Monday, October 30, 2017

Chanterelle Mushroom Hunting With Kids

Image may contain: plant, flower, nature and outdoorLast year my family moved to the southern Oregon Coast and what an amazing place it is to live.  I was raised in the desert, where things only grew if you irrigated non stop.  Living here where there is lots of rain is so amazing.  One of the best things is that there is so much food growing in the woods and also in the ocean for those willing to make an effort.  After trying Chanterelle mushroom I must say I am addicted.  They taste amazing and have a wonderful meaty texture.

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Fall mushroom hunting season has just begun and so we have been up every other day to play in the woods just a few minutes from our house.  Its so beautiful that even if we didn't find any I would still be happy. My children come with me and my youngest son loves to hunt, and eat, mushrooms.  I stick to the very easy to identify mushrooms as I'm too nervous to enjoy something I'm not absolutely sure about.


A frog we found looking for a princess
Bringing your children mushroom hunting is an education that cant be replaced.  I teach them about woodcraft, how to identify areas where certain wild foods are most likely to grow, safety from wild predators as we have bear, cougars, and coyotes (though we have yet to see any thank goodness), observations of animals we see, and also the importance of taking care of our wild places.



Image may contain: food and indoorWhere we consistently found the chanterelles was next to paths where the soil was loose and they got a little sunlight.  Also the ground had to be damp.  Also lots of other ground mushrooms growing was a good indicator that you would find chanterelles growing nearby. This pic is of our finds from a few hours yesterday.


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Identified as turkey tail, medicinal use
 I am not an environmentalist or a green advocate. They seem to think humans are evil and the source of all destruction. But I see humanity as a great source of good for our planet in many ways.  My father was a hunter and wild food gatherer and taught me that if we want our children's children to be able to hunt, fish, or just enjoy nature we must preserve it and care for it.

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