Today I found myself and eight other like minded souls traipsing through the forest in the pouring rain. At least the mosquitos and black flies weren't a problem.... Because it was 10 degrees!!!
I had signed up for a mushroom workshop lead by a naturalist from Toronto, Richard Aaron. We were outfitted with a gathering basket and glassine envelopes. We had our knives, and rain gear on.
After a two hour in class session, we drove to Bass Lake Rd, on the outskirts of Cobalt. We were given an hour to comb the forest for as many different types of mushrooms and fungi as we could fit into our baskets.
Who knew that this bright orange, toxic looking mushroom would prove to be the only edible (minus the slug) species that we collected today!! This is an example of the "Lobster Mushroom". And yes, when it warmed up to room temperature, it did really smell like seafood! Simone was kind enough to thinly slice it into pieces, then sauté them in butter and garlic. Not bad.... But you can buy mushrooms at the store with a lot less fuss! (And without the wildlife)
Near the Lobster Mushroom was a nice collection of club moss. Another very interesting family of plants that I would like to learn more about.
It was pretty amazing how many different types of fungi there are right under your feet, once you learn to look for them. I definitely learned a lot about the forests that I spend so much time in, and never realized how diverse the fungi world is!
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