Wednesday, August 14, 2013

The year of the mushroom

Walking through the yard this morning I got a whiff of something that smelled like a tennis shoe that has been damp for a week.
I looked around me, but there were no wet shoes of any kind. Then under the hemlock tree, I saw several mushrooms. It's been the year of the mushroom here.
Our great nephew Jordan spent some time here today and on our walk, we came upon this mushroom in front of the barn. I've never seen a mushroom quite like it.
If we grew the kind you eat, we could have made a fortune this summer.

12 comments:

  1. Colorfull but "odiferous" eh?
    :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous10:40 PM

    I've never seen a red mushroom before!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Interesting Rick... I have never seen a red mushroom before either... :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I would have checked more closely - clearly you have a family of Smurfs living nearby
    Rick !!!
    XOXO

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dear Rick, I'm not a fan of mushrooms as food. I guess it's the texture. But I'm amazed at all the forms they take and the colors. And to come across them in a forest is like finding Easter eggs! Peace.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This one looks cute. At first I thought that it was a hat or a toy.
    I am sure you guys would make a fortune if good kind of mushrooms grew over your property. I have been mostly using can mushrooms, my husband is brave enough to use the seasonal kind.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a lovely find. It is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What an odd looking mushroom. It's a unique find.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Last year I found one of these in the back forty while mowing and I was quite surprised finding it. I actually had no clue what it was at first.
    Thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a nice comment about my son Clint on my site. He is recovering well from his nasty fall.
    Today I had a guest writer on my site who has just published her first book.
    You should do a write on my site about yours. I would love to have you.

    Take care
    Maggie

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a fun find! I'd enter that baby in the county fair if I were you! I'm a shroom purist..only out of a can, jar, or store produce dept..I think that makes me more of a shroom chicken!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Rick, keep an eye on that mushroom and don't let the children near it or carefully destroy it without touching it if you don't want to take chances. I'm sending you a link for the amanita mushroom, more commonly known as the "Destroying Angel" or the "Death Cap."
    https://www.google.com/search?q=amanita&rlz=1C1CHRG_enUS465US465&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=9nkNUo2NEsHZ2AWPw4GADw&ved=0CEYQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=909

    I can't tell from the picture you posted, but I do know that not all amanitas have the characteristic white bumps on the top. If you scroll down through the pictures from this link, you'll see what I mean. My mother was an amateur mycologist and I've seen amanitas when I've been out mushroom hunting with her. I'm not by any means saying your mushroom IS an amanita, only be very careful--even its spores are toxic. One bite and a person is fine for about three days. Then they go into convulsions, coma, and die. There is no known antidote. 95% of fungi poisoning deaths are from the amanita (600 varieties.) Some are edible, but who'd want to take the chance. Even experts have been fooled--and aren't alive to tell about it. I'm not a doomsayer, but amanitas aren't anything to fool around with.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks Deborah,
    We never touch ANY mushroom in the wild. Like most of the commenters, we only eat ones out of a can or ones in the produce sections of grocery stores.

    ReplyDelete

Please consider sharing

Email Signup Form

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required