Mushrooming in the Rockies...

[alexpgp]

Despite the late hour, when Galina got back from the store on Saturday, we went mushrooming up on Wolf Creek. The general area of the hunt is shown in the photo above, taken from Lobo Point. The road on the right-hand side of the photo is Highway 160; the road on the left-hand side is the one you follow to get to where the photo was taken. The Wolf Creek Ski Area is off to the right of the picture.



There were hardly any mushrooms up at the end of the road, just one lonely puffball, whose outward appearance and weight led me to believe that it hadn't started the process of turning yellow, then green, and ever darker, until the interior of the ball is filled with what looks like black dust, which is then spread to the winds to continue the cycle anew. Generally speaking, puffballs that are white inside make for good eating.

<disclaimer>
This is as good a time as any to point out that while this entry is public, the content should not interpreted to be any kind of mushrooming "how-to" nor should my advice be relied upon should you find yourself with a strong hankering to eat a mushroom that did not come from a store. Please note that words such as "generally," "usually," and "often" imply exceptions to what is otherwise being said.
</disclaimer>



When we got home, the prize catches of the day consisted of a pile of chanterelle mushrooms (Cantharellus cibarus, I think), and several boletes. The former I think I will preserve with salt; the latter will be dried for use in soups during the coming year.

Yesterday, Feht came over with his wife and son and we all went back up into the mountains to see what we could see. Feht had gone up about 10 days ago, and had returned with two large bags filled with boletes. On Saturday, I'd seen some boletes and chanterelles, but yesterday, though we did find about a half-dozen large boletes and a small patch of chanterelles, it was a relatively thin day.



The prize catch of the day was this specimen of Hawk's Wing (also known as Sarcodon imbricatum). The photo doesn't show the scale very well, but this mushroom is about 9 inches across and in prime shape. I don't consider Sarcodon to be a high-quality mushroom along the lines of a chanterelle or bolete, but fried this fungus goes well with steak and boiled it gives a nice edge to soups, especially beef soups.

Drew, Shannon, and Huntur took off around 3:30 pm and went home. Galina and I and the Fehts ended the day at one of the few local restaurants that can set out a good meal, The Greenhouse. We were joined later by the Schnells, who have lived in Pagosa for several decades, and sat out on the balcony of the restaurant until it was well past dark.

All my Sundays should go so well.

Cheers...

Comments

neat

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

You live near there? Oh, I'm so jealous.

I've always wanted to learn about mushrooms and go mushrooming, ever since I started reading Russian novels late at night. While wandering in the countryside of Southern Bohemia, picking blueberries, my professor Otto showed me mushrooms growing in the forest.

Recommend any good books about mushrooms?

Re: neat

[alexpgp.livejournal.com]

My own personal favorite is Mushrooms Demystified, by David Arora. It's a pretty thick tome, but it's got a lot of good information in it.

For field reference (MD is thick and bulky), Arora's All That The Rain Promises and More is a good one.

Cheers...

[pixelpusher.livejournal.com]

Wow, that Hawk's Wing is impressive! And I love plants that are so aptly named. Very jealous of your shrooming experience. I am going to put a link to your phots and excursion story over in LiveJardin because I know some people over there will drool over these, too. :-)

Enjoy your treats!