Mushrooms everywhere! Well almost. This afternoon I found a group of brown boletes in between a number of old oaks close to my home. After quite a long period without serious rain it seems that the mycorrhizal fungi (fungi associated with tree roots) are becoming active at last. Too much moisture too long in the soil is detrimental to many soil fungi and my fears that this autumn will be without the usual array of mushrooms has fortunately been a little alleviated.
These past few days many phoenix oyster mushroom logs waiting to be sold on the Edible Wood Farm have burst into production, making waves of creamy edible delight. Several logs earlier this week even started producing branched oyster mushrooms, a yellowy-colored sort that usually prefers warmer weather. The shii-take logs seem to have been absorbing energy drinks because almost all of the soaked shii-take logs are currently producing multiple individuals. The absolute winner is 111 mushrooms on one log! It looks like a giant hairbrush with spongy bristles. Even many shii-take logs waiting for their cold bath have apparently decided to join in the fun, even though the number of mushrooms per log is much less than their soaked colleagues. (Note: the shii-take logs have to produce a minimum number of mushrooms before they can be sold).
It is not easy to guess what I have been doing this past week: picking lots and lots of mushrooms. Harvesting mushrooms always goes in waves or flushes and every year somewhere between the end of August and the end of September there are a couple of weeks when everything appears at once. Even after years of doing this, it is always a pleasure to watch the small buttonlike knots turn into well-filled umbrellas. There always seems to be a mushroom just a log away that is prettier or bigger or more comical that is beckoning to me and imploring…. “pick me” and I that is exactly what I do.
