So many of them: a city on the lawn.
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Mushrooms
I should have been expecting it, but the arrival of autumn still surprised me. Mild, sunny days quickly changed to days of solid rain. The world smells different. Wet. With the earthiness of decomposing leaves. Days are shorter, and shadows are longer. And the mushrooms appear, discreetly, very quietly.
So many of them: a city on the lawn.
So many of them: a city on the lawn.
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7 comments:
Wonderful pictures.
http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/
This lady knows from eating mushrooms (and other things, too, scroll through the blog).
Did you eat the honey mushrooms (top photo)? It looks like a great haul...I'm envious!
Ellen - I spent hours peering at you photo of the honey mushrooms, along with several more reading. It was exactly your scenario - a large clump (several actually) at the base of a recently cut down tree, but in someone else's garden. I so very much wanted to try them, but I my lack of knowledge and paranoia prevented me. I think years of "mushrooms you don't know can poison you" messages left their mark. Sigh...
So true...which is why you should only eat mushrooms you are 100% sure of! My repertoire has grown over the years, in large part due to a class I've taken twice at the NYBG. It's called Mushroom Mania and the teacher is Gary Lincoff. He's incredibly knowledgeable and a wonderful, generous teacher. Are you in the NYC area? He teaches it every September. FYI, honey mushrooms are perennial, so if you see the same clump next year, go for it!
NYC is a bit far, but you've just sent me on a happy search for mushroom classes in the UK. Because it is the type of thing that should make me very happy.
Yes, the UK is a little far from the New York Botanical Garden! Sorry, I didn't know. But I'm a firm believer in doing what makes you happy. Best of luck.
Rats, then I just missed the class. I shall attend next year.
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