The big rains subsided and the sky looks deeper blue than usual. What a great day to go outside. I did a little gardening and added compost to my worm farm. Next up, time to gather the last storm’s bounty of mushrooms.
It's kind of funny out foraging under my tree. I am anything but alone. Nitro, my border collie follows me from the front and stands panting over the best chanterelles. The chickens are excellent foragers in their own right. Luckily, as they dig through the leaves, they have no interest in my mushrooms. They occasionally uproot them but no harm done. I find it curious that the bugs and me are the only ones eating the mushrooms.
The forest behind the house coaxed us nearer and I led my motley crew under the thick pine trees. I ducked under the branches, plucking up an orange Easter egg like fungi find. A chicken followed me to see if I found something for her. Here we were winding through the woods. I zigged, they zagged and nitro circled around keeping tabs on us all. I like the chanterelles that grow in the pine straw the best. They grow a little taller and they are so clean without any sand or grit. Under the canopy it is less clear who the host tree is for these little mushrooms. They seem to meander aimlessly through the woods just like us.
Two lefts and a right or was it two rights? A few more circles and the chickens have abandoned us. I came to the giant old oak and realized I was not where I thought I was. Nitro looks off in a direction I hadn't tried and I think for a bit that I should follow him home.
That only lasts a moment until I remember he is just going where he thinks I want to go, a herding dog through and through. We reach a much thicker part of the woods and encounter an unfamiliar oak tree. The dense brush seems impassible. Before turning around, flaming red flashes catch my eye. Was my wayward voyage actually for a clandestine purpose?
Under the tree was a circle of tiny flame chanterelles. I gathered them up and zig zagged back through more unfamiliar territory. I startled a deer and recognized the marsh area it fled to. Ah yes, the familiar Carolina bay 100 yards south of where I started. With my newly found confidence, I called Nitro to follow me. I popped out of the brush and plodded home looking a little worse for wear, but pretty pleased with my finds.
They are so bright!
Very cool!