroom show at a local park each year. I always say I want to go but never do. I probably told my magic mushrooming stories before but it was always a weird experience. Especially when I saw a Pueo in a tree watching me.