Fall is a great time to forage Chicken of the Woods mushrooms. The bright orange fan shaped mushroom grow like frilly shelves from the side of trees and stand out like a flag. Last year we found a huge clutch of them exploding from a downed tree at Lake Maria State Park in Minnesota. Read more ›
Last weekend my daughter and I went out for a hike along a lazy little stream called Minnehaha Creek that makes its way down to the Mississippi. We went the back way down a well worn trail through the woods, joking about ghosts and monsters that might be lurking near the giant old weeping willow tree. As we walked under the willow, fighting a magical battle with our stick swords, I spied two large clumps of mushrooms. Lovely, pale silvery brown, some as large as my hand, the mushrooms fanned out in a layered array from the side of a downed ash tree. Stick swords abandoned, we went to investigate. Edible? Oh please, say yes. Read more ›