TEST

Last day of August I decided to check coniferous woods again.  Usually at this time Lactarius mushrooms start first flashes. I found two species: Lactarius indigo (Indigo Milky) This species is for me a good edible and can be found in great quantities, which make it a good candidate for drying and preserving. They are easy to spot and usually grow scattered under coniferous trees. At this time I always have a pair of gloves in my pocket and I strongly suggest that gloves are used when handling Indigo Milky. Luckily, latex is not abundant and sticky, but still mushroom handling stains fingers quite badly. The best to pick are mushrooms with still inrolled margins. When totally opened or funnel shaped they do tend to be very brittle and infested with bugs. [caption id="attachment_2518" align="alignnone" width="663"] Perfect specimen for picking[/caption] I try to use some kind of basket when Lactarius mushrooms are to be collected. In bags they tend to get

This year August was dominated by Goldstalk Bolete .  It was fairly easy to end up with loot like this: There was also some Two-color Bolete and some Pale Boletes around, but very low in numbers. After several years of almost complete absence, Bitter Bolete (Tylopilus rubobrunneus ) showed up again. It is a shame that so nice and stately mushroom is not edible. I tasted several time but it is quite bitter. The other "usual suspects"were missing too. Piffballs, Chanterelles, Black Trumpets, Orange Cap Bolete and King Bolete were complete no shows. The real presence on the floor of the woods throughout whole August were Amanitas. I do not collect or consume any of them due to bad reputation of several members of this Genus. Several Amanita species are certainly deadly poisonous and present real life danger if consumed. On the other hand they have indisputable beauty and presence. Usually some specimens can be spotted from afar. This year I found several species completely new

The high temperatures and humidity are back with vengeance. The only time to go on trails is early morning. Later during the day it feels like walking in sauna. Suillus granulatus I decided to try mixed woods and sure enough, I found great flush of Suillus granulatus (Granular-Dotted Bolete). They were scattered around, single or in groups. The genus Suillus   has many members, but in my area of South-Western Ontario this one is the most common. At least where I am looking. They are good dried. The best are buttons that still have firm and compact flash. Mature specimens are quite spongy and can absorb a lot of moisture. They are also full of bugs, especially at this time of the year   Lactifluus hygrophoroides In the nearby area with oaks and birches I found a small flash of Lactifluus hygrophoides (see my post on Lactarius Genus ) . This is great edible and I am surprised that there is no common name for this mushroom. It certainly falls into the group "Orange Milky". Usu

The last weekend was generally repeat of the previous one. I was finding mainly Ornate-stalked Bolete and Oyster mushrooms . I had company and we did quite good. The whole loot was cleaned, salted, cooked in vinegar and preserved in oil. This is the end result. Perfect to add to sandwiches or as a pizza topping etc.   Today I was walking in oak woods and discovered quite a flash of Two-colored Boletes .  They were growing scattered and in groups under mature oaks in great numbers. My timing was perfect (see my thoughts on Mushrooming Window ). A lot of mushrooms were still in button stage or very young, so the bug damage was minimal and I did not discard any significant number. This bolete is relatively easy to recognize and very good edible. Some people compare the taste and quality with King Bolete. Within one hour I collected quite a number in my basket: The majority was dried and one part was left to be preserved in oil.

This weekend was the Oyster weekend. Certainly they are not hard to spot even from afar, but some are hidden under the logs and in the greenery. The color is white and size is small to medium, pointing to Summer Oyster ( Pleurotus populinus ). In every guide this one is a choice edible, and I do agree. Lately it can be found in some supermarkets as farmed mushroom, usually with bluish tones on the cap. There was quite a bit of animal damage, most probably snails and squirrels.  The bug infestation was minimal and I discarded only several mushrooms. Some of the best specimens ended up cooked right away. Some where dried and some preserved in oil. The other find was Goldstalk Bolete ( Retiboletus ornatipes ). [caption id="attachment_2255" align="alignnone" width="663"] Cleaned and prepared for drying[/caption] Some of the Russulae started to appear, including one of my favorites, Russula crustosa. It was too infested to be usable, but nice to see after

It is weekend and there was some rain and thunderstorms lately. In the early morning I checked one patch of coniferous woods (mainly spruce) with zero result. Somewhat later I started in the mixed deciduous woods. As expected, pretty soon some boletes showed up. Four species were prevalent. Boletus subglabripes The medium size mushroom prefers birch and grows scattered. The pore surface is intensive yellow and pores are small. Cap is colored in redish-brownish tones and dry. In mature specimens it sometimes seems there are multiple shallow depressions on the cap. There is no characteristic smell ("mushroomy" does not describe much). The flash is firm only in very young specimens ("buttons"), yellow and it does not stain. If packed in the bag they can stick together and get even softer. Spore print is olive brown. On the close inspection there are some glandular dots on the steam. That is why this species is sometimes refereed to as Leccinum subglabripes. The mushroo