Thrill Of The Hunt
When it comes to mushrooms, even Finn gets into the thrill of the hunt. Our annual hunt for this particular mushroom was very rewarding.
Thrill Of The Hunt Was Thrilling Again
A few weeks after nights start to get chilly here, we go out looking for my favorite wild mushroom. Hen-of-the-woods, or maitake (technically grifola frondosa) is a beautiful and tasty mushroom.
Please Note: If you are at all unsure of a mushroom type, you should NEVER try eating it.
The things I like about this mushroom:
- It grows in the same place. If the mushroom “fruits” we can always find it in the same place year after year.
- With enough rain, this mushroom is bountiful at the same time each year.
- Grifola is a very sturdy mushroom. It doesn’t wilt, shrink or disintegrate when it’s cooked.
- It has a distinct “woody” flavor to it.
- Maitake has been used for years has a health remedy for hypertension and diabetes.
I was with Thaddeus when he first discovered this recurring instance of hen-of-the-woods. His dad had taught him to look for this mushroom years ago. They had an annual tree where they found it most years. This mushroom grows on large oak trees…either dead or still living. The original tree was a dead oak, and eventually stopped being able to feed the mushroom.
So we found out new source.
The color and the shape of the mature fruit make it difficult to spot. So when you do find some, it will usually keep producing for you year after year.
Today, we will have eggs and toast with sautéed mushrooms. It will be a good food day.
Current Knitting
Another huge success is the completion of the Hallgrim Scarf!
It ended up being about 8.5″ wide, 79″ long and used about 520 yards of DK weight yarn. It’s really the nicest item I’ve made in a long time. It’s elegant and functional. The satisfaction of working on such an interesting design is wonderful.
Wow! What a beautiful mushroom find.
It is one of my favorite things to do with the family, other than sitting and knitting! We belong to the Connecticut Westchester Mycological Association (COMA). This is an amateur mycological society. Over the past few years (not 2020, unfortunately) we attended COMA’s mushroom U, a series of mycological lectures held over the winter months. It was fun, informative, and followed by fantastic pot luck lunches. For many years we were lucky to have been taught by Gary Lincoff. We loved Mushroom U for the “Gary-isms”. He was a self-taught mycologist, and author of a field guide to North American mushrooms. The NY Times reported that Gary’s “contagious enthusiasm turned him into a pied piper of mushrooms”. You can read more about him here https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/23/obituaries/gary-lincoff-75-dies-spread-the-joy-of-mushrooms-far-and-wide.html
I found this website which offers recipes for hen of the woods: https://foragerchef.com/hen-of-the-woods-mushrooms/
I’m loving the scarf you completed- it sure does look elegant and functional!
I’d never heard of this mushroom. Actually, I’ve never heard of most mushrooms. It’s is beautiful. And so is your Hallgrim Scarf. Great yarn and color! You and others are whipping through it so fast!. Best wishes for wearing it.
Your cat is beautiful. Those blue eyes are mesmerizing.
I have mushroom envy! As you know, I love Thaddeus tidbits—Foraging for mushrooms has always sounded like a great time (there’s an academic name for it that escapes me).
And the scarf? Stunning and brilliant. I can’t think of a color that doesn’t suit it. Gift it to your husband.