Boletes In JUNE! The First Ones OF The Year.

I was not going to blog today after the last few long posts.   I have to give my fingers a rest if I'm going to write so much.    However!...


Today!  Cheryl discovered the first Field Boletes ( Hortiboletus campestris) on the Kewash Trail.   We found 11 of them and there were more that had already turned white or yellow with age.  Normally I find them in the yard first before we head out to the woods to find them alopng with Chanerelles.   However, this year seems to be a little more favorable for the mushrooms.
 Perhaps it is the rain, or the  high heat or the high Humidity that they are enjoying so much.  It could also be that we are not at a job currently, so we have time to actively search for such things.  Even accidentally stumbling on them is a better tactic than waiting for a weekend to do all of your searching.

These are not the King  Boletes...  They are much smaller than those, but they are so tasty.  I might have mentioned before that they taste like creme cheese when fresh,  cheddar cheese if they are dried.   The are easy to ID with that blue bruising stain.  ( They stain blue if you touch them... )  A very cool effect!  And unlike the Black Staining Polypore,  Blue mushrooms are a little less weird to eat.

Monday Mushroom Hunting!

Chanterelles are OUT!

Running in Coralville.

After all those Berry Expeditions, it was time for a foraging change!  Let's check out those Mushroom locations in Coralville!    With the heat and the abundance of rain, there was bound to be something growing out there, right?   Well, you never know if you never check.

The Chanterelles have already made an appearance in the yard!  So I figured there has to be a few growing out in the forest near the Harkin trail. ( Named after Senator Harkin, I believe. )     The insane humidity suggested today would be a "light' workout, and Cheryl only ran 5 miles. All the better to search the forest for ticks, poison ivy, and Mushrooms.

Hackberry? 

Or Tawney Emperor?

Ok,  we were not searching for ticks or poison ivy.   Those things tend to find us without any searching on our part.  But we managed to find a few clusters of Oyster Mushrooms while Cheryl was out on the run.

Golden Oysters are still Blooming!

Wood nettle everywhere! 

Back at the car, we prepared to enter the forest on the other side of the road.   There is an abundance of Wood Nettle that seems to enjoy the hot, humid weather.   Unlike poison ivy, you know INSTANTLY that you are in a patch of the stuff.   Your legs feel as if they are on Fire!   

It BURNS! 

It's a terrible thing, because the broad leaves tend to hide all of the Chanterells and field Boletes on the forest floor.  Reaching through the nettle will also set your arms and hands on fire as well.   Terrible stuff!

It did not take long to get to our "Super Secret Mushroom Place" and we discovered a Black Staining Polypore. ( Meripilus sumstinei (formerly M. giganteus)  I was very excited about this, believing it was either a White Chicken of the Woods OR a Cauliflower Mushrooms.    Since the mistake is often made by many mushroom hunters, AND the fact it is edible,  many people are calling it the Rooster Of the Woods!  (Since its look-a-likes are Chicken of the woods and Hen of the Woods.)

Looks like a Pale
Chicken of the Woods

Hmmm, Turns black when
you handle/bruise it. 

However, it is called the Black-staining polypore for a reason.   And that Reason is one of its Identifying Characteristics.   It took about 20 seconds to find the true ID of this thing because it bruises black!   And since many people are not fond of eating black mushrooms... People don't consider this a "choice edible."  Although, we did get it fresh and it seemed very tender.   Very similar to Chicken of the Woods.   I was not feeling adventurous today, so I did not try any of it.

Chanterelles!

A few feet away,  Cheryl found our only cluster of Chanterelles.   These were not the Smooth Chanterelles we found last year, but they are the traditional ones.    We gathered up several and searched around for more.   Unfortunately,  this little cluster was the only ones we found. 

Rhodotus Palmatus! 

Not as colorful as the picture in the
book, possibly from lack of sunlight.

And finally,  I found a small group of Netted Rhodotus!  A very rare find!   This is the first time I discovered it, and according to the mushroom expert and books, they are on a "endangered" list of mushrooms.  ( They are found in Europe and Africa as well.)  They are unique in that they had to make their own genus for them.  ( They lack certain characteristics that neatly fit them into a category.)  So they are in a family of their own! 


So is it edible?  Well,  no one really knows.   I'm going to follow Paul Stamets example in "no being the first" to eat any mushroom that is "edibility unknown".

And finally,  I have been working on my latest Stop-Motion Origami.   I have been at an impasse lately as I have run out of ideas to fold and film.   It is not as easy as it sounds.   I can't film Origami that has no motion..  Like a flower or something.   So I have to have something that can be manipulated somewhat.  And then there are models that do not like "Action" so moving arms and legs is rather difficult.  But enough of my ranting,   Here is an Origami Camel.   Camels walk funny, by the way.  Back legs match their front legs when they move forward.   It is an odd thing to watch..  Hopefully I captured it "good enough".

Hope everyone is having a good Monday.  With the Mushrooms popping out, we may have to give the berries a break and begin searching the ground for tasty edibles.   We shall see.   Thanks for stopping in.

Rain, Floods, Black Caps and Golden Raspberries in Iowa.

Cedar River is a little high...

 It has rained every day for the last several days now.  And although the Cedar River is a little high,  the Mississippi seems to be remaining consistent.  We ran along the trail in Muscatine yesterday and spent the morning  there fighting the heat and sun.  It's always a good time to visit Tee's and relax by the river.

Very peaceful Day on the
Mississippi.

Train goes through the downtown
area in Muscatine. 

