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.

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!