Mushroom Obsession

2022 and 2023, with their warm dry late summers and early falls, were terrible years for local mushroom hunters. Therefore I was excited these past few weeks in August when a healthy dose of rain and cooler weather descended upon the Pacific Northwest.

Last week my brother Don (pictured) and I headed to one of our usual favorite spots in hopes of finding mushrooms coming on earlier than usual. And we weren’t disappointed! We weren’t more than 10 minutes into our three-hour foray when Don found the first few Golden Chanterelles. Soon thereafter, I laid claim to a few nice early Lobsters.

And after that, Don walked right past a large cap which turned out to be a King Bolete! (What the Italians call, “Porcini.”) The photo shows Don with the King, which is now occupying my dehydrator.

So during our foray, we each walked away with a good basketful of nice Fall mushrooms. And if the trend holds, more mushrooms are in store for the near future.

The only disappointment of the whole venture was that some mean person decided to take out the driver’s window of my new truck while we were out hunting. Thank God for good insurance, and that no mushrooms were stolen!

Many of you reading have enjoyed forays with me in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in recent years, and others of you I have yet to introduce to one of my favorite past-times. But take heart, we are already scheduling forays for the remainder of September and October! If you would like to participate, please just drop me a line at my name (Larry Short) with no space, followed by the “at” sign and “gmail” dot “com.”

I’m also taking better security measures (including a new camera which records video of all movement near my truck), so if you’re one of those jerks who enjoys making others’ lives miserable, don’t get any ideas. I’ve already turned video over to the local Sheriff’s office and will prosecute anyone conducting illegal activities near my vehicle. Just sayin’.