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The Drought Is Over! Here’s Your Mid-October Report for the Puget Sound Region
Mushrooms are now to be had in the forests near Mt. Rainier. (Not in the national park, unfortunately … you can’t hunt there. But in the national forests like Gifford Pinchot, learn the licensing and hunting regulations and get out there!) Continue reading
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The Impact of the Drought on Our Little Mushroom Friends (mid-September Foray Report)
Okay, it’s September. The time of year when, at least here in the Great Northwet, the forest floors are usually crawling with Chanterelles. But, we’re in the midst of a drought. We had the longest rain-free period on record this summer, broken only late last week by a fine spitty smattering of rain. So little,… Continue reading
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Like Lobster? Now Is the Time to Get Out There and Get Yours
When I suggest to people that we are heading out to hunt Lobsters, I get a lot of raised eyebrows. “I thought you were into mushrooms?” they say. “Are you switching over to seafood now?” Continue reading
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“There You Are, My Precious!!!” (My First Morel Find of the Season)
I know … mushroom-obsessed people can be a little creepy sometimes. I felt a bit like Gollum, two weekends ago, when my son Nathan and I went on our first morel-hunting foray down into Oregon, and he snapped this photo of me sneaking up on my first morel find of the season, a nice yellow… Continue reading
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Shaggy Parasols on the Table
Here at Shortsinwoods, we harvested a huge crop of Shaggy Parasols (Chlorophylum rhacodes) this Fall. These mushrooms dehydrate very easily, and after doing this we found ourselves with about a half dozen gallon-size bags full! Continue reading
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Ready or Not, Morel Hunting Season Is Almost Upon Us!
The Morel may be my favorite mushroom (taste-wise), but the Spring season isn’t my favorite season. There are a few other mushrooms out there in the Spring, but not near as many as in the Fall. So Morels are definitely the focus. Continue reading
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Does the Design of Mushrooms Show a Divine Sense of Humor?
Okay, I promised I’d share my thoughts about Lycoperdon (Puffball mushrooms). Lycoperdon puffballs sliced and ready to prepare. Each fall we see clusters of these rimming the various trails through the forest areas where we hunt Chanterelles and other delicious shrooms. We’ve harvested them while they’re young (firm and white), but they are a lot of trouble Continue reading
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Do You Want To Start With Cultivating Something Healthy, Easy, and Delicious? Try Oyster Mushrooms! (Part 2)
How to cultivate delicious Oyster Mushrooms at home. Continue reading
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Why Do Oysters Need a Bath? (Part 1)
Growing Oysters from straw logs is fast and relatively easy, but doesn’t work as well out of doors, so I decided to go a different route. I purchased about 200 Oyster spawn plugs, little wooden dowels impregnated with the mycelium of Pleurotus ostreatus … Continue reading
Mushroom Obsession
was created to help parents get their kids out from behind the screen and into nature to safely explore the mystical and magnificent world of exotic edible mushrooms: how to safely hunt them in the woods, cultivate them in your own back yard, and even how to make them taste magnificent in the kitchen! If you consider yourself "mushroom obsessed," this site is the place for you!
Mushroom Obsession 