Here's a super cool trick my boyfriend taught me recently...If you're ever lost in the woods and you wish you had a loud whistle just find an acorn cap and you'll be all set!
Here's your reminder: Autumn is beautiful and it's time to go spend some time in nature 🍁🍂
Or if you're from the south... It's fall y'all! Better go look at them leaves before they're gone.
I finally managed to push through my avoidance and made it to the town right next to ours today. I visited Old Fort North Carolina and Black Mountain North Carolina to try to find a generator for a friend and some men's clothing. It was really sad to see the devastation in person especially in Old Fort. It didn't make it any easier that I had seen so many pictures already. It was heartbreaking to be there knowing how it used to look before Hurricane Helene hit.
Something to make you smile that definitely made me smile today! I absolutely love my four goats but they are a bit skittish and they just came that way. I didn't get to bottle feed them or something to make them really trusting of me like a lot of people do and that's just not the type of place they came from. They have been very well loved by everyone who has had them but they are just a little standoffish and that's just part of their personality. I have managed to get them to sniff my fingers in the past which was an exciting moment but overall they tend to stand a few feet away from me (Even though they follow me all over the place... And come when I call).
I have tried so many different kinds of treats for them. I have bought every kind of goat treat you can get at the feed supply place. I have given them fresh fruits and vegetables and they really love banana leaves from my tree... But none of those things had them crowding around me or loving on me or licking my fingers.
Today they are eating out of my hands and licking my fingers! I found the key to get to into a goat's heart... Apparently it's cracked corn!
I hope this makes you smile as much as it makes me smile!
I'm thrilled to have gotten a behind the scenes look at the mushroom magic (not magic mushrooms) happening at Catawba Mushroom Partners Farm! These guys work super hard to provide some of the most beautiful and delicious mushrooms you can buy in North Carolina. They have Lions Mane, Pioppino, Chestnuts, Oysters, and so much more to enjoy. They distribute their mushrooms to many local restaurants and farmers markets and grocery stores. I personally buy their mushrooms from Food Matters Market in Morganton, North Carolina and have been enjoying them for multiple years now! 😀 They're definitely my favorite commercial mushroom growing operation.
I actually credit them somewhat to how smart my 3-year-old son is because I obsessively ate their Lions Mane mushrooms everyday for months while I was pregnant. Lion's Mane mushrooms are shown to increase neuroplasticity, memory, focus, and improve brain cell growth. All I'm saying is my 3-year-old can count to 60 and knows his entire alphabet and many more things that are considered advanced for his age. I don't know how I would exactly prove that it is the mushrooms that aided him to be so smart but that is where I personally put credit! 🍄
Click the blue link above to visit their page and follow and like them. To follow them on Instagram visit https://www.instagram.com/catawbamushroompartners
Check out their website at:
https://www.catawbamushroom.com/
Technically, they are in Claremont NC but they are so close to Catawba, you could pretty much throw a rock...or a mushroom at it!
I have the internet again! I also have a lot of new pets and an amazing new 60 gallon bioactive vivarium that I want to share with you guys. This is my cure for the winter blues when the mushrooms start to not flush quite as abundantly in the cooler weather. It's like watching a little piece of the forest inside my house! I love it. Today I enjoyed a really beautiful day. I love sharing with you guys and I'm so glad to be able to upload a video again. Also I ended up finding a puffball mushroom shortly after this video! So not all the mushrooms are gone despite our recent lack of rainfall since the hurricane. Hopefully I'll find some more soon to share with you guys. I also have been spending time with a wonderful mushroom farmer and will hopefully be able to show you some cool info about cultivated mushrooms soon.
😱 I ATE A TOXIC MUSHROOM!
.
.
.
AND IT WAS DELICIOUS! But don't try this at home!
I cannot recommend anyone eats this mushroom as I do not know the cause of why it makes people sick or if it has any potential toxins or poisons inside of it. However I was sure to consult some people that I consider mycology experts prior to consuming. The potential was for vomiting and diarrhea for about 4 hours to one day... but no risk of death.
