Full disclosure, I'm not a huge fan of mushrooms as food. My wife, however, loves them. If she has a quiet night at home without me, mushrooms are almost invariably on the dinner menu. That said, from a biological perspective, I think fungi are fascinating. If someone had told me at, say, twelve years old that the underground mycelium network (mycelia are the fungal organisms for which mushrooms provide reproductive function) is largely unknown and unknowable, that might have inspired a lifelong interest. Mycelia are dependent on darkness, you see. In fact, exposure to any light - natural or artificial - will kill them. So humans will likely always be limited in understanding their world. That's exactly the sort of mystery that would have hooked me at an impressionable age.
Plus, our child (briefly home for a couple weeks) is an aspiring botanist so tagging along for their woodland explorations is always gratifying.
Even during high season, morels can be elusive. But they did not disappoint us this rainy mid-May morning.
As part of the cost of the tour, we got snacks at the end: oyster mushrooms and ramps with a baguette. I have to admit, they were quite yummy. I even went for seconds.
A bonus treat: earlier in the weekend, I nearly tripped over this gorgeous bullfrog while out on a walk in the neighborhood.
Morels are very tasty, and with ramps, yum. I did go out and find ramps this spring! Tasty, but not everyone likes them.
ReplyDeleteI don't find them especially exciting but they're fine.
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