Fall & Mushroom Hunting

With summer activities over we are getting back to a quieter rythm of learning. Lots of nature walks and collecting things to study. Mushrooms pop out of the green, soon to be brown landscape, surprising us with their unique colors and shapes. Mushrooms add a freshness to the same well known paths. We never know what we will see from one week to the next. From the minuscule to the monsterous. Letting my younger daughter lead me down a path we’d never been, we found these adorable lemon yellow spotted mushrooms. 

We usually take a few mushrooms home to look up in the field guides. But sometimes if there is only one and it looks really perfect where it is, we'll take a picture so it can remain there to delight the next passerby.  I can’t  believe these colors! My first really purple mushrooms. Of course I automatically think, “How can I wear this?”. The softness of this purple needs to be a sweater or shawl to wrap me up in.

O.k., this bunch was not hunted, but bought. You never know where cute inspiration will pop up. These happened to be at an asian grocery store where I regularly go for my nori and condiments. I couldn’t pass by this pure white bunch of cuteness. They are all connected, growing out of one base. I wanted them to keep their shape and texture, so I cut them apart and dipped them in an eggy batter. I shallow fried them so they were crunchy, while keeping their natural chewy texture.

Of course field guides are the best for identifying mushrooms, but the book ‘Katya’s Book of Mushrooms' is a very good way to introduce children to the fun of mushroom hunting. Katya’s love of mushrooms, whimsical drawings, and overall joyous spirit make it one of my favorites, even as an adult.