The constant rain has also increased the humidity.   And you can probably tell by how Cheryl melts after she runs.   I was impressed we ran the full 7 miles in that "hot house" heat.   Muscatine is great!  And we always enjoy our visits.  The Farmer's Market is up and running there, as apposed to Iowa City, who has canceled Their farmer's Market.  We did not visit it yesterday, but I'm sure when the produce begins to ripen, we will take another look around.

Cheryl has dealt with the Heat,  And
WON! 

We were both stiff from picking all of those strawberries, but after we got home,  Cheryl began her experiment baking, using the new species of goodness!   Behold!   The Strawberry Turnover!

She did not want to risk "Wasting" a large portion of Berries on a Strawberry pie,   so I suggested a hand pie or turnover.   Simple to make,  low risk and not many berries are required.   It all sounded good. 

Water on the trail. 

Wild Flowers are in Bloom now!

Well, they were AWESOME!   Now I have to decide if I want to eat the Strawberry Shortcake or the turnover.   If I'm lucky,  Cheryl will eat the turnovers so I won't be able to eat both..  because I will!

See the Deer?

See the Fawn? ( He is very short and
small.) 

The rains must have hit West Chester while we were in Muscatine.   The Kewash trail was covered with water in many areas.  Although the river was high neat the bridge, it did not turn the nearby fields into lakes this time.  We stumbled upon a Deer and her Fawn in the insanely tall grass near the creek.   He was cute and made very loud sheep sounds as he plowed through the tall grass.  My picture barely captured his head as he jumped through it field.

Creepy Evening Color.

It turns the world Purple!

I don't think it actually rained last night, however, the evening sky was a creepy pinkish color.   And there was plenty of thunder and lighting in the distance.

Pretty blue flowers along the roadside

Clouds looks kind of scary..

This morning,  the dark clouds moved in and threatened us with rain!  Thankfully, it was nothing more than a few drops, but it had two nice side effects:  It hid the sun AND it blew in cooler air.   For this reason Cheryl was able to run the full 7 miles, despite having sore legs ( still from strawberry picking)  and evening bike ride. 

Cheryl wants to run while the sun is
NOT shining. 

Happy Corn? 

At least the Corn is liking this weather.   Knee High by the 4th of July?   Looks like "Cheryl High" by the 28th of June!   I imagine that as long as the corn does not get flooded, it will suck up all that steam and sunshine and moisture from the soil.  Not sure how well the soybeans will do this year though...

Corn as Tall as Cheryl now. 

Black Caps, or"Black Raspberry."

While out on our run/ride,  Cheryl noted the number of Black Raspberries ( Or Black Caps, for those in "the know".)   We thought after the run, we would walk down mile 2 and see what we could find. 

Golden Raspberries! 

The rain is helping them a LOT

Turns out,  A LOT!   in addition to the black Raspberries...  there were Golden Raspberries out as well.   Our little "Berries of Iowa" book does not have them in there. leaving Cheryl to believe that they are toxic.   However,  I have eaten them before,  and found them easily on Google.   Turns out they are actually RED Raspberries that lack the red pigment.   OR so that is what they tell me.

Multi Color Raspberries. 

Can you see the "ripe" one? 

They may be a Hybrid or just another genetic variation that rarely happens in the wild. ( Like Purple or yellow carrots.)   I do know that they sell the seeds online so you can grow your OWN!  Or wait for a bird to plan some for you... usually in a place you do not want a pricker bush to grow.

More Goldens! 

Even MORE Goldens!  I've
struck it RICH!

I picked quite a few of them, and for a while I thought I would have an entire basket filled with just yellow ones, until I found another patch of black ones.   The black caps were growing next to the trail.  If you managed to get off the trail just a little,  you would keep finding more.... and MORE!   Cheryl finally said "enough" as there were simply too many to harvest.. and wee seemed to have plenty.

I was surrounded by Berries AND
prickers!  What could go wrong? 

Today's wildlife sighting. 

The down side to my method is that my legs got a little chewed up from the prickers.  There is also the possibility of Ticks!   After a serious inspection, we both determined that we were clean and headed home.   I should also note that I discovered at one moment that I was up to my waist in Poison Ivy!  I have been battling a small section on my ankle  for about a week now.   I might have picked it up while hunting for mushrooms.. or Blackberries on the otherside of the road.   Either way, it has been annoying when it flares up.

I was wondering what that Burning
sensation was on my legs...

Ah...  That doesn't look too good. 

Cheryl purchased a bottle of "anti-Poison Ivy" soap.  It looks like the GOJO, the stuff I use when I work on Subie.   It is supposed to cut the oil that Poison Ivy leaves behind and thus, prevent you having a break out.   as soon as we got home I took an entire bath and scrubbed up my legs and arms with the stuff  several times.   I was completely exposed out there while wearing only shorts   If that was Poison Ivy ( and I'm pretty certain it was...)   I could have a serious case of it in three days.   NOT good!

Turns out, the Daddy Longlegs
Like the Berries as well. 

Cheryl with today's Haul. 

I'll scrub up later tonight and maybe for the next couple of days.   I really don't want a case if I can help it.    But..  for those who take risks... Rewards are Great!    We managed to get almost two full baskets of berries.   The rain has certainly helped them along, as last week, they were small and rather dry.   Cheryl made a berry Oat Bake with them and they just dried up to little seed pods.   Now she has at least enough for a pie.. Or maybe at least a few of those turnover/hand pies.    We shall see what she comes up with. 

There are more Golden's Buried under
the sea of Black Caps. Enough for
a Pie?  We shall see. 

And with that,  Time to end this rather long Blog Post.   This is what happens when you take a day off and do a lot of stuff in those two days.    I'll have to recap some of the other things that I couldn't get to in this post at a later date.  Until then...  Thanks for stopping in!