My Mushroom Mascot

The death of my beloved Sierra left a hollow space in my heart. For me, life without a canine companion is empty. Fortunately, my landlord's dog, Sheamus, was more than pleased to fill the void with his delightful company. Every time I took him along for a ride through the state forest, I would spot some good edible mushrooms from the road. For blessing me with "mushroom luck", Seamus became my "Mushroom Mascot".


Sniff...sniff.. This one will do nicely in an omelet.



Sheamus meets wild turkeys.
An intense moment... stand-off between dog and bird. The energy of this meeting was electric! Always the perfect little gentledog, Sheamus checked his instinct to chase. The turkeys, too, kept their distance, but interest was high on both sides. As Sheamus inched closer, the turkeys grew wary, strutting off into the woods.



Heading home... with a basket full of honeys and bluets.



Honey Mushrooms
I picked pounds of honeys nearly every day for weeks. No need to walk through the woods to spot these. They were so prolific, you couldn't miss them from the road running through the state forest. I've never seen (or gathered) so many honeys in this area before.



A small hen-of-the-woods...
One day's growth fit nicely in the palm of my hand. I could have left this another few days to grow larger, but it was so perfectly fresh, I decided to cut it while it was still undiscovered by insects.


The last and largest of 2009.
The season's last hen weighed in at 8 lbs... not very large compared to those many foragers find in other areas, but it was in perfect condition and 8 lbs. is a lot of mushroom to clean, and enough to make mushroom lasagna, mushroom pizza, mushroom strata, all shared with the Forest Rangers at Shawme-Crowell who are my favorite "taste testers" and always willing to sample my mushroom concoctions.



Mushroom eye candy.
Top: Pink Fruiting Lichen -Bottom: Turkey Tails & Lichen growing on a stump.

Thanksgiving Dinner - Hens & Chickens, No Turkey, please!

My idea of Thanksgiving dinner, courtesy of wild bounty foraged from Shawme-Crowell State Forest - Sandwich, Massachusetts.

Vegetarian Thanksgiving - Hens & Chickens, but No Turkey, please! from Lucille Iacovelli on Vimeo.

Struck my funny bone!

Birthday greeting from my dear friend:

The pen bit .... priceless! I could just see (and hear) Dianne as the first pen ran dry and she searched for another while Tigger and Sasha meow " Purrr Mommy", swish their tails and turn up their noses at the 10th kind of gourmet/prescription cat food she's tried to entice them with that day. I don't want more birthdays... I would much rather reincarnate ASAP and return as one of Dainne's beloved cats!

Another delightful birthday surprise...

A magnificent Birthday Bouquet from my dear friend Mary Anne, Detail of some individual blossoms- Beauty within beauty, reflecting itself again and again...

Having all the ingredients on hand, I baked a birthday cake, winging it as I went along, as is usual when I am in experimental baking mode. Peter, a ranger at Shawme-Crowell State Forest, (where all my favorite mushrooms grow) would celebrate his birthday on the 19th, the day after mine, so I baked this cake with him in mind. I should have measured and written down the ingredients, because this gingerbread-pumpkin-cocoa pound cake studded with walnuts, dried cranberries, dark chocolate chips and preserved ginger turned out to be one of my best experimental creations. Frosted with a thin glaze of dutch & black cocoa, confection sugar, a pinch each of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, allspice and thinned down with Marsala and a drop of orange oil...the deep, dark flavor perfectly compliments the not-too-sweet gingerbread richly textured with the addition of the pumpkin. It's a very October cake.. a Libra cake. My decorating skills are a bit rusty, but passable. (Those are supposed to be mushrooms at the bottom of the cake, as Peter christened me "The Mushroom Lady" when I first began foraging at Shawme-Crowell.)

Sunday afternoon just before the 4 PM "changing of the guards", I headed over to the State Forest. As I drove through the entrance and immediately noticed the little station was empty and not a vehicle in sight, I realized my mistake. After October 16, rangers are there only certain days and hours, as this is the start of the off-season.

The cake is in my freezer now. I left a message at the ranger station, but if I don't hear from them by next week, the cake will end up as coffee break fare for the folks at the Sandwich Library.

Update: Peter did get his cake!