Get 'Em While They Last

Day 1: Today opens the fourteenth year of my daily blog, so it seemed appropriate to have an "in with the new, out with the old" post, and Shaggymanes seemed as good an example as any. Both of these photos were taken day before yesterday. The image on the left shows Coprinus comatus almost at its prime. The loose ring encircling the stipe of the one in the center indicates that it is just beginning to turn to ink. It would still be harvestable at this point, although the bottom part of the cap might need to be trimmed away before cooking. The 'shroom in the foreground has some darkening where the cap touches the stipe. This also is a sign that it's nearing the end of its optimum culinary desirability. The image at the right shows Shaggies which are well past their expiry date, having suffered from two days of rain. That said, this transition can occur in the space of 24 hours, so get 'em while they're fresh!

Shaggymane Hill

Day 365: When I first discovered Shaggymanes (Coprinus comatus) on a local but little-used hiking trail, I dubbed the spot "Coprinus Corner" and lodged the coordinates firmly in my mental GPS. Every year since then, the location has produced at least one bowl of soup. A few years ago, I found a few additional 'shrooms a bit farther up the hill and added two more spots to the map in my head. Yesterday, I decided to make a loop with a double purpose: to put some miles on my feet and to ascertain whether the hard rain had ruined all the budding Shaggies I'd seen last week. Since I didn't want to risk having them turn to ink if I carried them for the whole trip, I did the route in reverse of my usual pattern so that I would be closest to my car if I picked any. As I came down from the crest of the hike, this was what met my eye at the topmost recorded location. At least 85 percent of them were too far gone to harvest, but I managed to find enough firm ones for a very hefty bowl of soup. The ones at Coprinus Corner were past pull date. Now I think this area deserves renaming to "Shaggymane Hill."

Shaggymane Season

Day 359: I'd gone out of the house at a dead lope, hurrying to get down to the pharmacy before they ran out of vaccines again, and other than grabbing a "perhaps bag" and sticking it in a day-pack, did not really consider what else I might need. Halfway to Eatonville, I said, "Oh, dang. I think there's a 'shroom knife in here someplace," and there was, tucked in the console. It wasn't until I got out of the car at the trailhead and started up the hill that I realized I didn't have a hat. I never go out without a hat, and the problem was that I was walking into the sun and it was blinding me. I got up to my Shaggymane patch, looked in all the usual places, didn't see anything, and then continued on up the hill to check a second site. There was nothing there either, so I turned around and started down. Now that I was facing away from the sun, I saw what I hadn't seen before: a nice cluster of a dozen or so 'shrooms just begging to be cream-of-shaggy soup. I'd gone right past them! The biggest one had begun to turn to ink, so I left it, and there were quite a few end-of-thumb sized caps poking up through the grass, too small to pick. If the rain doesn't ruin them, there'll be another batch of soup next week.

Shaggies On The Menu

Day 1: Today, this blog enters its twelfth year of continuous daily publication of essays and photos covering natural history, botany and fiber arts. It has occasionally ventured into other tangential subject matter (including a rant or two for which I hope my readers will forgive me), but primarily, my goal has been to make science less scary, and to inspire creativity and learning among my readership. I always like to start the new "year" with something special, so please join me for a delicious bowl of Shaggymane soup.

Since Columbus Day weekend meant that outdoor enthusiasts from every walk of life were out for a last-gasp hike, I didn't return to Coprinus Corner until yesterday (Tuesday) when I thought I'd have the woods to myself. As soon as I rounded the bend, I saw that many of the nubbins I'd noted on Friday had matured and were already turning to ink. As I got closer, I found quite a few finger-sized specimens in the grassy verge, but the batch which always grows up right smack in the middle of the dirt road had been trampled by horses. I had to remind myself that the presence of horses may have contributed to the Shaggies' preference for this particular spot, but that's another story. In any event, I collected enough for a very large bowl of soup, and left many more behind to ensure the continuing fruitfulness of the patch. This will be the end of the Shaggies for this all-too-fleeting season. Oh, but it was good while it lasted!

The Best Soup

Day 360: Chanterelles are good for a fry-up. Morels are good on meat. Boletas can be sliced into steaks for frying, but if you want the best mushroom soup ever, you'll want Shaggymanes. I've been scouting my patch every few days for a couple of weeks now, not wanting to miss them. They're fairly short-lived once they come through the ground, turning to ink shortly after the cap loosens from the stipe and begins to flare. They're best at finger-size, but since I only found three as large as the one on the left, I selectively harvested half a cupful of thumb-sized nubbins for the remainder of my lunch. Don't worry! I left plenty behind, and Monday or Tuesday, I'll take another "mushroom walk" to gather another soup's-worth if the rain hasn't beaten them down. I take only enough for immediate use, and that's why this patch has been serving me well for four years now.

Shaggymane Soup (single serving)
Roughly chop 3/4 cup of Shaggymane caps, and fry in a tablespoon of butter with a little garlic powder, but don't overdo it. Cook until most of the liquid disappears. Stir in a heaping tablespoon of flour with salt and pepper and make a roux. Add 3/4 cup of milk. Stir while heating it until the first "boil bubble" comes to the top, and not a minute longer. Your soup is done! Enjoy!

She Scores!

