No Chanterelles.... But The Russulas Are in!

 A  "quick" post on the activities of my life.   And a few of the things I have been skipping out on over the last month.   I know I was going to post "progress Reports" of the Cat Pole Project.   Well....   Over the one weekend where I had a full two days,   I just up and finished it.  

I don't hate it, but it definitely is not what I was visualizing in my head. ( they never are...)    At least the cat has jumped in it a couple of times. 

(She jumps out the moment I reach for the Camera....)  And I am already thinking on ways I can improve on the next design.  ( All those "Wrong Paths" and Headaches I can skip over and avoid....)  We learn by Doing!   

And the reason experts seem like masters is because of the endless failures they had to overcome.   Too bad it takes a life time to figure that out. ( Something School can't really teach you.) 

I have been mushroom hunting at least one day each week this month... In the hopes of finding the Chanterelles that pop up this time of year.    "Unfortunately"   I have found more Chicken Of The Woods this year than I remember!   ( A nice way to be disappointed...)  I finally finished the last of the Chickens last night.   And I still have a freezer bag filled with frozen ones in the freezer.   Still,  I enjoy the search. 

Last week I found Boletes!  Most of them were already past their prime, but I managed to harvest a couple small ones.  There were also a lot of Waxy Caps.

I love Waxy caps.   They are so pretty...  And I have eaten a number of them without getting sick.   Apparently,   a few of the "redish" ones can make the tummy hurt...  So either I have a tolerance/ immunity;  They are WRONG in their assessments:  OR I just rolled the dice and lucked out.  

 It is possible that all three are true. I have knowingly ate mushrooms that are "toxic" and lived to tell the tale without any of those nasty issues.  (Usually vomiting and diarrhea...) 

I have certainly eaten a lot of mushrooms over my life ( and other "junk" that possibly armors me up against "bad Food")  And I know that many of those books error on the side of caution rather than telling people something is safe only to have "Vegans and Glutton-Free" people issue complaints.   

It is also possible that I correctly ID'ed it and was able to enjoy the satisfaction of a successful Mycology Knowledge Base!

All Bragging and ranting aside,   I found a BUNCH of Russulas yesterday.   (Well... At least a Basket full.)   I LOVE these guys! 

They come in all colors of the rainbow!  Green, red, purple, yellow...  Even black!   

And I have eaten them all!   The trick... And probably the reason I like them so much, is that you have to "Taste" them to correctly ID them.   Take a small bite,   Roll it on your tongue, and spit it out.   IF it is bad... You will taste either bitter, Sharp, or hot pepper taste.   If not.. It is Edible. 

There are over 3000 species of this type of mushroom.   They are called BRITTLEGILLS for a reason.   They crumble very easily and break like chalk.  After a while, you can Id them just by that.  ( At least against other mushrooms... You still have to taste them to see if they are good) A Fun Find. 

Yesterday.  I found the Bare-toothed Russula.   A BIG ONE!  The App that I have positively Confirmed my ID. 

Actually I found several and ate them yesterday for lunch.   The taste like almonds or cherries.  PErsonally I find ALL of the Russulas excelling in flavor over most of the other mushrooms.   Chanterelles and Chickens have flavor, but they also have a texture that is cool.   Brittlegills are a lot like Morels.   They have a flavor that sets them apart. ( My opinion.)  

I realize that lots of people would probably disagree with me, and that is fine.   I know what I think and have experienced.   So I will continue harvesting and eating them... And singing their Praise. 

Just like Last night... If you missed it,  There was a Lunar Eclipse!   And here in Kenosha,  We had PERFECT viewing weather!    

The full-est part of the  eclipse was supposed to happen just before we got out of work around 11:20 or so.  I saw the small sliver leading up and must have missed the full eclipse by just a few minutes.... But those things are over so quickly and unlike the Solar eclipse,  you can look right at it and watch it happen.   

At least there are a few other "Nerds" working at the Haribo.   Even people who did not follow things like that were able to check it out when we told them about it.   A small bit of the mysteries of the world. 

This post is getting long, so I will skip the part of the "Basement Renovation"   Hopefully I will have more pics of that than the Cat Tree Project.    I just have to remember to stop, take a break,  snap a picture now and then, and make every second count.

Back Home!

 It was a fun three days with dave in Toronto.   Granted, I did not do much other than take in the atmosphere.   Which is fine, because I really did not know what to expect.  

 I considered this more of an "exploratory Mission" than a full blown vacation.  That being said,  here is what we did over the next couple days...

Dave's Cross Fit people were throwing a "Hungry Hippo" meal with friends and family.   It was one of those events that Dave got to experience when he first arrived in Toronto and thought that that would be a great way to get to know the culture on a personal level.   Better than fighting a huge crowd downtown or signing up for an event with standing room only.  

The guy (Vy,   I believe was his name.) had just come back from Alaska with a bunch of Halibut and wanted to share the success.  I think he is of Vietnamese and Japanese heritage and wanted to cook up the fish several different ways.  

Bacon wrapped halibut cubes fried up in Olive Oil.   The wraps had peppers and green onions with some seasonings.   Breathtakingly delicious!   Especially if you got one of the bites with the pepper!   The heat was just enough to set your mouth on fire... and nothing else.) 

