It had poured in the night and Julia thought the fall mushrooms would be emerging. I smelled a treasure hunt, so off we headed, mushroom basket in hand. Aunt Susie invited us to our first stop, the fairy-ring above Loch Colin, just past the cabin. Susie's mushroom book at the ready, we identified fairy-ring mushrooms as "edible and choice". Who knew? Marasmius oreades.
Julia and I carried on to the cedar swamp beyond the dam and up the mountainside above. Our main goal was the fragrant pine mushroom (I think they smell of old socks), known to be on this mountainside and expected to emerge about now. Armillaria ponderosa, "White Matsutake". We found ONE (only). Actually, I did and was very pleased with myself. Just a round white knob emerging through the moss - the stage most coveted. In October, the pine-mushroom hunters will find basketfuls on this hillside, but not yet.
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| our pine-mushroom find |
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| can you smell it? |
Russula delica. According to our book, "Edible, but of inferior quality".
Lactarius deliciosus. "Edible, but don't be deceived by the species name, as quality varies with subspecies".
"Zeller's Bracelet" or Tricholoma zelleri. "Not recommended".
"Stumpies" or Naematoloma capnoides - a crowd of fifty or more small brown heads jammed together at the base of a large Douglas fir tree. "Edible and highly regarded by some, but easily confused with the noxious Sulphur Tuft".
About one kind that we were considering, the book said: "Poisonous - do not try it intentionally."
I was NOT the person deciding. Maybe more mushrooming with Julia at Bannock Point on Friday??
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