The Importance of Superbowl Sunday to Mushroom Foragers in the USA - all original photos
What does Superbowl Sunday have to do with foraging for mushrooms? Come into my post to find out!
Now I am an unabashed fungus lover. I admire them. I eat them. I use them for arts and crafts. I spend time searching for them. I spend time getting to know them, even if they aren't "useful" for me to eat or use in other ways. I even like the fungus involved in cross-species entanglements, like the lichens, fungal parasites, or the mycorrhizal marvels.
Years ago, I attended the annual Fungus Fair in San Francisco, California. It's a one or two-day gathering of fungophiles from far and near, held every year in early December. I was in the big city for some other conference and stayed over the weekend, just to attend the fair. It was huge, so huge. And fun, so fun! I'll write more, someday, about that Fungus Fair and others. They are great, just great.
I learned a lot at that San Fran Fungus Fair. But one tip, related to Superbowl Sunday, really stuck with me. See, mushrooms grow in a lot of places, including public parks. Now, where I live, we can harvest mushrooms in the city parks - even without a permit! That's nice! But many towns aren't that way. Nobody can pick anything, anytime, anywhere, for any reason. Now, I'm not judging that, at least not in this post. But here's the tip.
Word at the Fungus Fair was that nobody is watching the public parks in San Francisco on Superbowl Sunday. Law enforcement is too busy policing people - fueled by alcohol, cash bets, or simple pride - being a little too passionate about the game and its outcomes. It's their busiest work day of the year.
Now, whether this is true in your town or not, I don't know. But if you are reading this post instead of getting ready for the Big Game, you might want to head out to a local park. Whether you pick any mushrooms or not, that's up to you. But if you see other folks walking slowly, looking down at the ground, or up along dead trees, lingering and picking things up, here and there, you will know. They know the Mushroom Picker's Secret of Superbowl Sunday.
What Do You Think?
Do you like looking for mushrooms? Are you allowed to pick mushrooms from the public land in your area? have you ever been to a Fungus Fair? Do you like to eat wild mushrooms? I really want to know!
I write about foraging because I believe that we can all have lives that are richer, more secure, more grounded, and more interesting by getting to know the plants and the land around us – in our yards, our parks, and our wilderness.
I would like Steemit to be the premier site for Foraging on the Internet! If you have any thoughts about foraging, or experiences to share, write a post and be sure to use the Foraging tag. And check out the @foraging-trail to see curated quality posts about foraging. Happy Foraging!
** Haphazard Homestead **
*** foraging, gardening, nature, simple living close to the land ***
I've learned literally most of my practical foraging information on steemit. Granted, foraging and specifically identifying mushrooms and other edibles is definitely a new hobby for me, as it is something my partner enjoys doing and we enjoy doing as a couple.
Your blog and the curation through foraging-trail are outstanding, and I look forward to contributing as well as learning more in the upcoming months!! Thank you for all you do, @haphazhard-hstead!!
Thanks, @jessamynorchard, for appreciating my foraging posts and curation. Steemit does have some great foragers, and from so many parts of the world. It's inspiring to me, too. I"ll be posting a lot more about practical foraging when we go to the 7-day payouts for posts - and comments - with the next hardfork. I'm looking forward to a lot of foraging discussions, in other folks' posts, too. I'm looking forward to your perspective as someone fairly new to foraging, and as you head outdoors on your forays!
I've never actually gone foraging for mushrooms because I can't tell the edibles from the toxic ones. I love mushrooms though and I do admire them even if I let them be.
Some edible mushrooms are unmistakable. But all of them, edible or not, are admirable, for sure! I'm glad you enjoy looking at them. There's nothing wrong with letting a mushroom stay where it's at! : )
Great post - I just came across a type of nam prik in Thailand that was using the term 'shitake mushroom', but the small mushrooms looked a lot like your Lion's Mane mushroom and they were indeed delicious. I suspect you're curious so the best way I could describe it would be to say that it was a pale yellow coconut/curry consistency that is intensely spicy/hot. Too bad I didn't think to photograph it. It was from southern Thailand (even though I had it in Bangkok). I wonder if there is a shitake that looks similar... ok now I'm showing my mycological ignorance!
I'm glad you got to eat some tasty mushrooms! A Shitake mushroom, though, would have a round cap with gills on the underside, radiating out from the central stem. These Lion's Mane mushrooms grow in a big clump on a tree out in the woods. The whole mushroom looks like a waterfall of icicles.
Very good to get confirmation as I've only ever come across shitake as you've described. Perhaps they didn't know the name in English and settled for something recognizable - after all it was a simple food tent setup in a park for a short event. Thank you!
That sounds like a reasonable explanation. It does sound like a great meal, though! If you ever see something like that again, I'd appreciate seeing a post about it. I enjoy seeing wild mushrooms used by other folks -- there are so many different kinds! :D
A much more productive activity than participating in the Stupor Brawl rituals!
Even if I don't pick any mushrooms, an afternoon out looking for them beats watching TV, for sure! I hope you find some nice mushrooms next time you are outdoors!
there's so many varieties, all looks yummy :)
Thanks! You are right about there being so many kinds of mushrooms! There are more than anyone can learn in a lifetime - and they are so interesting, too, in how they fit into our environment.
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I feel like I taste well-being when I see your mushroom post :) Thanks always.
Thanks for the kind words, @bontonstory! Mushrooms do provide me, and hopefully you, too, with well-being! : )
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