A hike in the woods....for mushrooms

My friend called me this morning and asked me to go mushrooming. We didn't get to go Friday. We also didn't get oyster mushrooms. It was cool but you could feel it getting warmer so I dressed with a warm jacket. Figured I could tie it around my waist when it got warm. I really needed it today cuz my allergies were bad and when my chest gets cold I get wheezy. At least this way I could hike.

 So we wandered past her barn, over the bridge over the creek and off to the woods. Its been pretty dry so there aren't many shroons out right now. Once it starts to rain, we will get more. Guess we missed the Oyster shroons but as we wandered we found some really big Lobster mushrooms.

 I recently read that its a mushroom that grows a red fungus on it which gives it , its color. They do hide under forest brush and stuff so you do have to look hard sometimes but once you do that, they are ez to spot. Bright orange! Kinda thick and lumpy looking, sometimes with furled edges. I bought one once at the Farmers Market here and wasn't too thrilled when I cooked it. It seemed tough. So I figure I will experiment with these.

We wandered thru looking for different kinds but didnt find any yet. And so once we thought we got whatever was around we headed back.   theres a dirt area and we often walk thru it looking for tracks. Shes teaching me how to know what animals are around out here. She hunts and fishes. The coyotes have been out so she brought her .22 with her today just in case. Also her dog goes with us for protection. He whines when any are near.

 And so she showed me the deer tracks, and then elk tracks. Told me how the elk tracks change depending on whether they are strolling or running. Saw some poop too and also come coyote poop. Told me what the cougars scat looks like too.

 And then I pointed a track out and said is this a bear? .........yup it was. I think she was surprised I figured that out. It wasn't a very clear track but .......Ive seen enough teddy bear paws to know the basic shape lol. And so apparently the bears went thru too cuz of the berries there in the woods.....and then we saw the scat.....full of berries. They are filling up for winter hibernation.    I told her I think I surprise my bf,,,,,,he doesn't know I love hiking, never saw me do it in Ca. But I did in NJ.

 

 And so once we got past that we were on the dirt road back to her house. We stopped at the bridge there that is over the creek. Lots of fat blackberries there so I picked more. Her dog saw us doing that and decided he would help. So he picked them and ate them lol.

 It was getting hot so once we got back to her house, I took off my boots and jacket and headed home. As you can see by the pic thats the mushroom haul this trip. That is my fist, which while I dont have big hands......its comparable to the size of these mushrooms. Im gonna do a bit more research on them but I think Ill dry these.  

      I washed and sliced them all. They filled up the dehydrator. I'm taking the trimmings and stuff I took off them to toss out in MY woods. I read that I could start some new ones maybe , if I do that. So maybe next yr. Ill have some of my own right here.   

 I cut one up to make Wild Mushroom and Chicken Alfredo for dinner that nite. The rest I sliced up to put in the dehydrator. This is whats left, in the jar after its been dried.

Berry picking on my friends farm...

Nice big fat berries everywhere on my friends farm. I picked last week and got about 8lbs. Since they are growing everywhere there and tons of them, I went back yesterday and will probably go once a week till they are gone.

 My friends dog loves eating blackberries so he follows us around. She told me not to put my basket down cuz he would help himself when I wasn't looking lol.

 Hes begging her now for some berries.....I gave him a few on and off thru the day. After all he protects us there on the farm. When we went mushrooming last yr. he came with us in the woods because he knew there was a coyote around. My friend says he never goes with her usually so she knew something was wrong.

 This is behind her barn. There's a huge length of blackberry bushes. We both picked alot but she gave me hers. She said she had some from last yr. Since I do canning I told her, Ill make some jam for her. Shes more of a hunter/fisher-woman while I'm more of the growing it myself and canning type. Its a good match.

 Some of her horses.........seems they like the blackberries too cuz I had to watch where I stepped when we picked behind the barn lol.

 Its so beautiful here, I just love coming to her farm. I remembered to bring my camera this time. Every time she and I do stuff, there's always something that we see that I say....darn I wish I brought my camera! She said why don't you just plan on having it whenever we do stuff lol .