I ate the immature form of Scleroderma citrinum, the common earth ball or the poison pig skin earth ball. This mushroom is known for its dark black interior but it's immature form features a stark white interior. I have a hypothesis that the immature form of this mushroom is actually the prime specimen stage and the darker black interior is a sign this mushroom is in decay similar to other puffball species which change color as they expire. This mushroom is known to have a high zinc content which is something that can slow down bacterial growth and even prevent certain bacteria from colonizing. I think perhaps the zinc content contributes to this mushroom stain quite firm during its decay cycle unlike other puffball species which get more squishy as they age. I know squishy isn't exactly a scientific description.
I am not a scientist and I am not a mycologist (maybe someday) I am merely a mushroom hobbyist who is extremely passionate. Someone else will have to do the research as far as the potential edibility for anyone to eat it.. but at least for today I figured out that when I eat it I am fine. I hope this inspires additional scientific research into the potential edibility of this species.
To read more scientific information about this mushroom visit: https://www.mushroomexpert.com/scleroderma_citrinum.html
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/55927-Scleroderma-citrinum#:~:text=Scleroderma%20citrinum%2C%20commonly%20known%20as,%2C%20Scleroderma%20aurantium%20(Vaill.)
For some interesting information on research related to poten
Today I found a TOXIC look alike to the puffball called Scleroderma citrinum. It is nicknamed the Earthball mushroom! When young it can look very much like a puffball with a white interior but as it ages it's interior turns yellow and then black with a blue/purple tinge. They also grow from soil like our Puffballs, but they have a strong mushroom smell, are often wet inside, and have a much firmer texture. Check it out and make sure you don't gather these to eat by mistake or you will regret it. They can cause severe gastrointestinal distress and some species can cause damage to the central nervous system. There are rumors that this mushroom may potentially be edible in it's young white form in other countries. I am still researching this topic to find out if it is related to its maturity level or a completely different species. In the meantime I absolutely do not recommend anyone ever consumes this mushroom whether or not it is raw or cooked. This is a poisonous mushroom and if you eat it you're going to have a bad time.
Puffballs are everywhere in Marion, North Carolina and many other places right now! How can you tell if your puffball is fresh enough to eat or if it is a look alike? I answer those questions and more right here in this video. Today I foraged multiple pounds of Calvatia cyathiformis mushrooms, one species of puffball, and wanted to show you how I tell if they are good enough to eat.
https://www.mushroomexpert.com/calvatia_cyathiformis.html
Join Mushroom Edibility & Discussion for recipe ideas and to ask if your puffball is fresh
You never know what you can have until you ask! Sometimes people's fears of asking prevent them from getting the best things in life. You want a raise at your job? Maybe you should ask for one. You want to know if you can get a discount or a deal at a store? Sometimes the answer is yes if you ask. The worst answer most of the time is no. Being unafraid to ask questions has led me to so many wonderful places in life. Of course every once in a while the answer is no but more often than not simply asking for something generally leads me to a yes.
Today, on my way home from an absolutely fantastic guided hike with three beautiful ladies, I drove past a yard brimming with puffball mushrooms. I immediately pulled my truck over and asked the owner of the property if he knew what kind of mushrooms he had to which he replied he did not care and I could have them all. He said they popped up every time he mowed his lawn and I was welcome to take them every single time I saw them! He was very friendly and very generous and kind. This is my experience a majority of times that I ask strangers about mushrooms in their yard or whether or not I can hike their property. I would much rather ask for permission than to ever trespass on someone's land. A majority of the time it leads me to beautiful friendships which go on for many months and years sometimes. Some of my favorite private hiking locations are on private property I simply stumbled upon and asked for permission to look for mushrooms. This has given me access to hundreds of acres of land that no one else gets to forage on but me and the owner.
I'm totally stoked I just left this random yard with about 10 lb of puffball mushrooms! I'm going to make French toast out of them! They are like the tofu of the woods with a similar texture that is almost marshmallow like and a flavor that absorbs any spices you cook it with.
