Avocado toast and a nice mixed mushroom fryup; foraged lion's mane(Hericium erinaceus), wood blewit(Collybia nuda) and oysters grown from a wild strain I found(Pleurotus sp.), alongside some tasty avocado toast. #food #cooking #nature #mushroom #mushrooms #mushtodon #fungi #foraging

It's the season to find handsome clusters of Ischnoderma resinosum, resinous polypore. The fruitings are quite large and easy to spot, though it's hard to get a big harvest because only about the outside inch or so are tender enough to cook with. (I've heard even the tough bits can be used to make a good broth, but haven't experimented with it yet.) It must be cooked before consumption, and a basic saute with spices comes out pretty mediocre, but more slow-cooking or drying it lets better flavor develop. The slices have a grain that feels very much like lean steak, so I marinaded it, boiled for 10min. and made jerky. Unfortunately, it shrank more than I expected and came out too salty, but the texture is excellent. #nature #foraging #food #mushroom #mushrooms #mushtodon #fungi

Phew, the last skein of yarn came in, and it was luckily still the same dye lot! All done. Now I need to figure out the best way to ship it. #crochet #yarn #arts #crafts #fiberarts

Nature time in between work. Now food and then off to work again.

#running
#trailrunning

I have been so busy this year, discovering how generous and bountiful the maitake are in our oak woodlands. The new dehydrator has been working hard. I've put up two jars this size so far, hoping they will be good for soup all winter. I also took one of the cleanest and tenderest I found and sliced it up and froze it in hopes of adding it to our Thanksgiving hot pot. I have no doubt now that I will be blessed with many of these every year. Anyone have any favorite dried mushroom recipes or maitake preservation methods to share? I've heard pickled is good, but haven't had the energy to try making it yet. #nature #fungi #mushroom #mushrooms #mushtodon #foraging

One of my coworkers commissioned me for a 100% wool lap blanket similar to the paw print blanket, but without the paw print holes. I put together something similar using Hobbii Snowstorm yarn and Suzette stitch, but unfortunately lost yarn chicken. I need to finish the last round of the ribbed border, waiting on a single additional skein to arrive. #crochet #yarn #arts #crafts #fiberarts

I found my first scattered shaggy manes (Coprinus comatus) over the weekend! Since they're inky caps, they deliquesce to nothing after about a day, so it's easy to miss them, and when you harvest them you need to process them quickly. I just fried up a single young one with salt and pepper to judge the flavor. It's mild and tasty, definitely seems like it would be a good match for pizza, pasta or soups. #nature #foraging #mushroom #mushrooms #mushtodon #fungi

I almost missed a surprise second flush of winecaps (Stropharia rugosoannulata) in my allotment bed..they moved over and fruited hidden under my African blue basil. Looks like the mycelium has jumped the border of the bed..it will be interesting to see where they come up next year. #nature #fungi #mushroom #mushrooms #mushtodon #foraging #garden #allotment

I was afraid I'd missed the best of maitake (Grifola frondosa) season since I was out of town, but it looks like I'm just in time. Plenty of small ones I left in the woods, too. I will freeze some for Thanksgiving hot pot this year, and also have a new food dehydrator I can put to work. #nature #fungi #mushroom #mushrooms #mushtodon #foraging

Pleased with the textures in this beautiful Dacrymyces spathularia, fan-shaped jelly fungus. Edible, but not particularly flavorful..I rarely see enough of it at once for it to feel worth it to harvest, but I love to admire it. #nature #fungi #mushroom #mushrooms #mushtodon #foraging

A new find I had been hoping to stumble across! These are beechdrops, Epifagus virginiana. They are in the same class as the beloved ghost pipes and bear corn, though admittedly not quite as charismatic. These non-photosynthesizing parasitic plants live solely off of the root systems of beech trees. #nature #nativeplants #trees #plants #bloomscrolling

After about 13 days, I finished my first blanket! It's Manatee_Square's Paw Prints pattern in the Medium size, but I sized up slightly to an 8mm hook. I thought about making it a Christmas gift, but I think perhaps I'll keep it myself. Getting chilly out there at night. #crochet #yarn #crafts #fiberarts