 That's her house down there, we were up at the barn, in the pasture. Some days I can see elk out in the fields here. She often goes hunting herself. Got a deer last yr and the head is on her wall. She amazes me. She may make a mountain woman out of me yet.

 This was my haul this week. When I got home to wash them and get them ready to freeze, I measure them and put them in marked plastic bags so I know how much I have. This week I got 10lbs! I promised my friend some jam, but I also promised my bfs folks, and my kids and grand kids since they love it too. (BTW I bring long tongs with me when I go picking. They help me move the canes or pull down tall canes without getting all ripped up by the thorns.)

First blog of the new year-chicken sh*t and all that jazz

Yesterday I spent most of the day at the egg lady's house. Her other half D was making orange marmalade. Now Ive never made that before and wanted to learn how, especially since he said his is not bitter. Ive always avoided orange marmalade because of that bitterness. While I understand that is classic orange marmalade, its not to my tastes.

And so I helped zest the oranges and cut them up. Then he cooked them down and did one recipe so I could see how he does it. It does get less bitter as he cooks it but I see some tweaks Ill be making now when I do my own batch this week. Oranges were 2lbs for $1 and it is winter, the best time to buy citrus so I picked some up the other day in anticipation of this. I however will use less pith in my version. I know alot of it cooks down but I didn't like the taste of it on the zest. So Ill remove as much as I can there and leave some on the fruit itself. That seems to melt away with cooking.

But it was a nice afternoon sitting and talking with him about our lives. My friend S was in and out doing chores with the chickens and at the end of the day when I was going home she gifted me with something special. A big sack of fresh chicken shit for my garden lol. Now we have talked about it before but I always wondered how would I get it here since I don't have a truck. But she bagged it up in a big feed sack and used the small digger to lift it and bring it to my car trunk. Then she moved it in there. I thought for sure it would stink but it didn't, thank God. I was wondering how I would be able to stand the drive home lol.

And so when I got here I tried to get the sack out of my car and couldn't lift the damn thing. Now I know why she used the digger and drove it over to my car. I had to get my bf  to get it out and you should see the look he gave me when I told him I needed his help lol. And it was heavy for him too but he slung it over his shoulder and brought it to my garden. (Now thats love!) Now I just have to get brave enough on a nice day here to work it into my veggie beds. It has to cure in the dirt over the winter so it wont burn the plants come spring. Should be real interesting since the only time I ever did that was in NJ. With a shovel in the ground. This Ill have to dig out of the bag and bring over to each bed......yuck . lol But something has to be done about this lousy soil and I have a free source of fertilizer hehehe.

I only had yogurt and fruit in the morning tho before I went to their house and by the time I left I was starving. Not a good thing . I had some of the leftover ham salad in a sammich when I got home but I think I waited too long to eat. Later on we got a pizza since my bf ate late too and nobody was really hungry......so why cook? That on top of the sammich I don't think worked well and I didn't feel good by the time the New Year came in. And so we tried to stay awake till then, gave each other smooches and went off to bed. Damn when did we get so old? Honestly Id rather be at a party but........and even my bf  said he wished he had a gig that nite. So for next yr. I am wishing he gets one so we can really celebrate. I hate this old people stuff lol

And so last nite I pulled out a prime rib roast. I bought it long ago and I'm not sure its good anymore. I'm going to check it soon and if its still ok ......we will ring in the new yr in style. If not, I have a pork roast in the fridge that I can roast instead. But Ill be making my garlic roasted taters and use up the broccoli in my veggie bin too. I'm thinking of making a pie but not sure what kind yet. I don't have any whipped cream here and I don't want to go to the store, but I was thinking a pumpkin pie since we didn't get much of that this past yr.

Later on this week tho Ill be making my orange marmalade. And if I don't screw it up Ill be posting that here. I wished my friends Happy New Yr and hugged them tho when I was there yesterday. Told them I love them and truly I do, they are such nice people. Gave her mom a hug too and teased her about eating all the Snickerdoodles I made for her. She just loved them.  And so I rang out the old year with friends, rang in the new yr with my love.