Pseudonym gelatinosum

The other day I was inspired by a friend informing me about Pseudonym gelatinosum. Pseudonym gelatinosum is a jelly mushroom that lacks much flavor and has a gelatin feel and appearance to it. The underside of the cap has these small teeth-like spines and appears to need a shave. These jelly mushrooms are saprobic on woody debris or well decayed conifer logs. I kept finding them near extremely mossy hillsides facing towards the direction of sun rise.

These mushrooms are known to be made into candy, jellies and soups. Most west coast versions of jelly mushrooms are edible, but some must be cooked before eating.

Saprobic - feeds on decaying or dead organic matter

How I first got interested in mushrooms

When I was young, I never thought of going "mushroom hunting". I would notice the occasional fungus while playing baseball, or while hiking. But I never knew there were people that actually took trips to the wild in search of certain mushrooms. Well that was until I was about 16 years old when one of my friends called me up in excitement that he had found someone with mushrooms. I wasn't into psychedelics as a young adult, I already thought weed was the devils drug when I was a kid; and shrooms seemed absolutely horrible; but at the same time I wasn't against people who chose to. So I laughed and asked him a few questions about them. Turns out, the provider had picked these mushrooms themselves. I don't know about you, but that interested the deepest part of my mind. What else is out there? Drugs grow right out of the ground? How can this be real... So I set out to find every bit of information on wild mushrooms in my state. At the age of 16, me and my friend both found our first wild magic mushrooms. They were nestled back in a public park right off the Puget sound. One...two...three mushrooms were found. We giggled in excitement as we realized we had just found one of the most sought after species of mushrooms. This was just the beginning though, as that friendship was lost because of something as simple as drugs. In my mind, mushrooms themselves meant more to me than revealing where I had found my next patches; even if it meant losing friends.

Nowadays I go mushroom hunting as a way to get fresh air and cleanse my mind of all that society has put in it. I can do what I want in the forest, its my domain, my clean slate, my one and only hobby that I can teach myself and be taught by the mushrooms at the same time. Nobody else can tell me "how" to mushroom hunt, there's no certain way of "how" to, it's just instinct and pure luck mixed with educated guesses based on habitats and indicators. Mushrooms have a way of speaking by nature. And nature is serene.

Misc. beautiful mushrooms

These mushrooms deserve recognition so ill post these here.

Above: Russula cremoricolor

Below: Hygrocybe miniata

Above: Hygrocybe conica

Below: Dacrymyces palmatus

Amanita muscaria

Amanita muscaria are some of the most controversial mushrooms.Most people believe that they contain poison but actually is a deliriant of sorts. These red and white toadstools became popular after being depicted with Christmas themes. Reindeer were thought to have eaten them to be able to fly. There is much fantasy talk about them. 

Above: Button form possible Amanita muscaria var. guessowii

Below: Fully grown

Its no wonder such fairy tales have been made. These mushrooms are mystical and you can tell just by looking at them. 

Updates in progress... Under construction...

So as you can tell, this blog is just now starting up recently. I strive to photograph all of the mushrooms that I can possibly find. Each mushroom has some beauty in it, but not every mushroom is edible. I'll be doing more work here soon and sharing many pictures that I have taken throughout the last few years. Here's just a sample of what is to come.

Above: Psilocybe cyanescens; very potent psychedelic

Below: Gymnopilus luteofolius; mildly psychedelic

As I mentioned above, not all mushrooms are edible. As this mushroom below is considered toxic. For years people believed Paxillus involutus was edible if cooked thouroughly, but folk were wrong as some had allergic reactions and fell very ill. Sometimes dying. Although mushrooms can be poisonous, its quite easy to become aware with the bad as you study further into mycology. Mushroom books create a safe haven for identification along with various websites that host forums for identification, (I.E. Shroomery.org).

Above: Paxillus involutus; poisonous, can be fatal

Below: Galerina Autumnalis; very deadly

Chanterelle hunting in early fall

By far one of my favorite mushrooms to hunt for, is the Chanterelle. Its fresh apricot smell and the bright orange almost gold as a bell as it pushes up through the forest floor. Chanterelles are usually found near old logging roads where pines have been cut. The biggest yields I've found were near slopes in these previously described areas. They will grow as far as 20 feet or more in large amounts. As season gets toward the middle, they can be found at lower elevations in parks as well. I was surprised when I discovered over 50 chanterelles at a park in South Hill area of Puyallup. Much different than my usual hunting areas in the mountain parks.

Above: A trail of chanterelles can be found if you're the lucky person to be first in the area

Below:  The usual habitat for good amounts of chanterelles

Below: Large harvest done in the prime of season.

So you're probably wondering what exactly I did with all of these mushrooms. I gave some away to family members, then I made a bunch of chanterelle soup! Recipe is below. I also took a picture of what it turned out to be like. It was the best soup I've probably ever had in my life. No joke.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/01/creamy-chanterelle-soup-recipe.html