Russula Occidentalis

Day 6: Several species of Russula are common hosts to an orange overgrowth of Hypomyces lactifluorum (known as "Lobster" for the colour). The parasite is considered edible and indeed is sought after by many pickers, but not me. Why? There is no way to tell which Russula is the underlying structure, and although I have never heard of anyone being poisoned by accidental consumption of Russula emetica when eating Lobsters, nor have I ever confirmed that Lobster even grows on R. emetica, it's not a chance I care to take. Lobster does grow on some rather dubious Russulas, though, including R. occidentalis (Western Russula, shown above). While R. occidentalis isn't listed as "poisonous" per se, it might be one of the species which gives a fishy taste to some Lobsters. In any event, I'll give Russulas and its companion Hypomyces a pass, thank you.

Skinned Lobsters

Day 31: Given that it requires equal weights of dyestuff to wool, I probably won't be doing any dyeing with lobster skins until next year. "Lobster skins?" I hear someone ask with a degree of horror and revulsion in their words. Yes, lobster skins, as in Hypomyces lactifluorum, the fungal overgrowth which is commonly found on Russula species mushrooms here in the Pacific Northwest. I gathered two batches this year with a project in mind, pared the Hypomyces layer off with a pocket knife and dried it in the dehydrator until it was crisp. The yield measured about two-thirds of a quart and probably weighs less than an ounce, definitely not enough to dye sufficient wool to make a me-sized pair of socks. I have already spun the wool (soft, silky Corriedale) and am working on more. By using different mordants, this dyestuff will yield orange, yellow or purple. Now comes the question: Do I want to wear lobster skins on my feet? Well, you'll have to admit that would be one helluva conversation starter!

Perhaps I'll Dye Naturally

Day 302: We finally had a day this summer which fell into my classification of "perfect for hiking,"  i.e., mid-60s and cloudy with no chance of a shower. Once again, I chose a trail close to home, but had no particular destination in mind although I was sure one would suggest itself before I'd gone very far. I wasn't planning to be out more than an hour or two, not with a new project on the loom begging for my attention, so I packed light: water bottle, some Cheezits, toilet paper, a rain jacket just in case the weather forecase was wrong, and my trusty camera. I did not think about it being August, did not think to include the "perhaps bag" (avoska) which qualifies as the 11th Essential for autumn hikes. About a mile in, I spotted the first Lobster. "Oh!" I said aloud. "Perhaps I can dye naturally," speaking, of course, in reference to my handspun yarn. Although many people disagree with me, I don't consider Lobsters desirable for the table. However, as previously noted, I had not brought a perhaps bag, so I passed Lobster #1 by. In another tenth of a mile or so, I came across six or seven more, some a bit past prime. And then a quarter mile further in, I spotted another really nice one. This was a bit more than I could be expected to ignore even temporarily, so I dumped my TP out of its baggie and popped the Lobster inside, thinking I'd have plenty of room for the others I'd seen and planned to collect on the way back. And that was it. There were no more Lobsters to be seen when I arrived at "halfway" and reversed my course. When I got back to the site of the half dozen, I brushed the soil and forest debris off one and pulled it up. It was much bigger than I'd expected, and wouldn't fit in the bag with the first one I'd collected. Now committed to a course of action, I decided my light rain jacket would have to stand in as a perhaps bag. By the time I finished harvesting from that patch, my daypack was half full! Because I knew there were no others beyond the first one I'd seen when I began my hike, I veered off onto a spur trail to get back to the parking area, and lo and behold, I found half a dozen more. At this point, I'd stuffed my pack to the point that I could barely close the zipper (the photo shows about half my haul). When I got home, I pared off the orange outer layer (the parasitic Hypomyces lactifluorum which is the dyeing agent) and discarded the remains of the host Russulas beneath the big Doug-fir in my front yard where they're welcome to proliferate. Then I stuck the parings in the dehydrator for four hours at 130 degrees for a yield of roughly a pint of loosely packed dyestuff. I'll need a lot more before I can even dye a 1-ounce skein of wool, but Lobsters are plentiful locally. And next time I'm out, I'll have a perhaps bag with me.

