The fungus hunters

 

We drove up to a burn zone yesterday afternoon to search for Morels. This particular area (just one of many) covers thousands of acres along the Chewuch River, close to the town of Winthrop. 

The scope of the destruction last summer was pretty amazing to see up close, and how nature is already renewing itself in small ways. But it was eerily quiet, with no birds or visible animals.

The Morel fungus "fruits" for short period in the spring, depending on the weather, and they especially like fresh burn areas. Because they only grow in the wild, they're a hot commodity with chefs and mushroom enthusiasts. 

Even for novice mushroom hunters, they are fairly easy to identify, with a honeycomb exterior and white, hollow interior. They often poke out of pine needle beds at the base of trees.

 As with all wild mushrooms, care needs to be taken, in particular avoiding the "false Morel" which has a solid interior and nasty consequences.

Morels are somewhat tricky. In particular, they must be cooked before you eat them. They say to avoid eating them when consuming alcohol, as morels contain small amounts of hydrazine toxins. 

These toxins aren't deadly, but cause stomach cramps, etc. They are mostly destroyed when cooked, but can still cause issues in people with a sensitivity to mushrooms. In other words, eat your first morel with caution.

None of this sounds very appetizing, but they are considered a gourmet delicacy. Unlike regular slimy mushrooms, the Morel texture is meaty and they apparently taste earthy.

Amanda, Tom and Maya with her sharp young eyes soon filled a bag. If I had to survive on Morels in the wild (thankfully not) I would starve. I didn't find a single one, but mostly because I was busy gawking around at the strange features of the burn zone.

The landscape is dotted with crater-like holes, many several feet deep. Watch your step. These are spots where the fire burned out entire stumps and the below ground root systems.

Tree trunks transformed into crumbling black carbon.  Just waiting to topple over.

 

We had nice rain in Twisp over the weekend, always welcome here. Not welcome are all the weeds coming up in our gravel driveway. I don't remember that last year? This summer is starting out wetter and cooler and everyone has fingers crossed because fire season is right around the corner. And there will be fires, that is a given. 

But for now at least, the air is fresh and clean and the world looks wonderfully green and new. I'm having two new neighbors over this afternoon for drinks on the deck. I love this causal small town friendliness. And tomorrow, John arrives with special company visiting from Ohio. More on that later.