Winter Haul

I suppose spring can wait as long as I get consolation like this! It is an early year for some of these mushrooms.

Shown here are chanterelles (Cantharellus formosus), belly button hedgehogs (Hydnum umbilicatum), yellow foot chanterelles (Craterellus tubaeformis), pigs ears (Gomphus clavatus), black trumpets (Craterellus cornucopioides), and white matsutake (Tricholoma magnivelare). I found the matsutake right where I predicted, near the sugar sticks.

Hydnum umbilicatum detail. Notice the 'teeth' instead of gills or pores

Craterellus cornucopioides 

Amanita lanei

The coccora, Amanita lanei, is an edible mushroom. But you better be sure that it is a coccora and not another of the Amanitas! The toxic Amanitas are the deadliest mushrooms and can look a lot like the coccora.

Amanita lanei 

On the same outing found about 10 pounds of golden chanterelles. I am pretty sure these are C. californicus because they were found exactly where last year I found dinner plate size chanterelles, which the C. californicus does in age.

Cantherellus californicus 

Boletus edulis

When it rains it pours. This is about half the haul of King Boletes from the last foray. The largest one is as big as my head. Often they are riddled with maggots, but all of these were exceptionally clean. I dried all the big ones, and made cream of king bolete soup with a small one.

Boletus edulis, 11/15/10

Found hidden in the grass under bishop pine on the Medocino coast.

What the rain brings

Three kinds of Chanterelle in one outing, and a mystery solved.

My personal favorite edible mushroom is the Golden Chanterelle. I was very happy to see these, it will probably be another good season for them. I still cannot get handle on the differences between some of the species. These could be C. cibarius, C. formosus, or the newly described C. californicus. I am going to call these C. cibarius, but there were a couple of small slender ones that I think are C. formosus. They smell like apricots and have a nice nutty flavor when sauted.

Cantharellus cibarius 10/31/10

The first White Chanterelles that I have found that are in good enough shape to eat. They have all the attributes of the Golden ones without the apricot odor or nuttiness. 

Cantharellus subalbidus 10/31/10

And the mystery solved is the Scaley Chanterelle. These were young fruitings before they flare out. The mystery UFO is the nascent form of the mushroom. I originally thought it was some sort of club mushroom, it is really easy to be wrong about young fruitings. Unfortunately it is not edible.

Gomphus floccosus 10/31/10

Mushrooms in August?

August is usually not the month you look for mushrooms, but it has been a cool summer in the SF bay area, and there are a few spots that get constant fog. If the conditions are just right, there are some fruitings, and if you are faster than the hungry slugs you might find yourself a meal ( or a stomach ache ).

Amanita muscaria ( Do not eat! ), Sibley, 8/22/10

Boletus edulis, Sibley, 8/22/10

I think we may have another great year for mushrooms!

Agaricus perobscurus

While driving down a dirt road I spotted this mushroom under a cypress tree. Agaricus perobscurus ( the Princess ) is only found in San Francisco bay area and closely related to Agaricus augustus ( the Prince ). It smells like almond extract and is very delicious. It is an odd find for August (Edit: acutally not really, it is apparently most common in late summer), but if the conditions are just right, mushrooms will take advantage.

Agaricus perobscurus, Bolinas, 8/29/10