We were driving up the dirt road to the cabin the other day and I spied, with my magic mushroom eye (my eye is magic, not the mushrooms) a beautiful cluster of chanterelle mushrooms. I know you may be asking yourself how mushrooms can be beautiful, but in addition to a great taste, these mushrooms have an excellent yellow color and they just look so soft and cuddly. Well, I guess you wouldn’t want to cuddle mushrooms, but to me, they just begged to be touched.
Do you ever find yourself looking at something and you just have to touch it? I do it all of the time and I just had to touch these mushrooms as well.
I didn’t pick any because they were a little past prime and they were not on my property. I know some folks don’t mind picking stuff they find along the road but I sort of feel funny about it. I’d be mad if I had a great crop growing, just waiting for it to be perfect only to find it picked by someone else. Anyhow, I made note of where they were and will ask whoever owns the land next year in proper mushroom hunting season.
EDIT: Upon further investigation, it turns out that this may be a jack-o’-lantern mushroom which is mildly poisonous. When they are back in season, I will investigate further!
I tend to dislike autumn only because it precedes winter (which I absolutely despise). The beautiful mushrooms and a dead hornets’ nest do help to make me see autumn in a little more favorable light. Maybe I just need to look around a little harder…
Well now you just go ahead and look a little harder. There is hunting season and migrating birds just to name a couple of fall things. You already posted about the beautiful fall colors. And of course the end of soccer season. I don’t like winter any more than you but, fall is a great time of year. Not having to run the AC and being able to work outdoors comfortably is a big plus too.
I have seen mushrooms like that but didn’t think you could eat them. I need to study up on the different mushrooms that can be eaten. Once you figure out who lives around you and actually goes to their property you will know if you can get the mushrooms without even having to ask. There is a lot of property around us that no one lives on and they never ever seem to even go to their property. I say it’s fair game. I’ve watched blackberries go to the birds because no one picked them. I pick them now!
GW – yeah, I guess there are plenty of good autumnal things out there but I just hate winter that much. I do like working on the cooler temps too. I was surprised at how quickly I wore out in the summer heat
Angela – def do not take my word on it. Mushrooms can be bad news of course. I hear what you say on the roadside stuff too. There are plenty of places where it is obvious that no one will be bothered. In my location, I probably would have been safe as well but I need to spend more time to really know.
I guess I don’t find mushrooms irresistible to touch… unless it is a morel perhaps. But I don’t find it odd that someone who likes kissing bells likes touching mushrooms!
I love winter once we get past this next six or seven weeks. Then I get a chance to spend quality time inside catching up on books with few social obligations to attend to.
Ed – you may have a point about the bell…
These look very much like the mushrooms that grow under a stand of our white pine trees every year…I need to get a mushroom book.
Caprilis – def get a book but better yet, find an expert. My expert showed me all sorts of subtle things that are kind of “the differentiators” between mushrooms…you don’t want to be wrong!