Fungi and Friends: Sharing is caring... usually

The past couple weeks have been sprinkled with friends and littered with a harvest of wild mushrooms.

After our puff ball adventure a couple weeks ago, Seth discovered a fresh hoard of chicken of the woods.  I'd estimate this tree was carrying a good 10 pounds of edible--and delicious--mushrooms!

Chicken of our beloved woods

This pictures shows less than 1/2 of what we cut in total.  We must have cut about 4 pounds over several days.

Compared to last year's chicken of the woods and this year's puff balls, this was certainly the best mushroom yet!  We ended up munching on some of its meaty goodness for dinner and sharing a bite with our braver friends.  The rest found a place in the freezer.  Next year I think we should go into business, foraging for local restaurants.  We could make a tiny fortune ;o)

Last weekend Seth and I found ourselves scoping out a local Burning Man event hosted by one of his old college buddies here in Waltham.  I am still not really sure what the whole thing is supposed to represent but it was quite an experience.  Next year I will be sure to shave my head and get a few tattoos so I don't stick out so much.

A hippie pool with hippie lifeguard tower

Lots of people camped overnight in the yard

A "steam room"...

Tiny art garden--to be burned?

Tiny art garden in front of the big vegetable garden and behind the cemetery

There was actually a really nice feeling of community at this 24 hour party.  It would have been nice to stay longer but we had friends from out of town coming to stay with us.

Angela and Taylor are friends from NC/SC/GA; Angela knew Seth back at UNC.  I hadn't seen them since they got married 9 years ago!!  Unfortunately they could only stay with us for one night. At least during their short stay we fit in an outing to In a Pickle for brunch and a hike up Prospect Hill. 

After sharing some chicken of the woods with Dr Hayes, he got inspired to start foraging for mushrooms himself.  While in New Hampshire he found himself a mother-load of birch polypore and decided to return the favor, sharing a bit with me.  Edible? Yes.  Plentiful? Yes.  Delicious?  Oh no, no, no :o(  Morel of the story: Just because something is nontoxic and can't kill you doesn't automatically mean one should eat it. This one went into the garbage, not the freezer.