Day 2: As a hunter-gatherer ("hunting" what I gather, you understand), I am keenly aware that timing is critical. Nevertheless, I very nearly missed the window for this score, although I was at this exact spot on September 29. That's fourteen days ago, and there was not a single Shaggymane in evidence at that time, not even a button. Today, there were at least a hundred, 75% of which were in some phase of turning to ink, many already long gone. The top left image shows the scene as I first perceived it with a heavy heart. How could I have possibly missed them? And then as I attempted to assess whether any of them were salvageable for soup, I realized that I was surrounded by younger, healthier specimens. I pulled my perhaps-bag out of my pack, grabbed my 'shroom knife and began severing stipes. Eventually, I said, "Okay, that's enough. The rest of you stay there and make lots more Shaggies for me for next year." To date, it was the heaviest yield I've seen at this particular location. It's almost as if they're benefiting from being harvested. End of story? I've just polished off an enormous bowl of Shaggymane soup: thick, rich and seasoned with salt, pepper and a light touch of garlic. You gotta love autumn.

Soup Mix

Day 10: I know I'm repeating myself here, but this has been an amazing year for mushrooms. I decided to take the long way around to Coprinus Corner, not expecting to find any Shaggymanes in good condition in the wake of our recent cold temperatures and rain. About three-quarters of a mile into my walk, I spotted a couple of Chanterelles, so pulled out my "perhaps bag" and knife on the principle that when Mother Nature offers you a gift of any size, you show your appreciation by accepting it. Three Chanterelles is enough for a cup of soup; five or six are needed for a lunch-size bowl. A mile and a half further on, I found my first Shaggys. Only one was in condition to pick, but I collected it and added it to my perhaps bag. In another hundred yards, I found myself in the middle of a Shaggymane supermarket. At that point, I could afford to be selective, taking only prime specimens and leaving those starting to ink or only a few inches tall. Before I'd finished up the five-mile loop, I had plenty for a lunch and a dinner, and I'd left dozens, a hundred or more, growing on the path to propagate future meals.

Shaggy Soup From Coprinus Corner

Day 363: I had the most delicious lunch from Coprinus Corner, my favourite spot in chswnekdisneld... "What's that, Crow? I didn't quite catch what you said." No, you didn't, nor am I likely to repeat it anywhere within the hearing of a friend of a friend of a friend who might possibly be the friend of a mushroomer. Knowledge of the locations of good mushrooming spots requires a security clearance which makes "maximum" look downright lax. I discovered Coprinus Corner some time back while exploring a disused trail for no other reason than I wanted to see where it wound up. I nearly tripped over a substantial colony of Shaggymanes growing smack in the middle of the path. Because it was autumn, I had a "perhaps bag" in my pack and the hope of chanterelles in my heart. I wasn't even thinking about Shaggys, my favourite soup 'shroom. Judicious harvesting practices have ensured the health of the patch, but this year, it went over the top with respect to production. I easily left at least half of what was available and choice when I gathered these, never mind the ones which had started to ink along the lower margin. There were many more buttons just barely peeping through the soil. Even so, this collection was sufficient to make two large bowls of Shaggy Soup, thick with mushroom bits.

Shaggy Mushroom Story

Day 365: Unlike the proverbial "shaggy dog story" which is drawn out to great length, the "shaggy mushroom story" is marked by a brevity legendary in fungal species. From the time one of the inky-caps (Coprinus)emerges from the ground to its utter dissolution into black goo is often just a matter of days. The best known of the Coprinus is the estimable Shaggymane, Coprinus comatus. It is considered a "beginner species" for mycophages (people who eat mushrooms) because its characteristics are easily determined in the field. When a Shaggymane first breaks ground, it is a tiny brown button. It grows quickly into a club-shaped off-white mushroom with a scaly, elongated cap. The best time to pick Shaggies is before the base of the cap has released fully from the stipe, leaving a ring (annulus) behind. Once the cap begins to open, the mushroom starts to deteriorate. The lower edge blackens first, progressing up the cap until it is entirely blackened and mushy. Depending on weather conditions, full deterioration can happen in the space of a few hours from the time the cap releases from the stipe. In fact, sometimes picked mushrooms will go to ink in the collector's basket before they can be cleaned and prepared. The inky portions of a Shaggymane have a bitter taste, so when cleaning them, remove any discoloured bits and salvage the undamaged portions. I prepare a delicious Cream of Shaggy soup using milk, canned milk, salt, pepper, flour, butter and a touch of garlic powder. Saute the diced mushrooms in butter first. They will give off a lot of liquid, essentially a mushroom nectar which you will want to include in your soup. Cook them only until they are tender. In a cup or bowl, mix the flour into cold milk as if to make gravy or white sauce, add to the mushrooms with the spices and bring to a gentle boil. Remove from the heat as soon as the first bubbles arise and serve immediately.

The Perhaps Bag

Day 364: During the Krushchev era when food shortages were common in the Soviet Union, Russian shoppers (particularly women) would carry a string bag called "avoska." The word translates roughly as a "perhaps-bag," as in "Perhaps today there will be bread," or "perhaps I will be able to purchase an egg." At this time of the year, I carry my own version of the perhaps-bag: a gallon ziplock, a clean plastic grocery bag, or sometimes when I forget, the spare cloth field bag I keep in the trunk of the car. Today, "perhaps" paid off big-time. While hiking a disused trail, I came across several flushes of Shaggymane mushrooms, my favourite soup-fungus. I had a "perhaps-knife" with me as well, having cut 'shrooms with my thumbnail more times than I like to admit. These are just a few of the best. Shaggymanes are a members of the Coprinus family, i.e., inky-caps. They deteriorate into black goo in just a few days. Tune in tomorrow for "Shaggymane Hunting 101."