Chickens, Bats and Puffballs! Oh My!

After the Hen of the Woods discovery,  I simply have not been able to stay out of the woods.   I say I'm going for a run after work, but always end up running through the trails behind the track and exploring for Mushrooms.   Yesterday...  I went out again,   

I really REALLY wanted to find the Hen of the Woods. ( maitake or Grifola frondosa)   But ended up running around in circles and finding a bunch of old Turkey tail.  I was about to give up when I spotted this cute little Hoary bat near the base of a tree.   I simply had to pet him. 

As previously mentioned in this blog... I LOVE bats.   I used to build them bat houses and rescue them from terrified neighbors.  ( I don't know what all the fuss is about,  I would love to have bats in my house. )  They are super cute and eat bugs the bite me.   So they are a friend and ally in my book.

I eventually left him alone as evening approached.   I would have loved to bring him home with me, but I currently am a guest in someone else's house... so  Kind of a bad Idea.   I did manage to get his picture though, so that was a win for the blog. 

A few steps away from that area, I found some more Chickens!  I though they would be done, as we have not had any rain for several days.  But there they were!  Large and fresh!  I picked all that I could and spread around a few of the crumbs for next year.  With a little luck, there will be even more in the future. As it stands though, it looks like the Chicken of the Woods is firmly established in this forest already.  Still, a little help is always a welcome thing, right? 

I still wanted to find some hens so I headed to my next favorite mushroom spot and jumped into the woods.  Only to find a BUNCH of puffballs.    I might have passed on these guys, but they all seemed to be at the perfect eating size.. I simply could not pass them up.  There were /are so many puff balls in this forest I had to leave a bunch. Even with them being small, I already had more than I could carry.   I brought them home along with the chickens

This evening I enjoyed some lettuce with Maitake, Chicken of the woods, and cubed up Puff Ball over the top. The mushrooms were sautéed up in some bacon grease until softened.   Add some cheese, sunflower and pumpkin seeds and a couple tomatoes and I had  the perfect veggy dinner. ( with bacon grease!... So don't label me a vegan or anything....) Mushrooms are the perfect substitute for meat... but also go with any meat dish. Personally, I think they should be in everything!  But that is just me.   Yes!  Even chocolate!  Which I have done with Shitakes... It was not bad.  (Sorry Sara.  No pictures!)

Heading to Davenport tomorrow.   To see Cheryl.  I don't know what to expect, but I'm sure it will be an adventure worth blogging about.   We shall see. 

Hope everyone is ready for the Weekend!  Have a great night and thanks for stopping in.