Honey mushrooms! Shrimp of the Woods! Turkey tails! And so many more mushrooms are gracing us for the fine fall mushroom season. We have entered a whole new realm of mushrooms and there are so many delicious edibles out ready to be harvested and enjoyed.
Honey mushrooms and shrimp of the woods look entirely different and taste totally different and have totally different textures but are kind of almost the same mushroom in a way. A cool secondary fungus, Entoloma abortivum, mutates Armillaria and Desarmillaria mushrooms (Honeys) and turns them into blobs of delicious lumps called Entoloma abortivum Carpophoroid form (Shrimp) that I think look more like garlic bulbs than shrimp, but tell me what you think! They also create another style of Honey mushroom which is a Steely gray and white called the Entoloma abortivum Agaric form. All forms are edible... Honey, Shrimp, and the Agaric form...when cooked.
They may cause mild gastric upset in some people even when cooked and are almost guaranteed to cause you gastric distress if ever consumed raw. So first definitely be sure to COOK THEM but also only eat a small amount the very first time that you try them to see how your digestive system handles them. I always eat the first of any mushrooms in just a little bit of butter sauteed up in a pan. These mildly sweet mushrooms are fantastic in any dish that calls for mushrooms and can even be turned into sweet mushroom desserts!
Watch my video for more explanations and to see these mushrooms in all their life stages. For more scientific information check out this great website
Entoloma Abortivum : https://www.mushroomexpert.com/entoloma_abortivum.html
Armillaria Mellea https://www.mushroomexpert.com/armillaria_mellea.html
Desarmillaria caespitosa (formerly Armillaria tabescens)
https://www.mushroomexpert.com/armillaria_tabescens.html
I finally got to try my Pioppino mushrooms! Which is apparently a very hard word for me to say correctly. This was the very first time I ate them and they were absolutely freaking delicious. They were nutty and sweet and savory and I think they would be phenomenal on a burger. This is a long format video where I'm just talking and there's a lot of good information in it about mushrooms and mushroom cultivation but also I just wanted to tell you guys about this awesome yard sale that I went to. It felt like I won the lottery over the last two days... And it was why I delayed making this video when I had promised it earlier and promised to make these for breakfast... Which didn't ever end up happening.
If you don't do long format and are at least willing to read this caption just know that I bought multiple vending machines and a grill and church pipes from an organ and a tile cutter and table saw and all sorts of crazy awesome stuff like Bud light cornhole set oh my gosh just so much stuff and everything was like a dollar or less a piece... Literally two entire gigantic real vending machines...$1 each.
So this is why I have been absent a couple days. But I'm back! The yard sale is over because it's raining. My ADHD has gotten the best of me the last few days from recuperating from being out of town and I haven't foraged in the woods but I plan to soon.
Stay tuned and I'll be bringing you lots more awesome mushrooms. I just might need a couple days to get my brain on track with my intentions. I definitely would like to get into the woods, especially around spruce pine North Carolina, to go try and find the recently fallen meteorite and some amazing mushrooms!
I got a lot of new recent followers and I just want to say hi! Thank you for being here and I hope you like my channel. Please feel free to reach out to me anytime if you have questions. I do my best to respond fairly quickly and I try to be helpful... But I don't know everything so I am honest and I will
These Pioppino mushrooms are absolutely magnificent and flushed beautifully. Thank you again to Catawba Mushroom Partners! I'm looking forward to putting them in my breakfast. Stay tuned and I'll let you know if I love the taste as much as I loved watching them grow each day.
Ps: I'll be looking forward to many more flushes after this! This bag is huge!
I have been very frequently asked if I am afraid of bears or coyotes or ax murderers coming to get me in the woods. The answer is absolutely not. Those things are afraid of finding me in the woods. If you find yourself on the east coast face-to-face with a black bear this is how you should handle it. If you are on the West Coast and are face-to-face with a grizzly bear you should just lay down and die. If they're brown lay down and if they're black fight back. Running is not an option.
