So Many Mushrooms, So Little Knowledge...

Ok yes, tomato is my favorite food, especially in a salad with a really tangy vinaigrette, shallots and garlic. My second favorite has to be Mushrooms.

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Out here in the north east (USA) we've been rained on at an unusual rate. It's been a very wet summer, but when the sun comes out so do the mushrooms!

I don't know much about them and I haven't tasted too many different kinds in my life, but this sudden spurt has really sparked my interest.

There are so many things I want to learn, between edible plants, wildlife, identifying trees, gardening and which mushrooms are safe to eat... It's difficult to focus hard on just one thing. We also have the transition of having moved off-grid to get used to. Today for example I had to drop what I was doing to go into town, we must have ran out of propane in the middle of the night.

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Sometimes a physical field guide is so much better than looking things up on the internet.

I ordered myself a nice little book on mushrooms yesterday, National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms. I can't wait to start learning a little more into depth!!!

Don't worry, I'm not going to try a mushroom that I find, that looks like an image in the book. It'll be tempting for sure, but I'm confidant I can hold myself back from making a potentially deadly mistake! I suggest you do take the same precautions if you're not an expert either.

These beauties look like a little family!

I've been told this is last year's Chicken of the Woods. They're supposed to be delicious when fresh.

These large fellas were popping up everywhere, in this area it was like a whole village of them!

Look at the underbelly, I love that I also captured a daddy-long leg in this image!

From researching a little this is in the Bolete family, and it seems edible, but than again, I will not try it just yet!

Well that's it. I could go on and on showing you some photos of amazing mushrooms I'm coming accross these days but we'll stop here. Hopfully, the next time I write about mushroom I will know more and will be able to pass on what I've learned.

One thing I know and feel, without studying it, mushrooms have a very important role in our ecosystem, so please respect them the next time you encounter them on your path.