‘Tis the season for colder weather, rainy days, and lots of wind. Trees are changing colors from bright green to warmer shades of red, brown, and orange. Leaves are falling, and the forests have an abundance of decay. Decay sounds bad, but I promise you, it’s not. The rotting leaves support fertilization for new plants and rotting wood gives home to many species of fungi. Mushrooms and other fungi are parasites. They feel and adapt. They are also very yummy. Well, some anyway, others are toxic and can be deadly. But those are very fun to photograph! The humid climate we have in western Oregon is perfect for growing several mushrooms. Plenty of Oregonians go mushroom hunting, and they provide so much information! I’ve done a bit of research to help novice hunters figure out the best areas, the best time during the year, and how to distinguish different species of fungi. According to That Oregon Life, a sure-fire way of finding mushrooms is to know your trees! Certain trees support certain fungi! Two of the more common families of mushrooms are boletes and chanterelles, they both have distinct flavors and appearances, which make them hard to miss. Both of them do grow mostly on fir trees, pine trees, oak trees, and western hemlock. Luckily for us, those are a few of the most common trees in our forests. Other species these trees grow are hedgehog mushrooms, matsutake, ‘Slippery Jack’ mushrooms, Suillus, blewits, black trumpets, honey mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms. Trees like Aspen, Spruce, Willow, and Birch trees also primarily home these subspecies. With the knowledge of what trees to gravitate towards when mushroom hunting, you also need a few primal identification skills in order to avoid potentially toxic mushrooms. Several mushroom families have twins or doubles. One is delicious, the other… not so much. There are ultimately two basic ways of identifying. One is very basic, meant for someone who wouldn’t mind missing out on a few yummy ‘shrooms. The second is quite basic as well, it’s meant to help distinguish between families. The first method I mentioned, is to ID any possibly toxic mushrooms. Super general. When inspecting a possible addition to a meal, check these things off in order to determine if they could be toxic: Are there white gills? Is there any red or bright, neon yellow spots on the cap or stem? Is there a skirt or ring around the stem? Does it smell unpleasantly like chemicals? Is there a sort of sack that the stem is protruding out of (also called a volva)? If yes to any of these, the ‘shroom could be toxic! According to That Oregon Life, a sure-fire way of finding mushrooms is to know your trees! Certain trees support certain fungi! Two of the more common families of mushrooms are boletes and chanterelles, they both have distinct flavors and appearances, which make them hard to miss. Both of them do grow mostly on fir trees, pine trees, oak trees, and western hemlock. Luckily for us, those are a few of the most common trees in our forests. Other species these trees grow are hedgehog mushrooms, matsutake, ‘Slippery Jack’ mushrooms, Suillus, blewits, black trumpets, honey mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms. Trees like Aspen, Spruce, Willow, and Birch trees also primarily home these subspecies. With the knowledge of what trees to gravitate towards when mushroom hunting, you also need a few primal identification skills in order to avoid potentially toxic mushrooms. Several mushroom families have twins or doubles. One is delicious, the other… not so much. There are ultimately two basic ways of identifying. One is very basic, meant for someone who wouldn’t mind missing out on a few yummy ‘shrooms. The second is quite basic as well, it’s meant to help distinguish between families. The first method I mentioned, is to ID any possibly toxic mushrooms. Super general. When inspecting a possible addition to a meal, check these things off in order to determine if they could be toxic: Are there white gills? Is there any red or bright, neon yellow spots on the cap or stem? Is there a skirt or ring around the stem? Does it smell unpleasantly like chemicals? Is there a sort of sack that the stem is protruding out of (also called a volva)? If yes to any of these, the ‘shroom could be toxic! However, if one wanted to get in on a little bit of fun, you must know the basic appearances of the different fungal families and I found a perfect guide in the NY Times! Edible agaric mushrooms have pink to brown spots on their cap, a pure white background on their cap, usually black gills, and a stout stem with a skirt. If you press the cap a bit to create a bruise, the color will change to pale yellow, pink, or pale red. Toxic agarics bruise a bright, chrome yellow and will have an extremely unpleasant chemical scent. The bolete, sillius, and Leccinum families have short, stout stems and instead of gills, they have sponge-like pores. Any toxic doubles in these families will have red spots on the cap, stem, and pores. Another way you can test for a bolete’s toxicity is by carefully slicing it vertically. If a rapid color change happens, likely blue, it’s toxic! The Russulaceae family is mostly all toxic! Unless you have an expert in the field to help identify it, stay away from them. They are most commonly known as milkcap mushrooms because they leak a milk-like lactate substance from their gills. Another mostly toxic family of mushrooms is the Amanita genus. Every subspecies of this family have white gills or spores. They also all grow from a volva. Check for one before picking it! One of my favorite families, and the last, is commonly known as the Russula. Particularly, the brittlegill mushroom. When you come across it, and you are sure it’s this type, try it! Obviously, don’t take a huge bite out of it, but put a tiny piece of the cap onto your tongue. If you taste chili or a different chemical taste, spit it out because it’s toxic! Most toxic brittlegills won’t cause death, but if fully consumed, you’ll definitely be sick. If you live near or are able to travel towards the more western forests, do! They are particularly perfect growing places. McDonald forest, Chip Ross, Alsea Falls, and the Suislaw National forest are top-notch places to start. I will say however because these areas are well-known hunting spots, try finding an area less-known. Mushrooms love being near creeks or growing on hills! If you can, find a more seasoned hunting partner, if not, be sure to use as many guides as you can. If you have a written guide, the best way to identify mushrooms is to ask yourself some questions: What time of year is it? What does the mushroom smell like? Does it have any red spots? What color does it bruise? What’s the physical description? Where is it growing? Enjoy the mushrooms you hunted with friends, and maybe convince them to go with you next time!
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Hi! My name is Avery, this will be my third term here at LBCC. I am majoring in Journalism and I'm going to minor in Spanish. I am fluent, but since I dropped out before I could finish the dual immersion program I was in, I want to get the seal of fluency on my diploma; plus it's fun! If you have any Spanish homework, I can help. I have two cats, Teacup who is a super fluffy black void, and Lego the Chicken Chomper, who is gray and stripey. They both turned 3 years old last June, but they're still babies. I love to photograph them when they do weird things, which is most of the time, so I have an abundance. I'm taking photojournalism because one: I need the credits and two: because I enjoy photography. I have always loved taking pictures, not so much being the subject, but I've been practicing more taking them of other people. I actually don't enjoy photographing people; it's hard and most of the time awkward. The only people I've continually enjoyed photographing are my best friend, who loves dressing up and modeling for me, and my 12-year-old brother who enjoys the high-shutter speed pictures I take when he swims or has a track meet. I enjoy nature and have mainly been photographing insects, wildlife, and the moon. The moon is my favorite, I've gotten quite skilled at taking detailed photos with my semi-crappy Sony digital camera. I don't enjoy editing my photos; usually, I don't because I'm a perfectionist and make sure they come out exactly how I want them. When I do edit, it's mainly to clarify colors or make something stand out more. Maybe I just haven't found the proper editing software to make it enjoyable?
My goals for this class are to one: learn how to take pictures and write captions that are descriptive but elusive enough, and that creates an impact on whoever is looking at them. I'm an artist, mainly painting, and I've always enjoyed the way I can create something somewhat abstract because everybody always tells me something different. My second goal is to add more to my blog so that I can increase the meat of my portfolio. My last goal is to work up to getting an internship with one of the newspapers in town. |
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