I'm having a wonderful time in the woods right now, still finding chanterelles and chicken of the woods, but also starting to find maitake and lion's mane. I found my very first black trumpets (Craterellus fallax)! About 3oz worth..I fried up a handful last night to sample them fresh, but I think I will dry most of them. I like it very much. I wonder how many smaller patches of these I've walked right past before? They blend in so well. #nature #fungi #mushroom #mushrooms #mushtodon #foraging

I went to a kimchi-making class with a friend. They only promised at least 1 tub of each kind, but there were plenty of ingredients and the daikon were huge, so I came home with three tubs daikon kimchi, two tubs napa cabbage kimchi, and one cucumber kimchi. It was lots of fun, and I've been enjoying eating the finished kimchi. My only disappointment is that the teacher prefers vegan kimchi and didn't add any..not sure what would be best, maybe kelp or mushrooms? No vegan ingredient to add back the umami missing from leaving out fish paste. I let it develop for seven days, but I just like umami too much, and it's 100% missing its heart for me. Delicious otherwise, though. It was my first time attending a cooking class. #food #cooking #kimchi #fermentation

Finally, the last of the caterpillars have gone to chrysalis. Out of a caterpillar census count of 13, I found 12 chrysalises, and we've had to cull 5 so far due to parasitic infection. The chrysalis pictured here is one of the oldest ones, and it seems to be developing well. Unfortunately, I'll be in another place housesitting til the 27th. I hope a few successful hatches will wait for me to observe them. #nature #insects #butterflies #monarch #monarchbutterfly

I've counted at least 13 monarch (Danaus plexippus) caterpillars, and four of them have now moved into their chrysalises. I think we're already doing well for that many to make it to that stage, but do expect to lose some to chalcid wasps..I just hope at least a few make it, and I get to see it. Most of the chrysalises are in places where they're easy to see, so far..I might get my magnifying glass and see if I can tell what sex they are later. The ones that make it should hatch in 8-15 days. #nature #insects #nativeinsects #monarch #butterflies

I have been absorbed by the idea of eventually making a black and red Lost Souls shawl, and have dragged myself into learning crochet. I learned to chain from a library book when I was a kid, but got stuck understanding the pictures for the other stitches. I didn't know any crochet people to ask at the time, so it fell by the wayside. Thankfully, the internet can be of use now. I got some supplies from a friend who abandoned crochet for knitting, and got a wider variety of yarn to try from a local center for creative reuse; learned single and double crochet and have turned the super-bulky wool yarn into my first completed projects: two earwarmer headbands. Next is learning the rest of the main stitches and making probably a simple shawl design or a small blanket. It always feels good to learn new things as an adult. Maybe I'll put a crochet item into ArtAllNight next year. If only I didn't have to work so that I could give all my interests equal time. #crochet #yarn #crafts #fiberarts

The vertical summer squash growing has mostly been a success, though some storm damage and weather swings have been a challenge. While using a single T-post for support and pruning leaves below fruits worked well and was fairly straightforward, it felt like I had to add more ties to the plant every two days, which has been hard to keep on top of, and I had to eventually decapitate the plant when it grew over the top of the T-post and started to flop. It certainly made a lot more room to grow other things under the plant, though, and made it easier to spot fruits and pests. I did finally find two squash vine borer holes, but injecting BT into the stem with a BBQ injector seems to have killed them off. The squash is Rugosa Friulana, which I have tried to harvest about 8inches or so. It's very delicious, but I might try growing aehobak next year just for variety's sake. #nature #garden #gardening #allotment #zone6b #zone7a #vegetables

Impossible to go wrong with Caprese salad made from homegrown tomatoes. Featuring Cherokee Purple and Black Prince tomatoes, smoked mozzarella, homegrown African blue basil, balsamic glaze, olive oil and the good salt and pepper. #food #gardening #tomatoes #cooking #zone6b #zone7a

I caught wild hopniss(Apios americana/American groundnut) in bloom at a local park. Depending on whether they are diploid or triploid, these interesting vines produce a chain of edible tubers, as well as edible bean pods. The flowers are also edible, sweet and tasty. They were widely grown and distributed by indigenous people, and my be an indicator that the area was a village, campsite, or alongside a popular game trail. I have not yet been able to determine if the hopniss in our area produces bean pods or not, but I'd love to add some to my garden. #nature #foraging #gardening #apiosamericana