Wacky Mushrooms!

Mia and Ailey with the "Signorita".  This is one of the fool
proof four!

I know what your thinking!  No I am not doing any funny shrooms!  It is that time of year again when the kids and I get out in the woods and hunt down a couple of our favorite wild mushrooms.  The kids really get into this.  Yesterday we found a nice "Signorita" or Sulphur Shelf.  This is one of the most delicious mushrooms, wild or domestic that I have ever eaten.  My wife drools for the things whenever I get it.  It would be a great mushroom for a vegetarian because it's texture is very much like meat.  It is also one of the foolproof edible mushrooms which are the only ones I go after because I enjoy living!  There are some truly deadly mushrooms out there, such as amanitas, so it is nothing to screw around with.  If you don't know what your doing then go to a class or go shrooming with someone who does know.  Otherwise you can read incessantly like me and find out which mushrooms are actually foolproof to find.  Another mushroom that we love is called the hen of the woods, and it actually appears a bit like a feathered bird.  

Hen Of The Woods

Giant Puffball

Here is a photo of a Hen.  This is not one of the foolproof four, but it is a very distinctive looking mushroom that once you've seen it, is hard to miss.  These are really delicious, and I loved serving it with the pheasant that I cooked last fall.  These are usually found at the base of oak trees or stumps.

Chanterelles
Photo by http://www.saveourskills.com

Morels

The other 3 mushrooms that are in the foolproof four are the following.  Morels, Giant Puffball, and Chanterelles.  The Puffballs are easy to find and are all edible, but young aminitas can look like puffballs so stick to the giants.  Honestly I have never found any morels or Chanterelles so I don't know a whole lot about them except that they are supposed to be tasty!   

The thing that I like most about mushrooming is that it gets me and the girls out in the woods together and we really have a great time looking for these tasty treats.  We even serenade the signoritas at the top of our lungs, and it actually seems to increase our luck.  We call out at the top of our lungs "Ohhhhhhhh Signorita" and laugh like hell.  Give mushrooming a try sometime.  Even if you don't take anything home you will have a great time trying to identify mushrooms with a field guide and the kids will get some great exercise, as well as learn something about this world we live in.  Yesterday we climbed a huge rock that is in our favorite mushroom spot.  The kids love this, and it has become a yearly tradition to get a picture of them sitting on the rock during mushroom season.  Yesterdays shots are above.  Abby is missing because she was at a birthday party. 

This is a termite eaten tree that we found along the route that got knocked down by the recent hurricane. The kids got a kick out of seeing just how powerful those little bugs can be.  If you love being out in the woods this activity is definitely a must try!  



Happy Shrooming!

Wacky Dad