You Are What You Eat

Day 343: These are lobsters, Pacific Northwest style. They are quite popular with collectors in the area, but I do not eat them. To be entirely accurate, the redness is due to a parastitic overgrowth of

Red As A Lobster

Day 20: Here in the Pacific Northwest, Lobster fungus tends to emerge concurrently or a little bit before Chanterelles and the people who hunt them, and this year, all three are running a little late. That's not to say I have never hunted Chanterelles into November or had to wear all my woollies to keep Jack Frost from nipping my fingers and my nose, but it is not the usual habit of the fungus. Lobsters got a slightly earlier start, showing up during the first part of October, although they weren't exactly thick on the ground. That said, Hypomyces lactifluorum is not a species I take to the table because it isn't picky about which Russula it parasitizes. Oh, didn't I mention that? Hypomyces as a genus grow on other fungi, each individual species having its own personal preferences as to host. While considered edible, some of the Russulas on which it might grow are suspect; my handy-dandy field guide says, "...we are not aware of any serious poisonings caused by them." I would like to emphasize the word "serious" in that statement. Some collectors say they have a fishy taste, again enough to put me off the idea of sitting down to a Lobster dinner. If I'm going to eat lobster, I want it to have a carapace and claws.

Lobster Eating A Russula

Day 332: After experiencing three "near miss" scenarios as I was walking up the highway last spring, I decided to abandon my local rambles in favour of the exercise bike. Now that traffic is somewhat diminished, I thought I'd take a chance on a morning walk. I didn't find much worth mention, but I did see several lobsters eating Russulas. Now before you think I've taken leave of my senses, I am referring to the fungus popularly called "Lobster," Hypomyces lactifluorum. Hypomyces is parasitic on russula and lactarius, and although it's prized by many mushroom hunters, its indiscriminate eating habits incline me to avoid it. Many russulas are boring; others are toxic. I do not know that Hypomyces neutralizes the alkaloids in Russula emetica, for instance, and would prefer not to find out that the host's purgative qualities remained. Likewise, some Lactarius species are quite acrid. In fact, I have heard various collectors describe the taste of Lobster as "fishy," hence its name. Others claim they don't notice a fishy flavour at all. Perhaps the taste depends on the host species. In any event, I like Lobsters, if only for the fact that they are an indicator of things to come. It won't be long now before the first Chanterelles pop through the duff.

To Eat Or Not To Eat

Day 361: Hypomyces lactifluorum ("Lobster mushroom") shown on the right is a parasitic fungus which occurs on various species of Russula (left) and Lactarius, forming an overgrowth of vivid orange often even before the host species emerges from the soil. It is reputedly edible, but since some of the hosts may cause gastric upset, I have always been reluctant to try it. This philosophy of "better safe than sorry" was confirmed when I asked a Parkie friend if she ate it. "Not any more," she told me and added "I think I've developed a sensitivity to it," patting her tummy by way of elaboration. Other consumers have reported that not all "Lobsters" taste alike. Some are good, but others leave a distinctly fishy and unpleasant aftertaste. That said, the woods are full of Lobsters right now, and that's where I plan to leave them.

Lobsters In The Woods

Day 7: A prime candidate for Crow's Catalog of Freaky Fungi, "lobster mushrooms" are not a single organism, but a parasitic fungus (Hypomyces lactifluorum) which grows on another mushroom, generally those in the Russula and Lactarius genera. In the Pacific Northwest, H. lactifluorum most commonly occurs on R. brevipes. When R. brevipes appears without being infected with H. lactifluorum, it is white and can be rather large. Often, observers will find specimens which are only partly "lobsterized," the gills more or less intact and the cap showing blotches of white. Sometimes the colonization occurs before the host mushroom has emerged from the ground. Due to the fact that the host can be one of several species, the taste of Lobsters is inconsistent.