Miso soup with Enoki mushrooms and steamed Halibut.   Light  and slightly salty...   Miso is always a wonderful addition to any fish meal. 

And lastly,   Smoked  Halibut steak on Rice.  I can't remember if there was a sauce.   It was light and subtle in flavor.  There were cucumber salad, grilled Octopus and a cabbage mix you could add to the rice for texture and sweetness if you wanted.   Wonderful!

I liked that it was like dining with Family.... And there were no rules.   One of the ladies, ( can't remember names...  Carol maybe?)  Was a wonderful host and with no words, showed us how to serve things up without being formal.   In other words:  "Caveman Style!"   You move your bowl over to the dish and just shovel stuff in.   Or grab things with your hands.   Similar to how we enjoyed the Bluegills at Ed's two weekends ago.   

Vy showed us his Alaska Video from the fishing trip.   It  was a short vid of them catching and cooking fish.  He edited it down to the exciting bits... as if the video was going on to YouTube.   The girls played cards and the rest of us told stories about Alaska.  It was a fun evening out. 

I found the Church service at the Toronto church to be very similar to the Reach service at New Life here in Kenosha.   Dave showed me around the "campus" area of the church and the gardens that the congregation members had built. 

  I had to snap a few pics because I liked seeing the layout  and ideas of how to save space.   So much produced in such a small area!  

I headed back after the service and got hit hard by the thunderstorms that were predicted for Sunday.   The rain was similar to Iowa in that it would be sunny, but then come down so violently that many people had to pull over!   

I didn't, ( because I have a Subaru!)  But I definitely had to slow down a bit.  Mostly because visibility was near zero.  

But I survived!  And I think it took only 10 hours to get back.  (Even with a half hour nap I took near Winsor)  Going through Chicago at night is far better than during the noon rush!   

After a day of recovery,  I now am getting ready to head back to the Haribo.   By the way,  I found the New Candies at one of the Meyer Gas Stations in Michigan.   I took a pic but did not purchase any because I'm sure we will be swimming in them within a year from now.   They are unique in texture from the usual Gummies.   And I think they have potential to be a huge hit once people discover them for the first time.  

Time to wrap this up and get ready.   Time is so fleeting and precious... I have to make every second count. 

A Visit To Canada.

Greetings from the Great White North....   From only country that shares a northern Border with the United States.  And for those former Shorland Students....  That is Canada!  

That is right!  I have been invited by Dave. ( remember Dave?).   He lives in Ontario now.   And I get to spend the next couple of days with him checking out his new digs. 

I ain't gonna lie...  It is a bit of a Culture Shock here!   I'm not sure if it is the people or the City!   I have been in big cities before....   but this is right up there with Boston.  Lots of Traffic and people.   More people than I'm used to.   And I live in the heart of Kenosha!  ( A city I deem as "just the right size".   for my taste.     I guess it is all in what you get used to.   I can imagine that there are people who come from large cities such and Chicago or Boston or Toronto and they are shocked by small town America.  Everyone has their world that they have grown up with. 

That being said,  it took just over 12 hours to get here. (I lost two hours in Chicago...  Stupid Traffic). and I arrived late at night.  I got to sleep in and we did a small tour around the city today.  

We enjoyed some Thai Food and walked around a couple of the local parks.   

This is the first time I think I have ever seen Lake Ontario!  Of all the Great Lakes,  This is the last one that I have now officially visited.  Imagine that. 

Not much to really report, other than it is an entirely different body of water from Lake Michigan or Lake Superior.  ( the two I most often visit)   It is large, and looks awfully similar to those lakes... from the shore.  I have yet to fish them and find out if the fishing is better or worse.  

IN the meantime,  We did a little beach combing and walked around the breakwall.   I noticed a Mink!   Just sitting there sunning himself.   I could not believe that he was there with all these people walking around, but there he was...looking cute and adorable.   I know better than to try to pet one, since they are members of the weasel family and will tear up your hand the moment you reach for them.  He disappeared in between the rocks shortly after I got his picture.   So Cute! 

There are a LOT of ethnicities here.  Not a huge surprize in a city this large.  But if you are only used to seeing Italian, mexican and black people from America,  it can be something you note.   So far, everyone has been wonderful and polite.  Just like the Canada I remember from all those years ago.  

There are Storms Predicted for tomorrow, so I'm not sure what we will be up to then.  There was a hope that we might be able to do a little mushroom hunting in a park near here.   Dave says it is similar to Petrified Springs in Kenosha.   Weather permitting, we shall see.  And Hopefully... Find something.  

There is more to say about this, but currently I am on Dave's Laptop and I do not have a lot of access to my normal set up.   So I will cut this short and hopefully make everything a little more polished when I have the time.  And my own Computer.     With Pictures!  

In the mean time....  We shall try to make every second count. 

Mushrooms And Fish.

Where is the time going?  I honestly had plans on blogging mid week!   And now it is already the weekend!   Time flies at the Haribo!  

I guess that is a good thing... unless you are given only a few weeks to live.   Then I guess I would rather wait in Line behind  two elderly ladies in Hobby Lobby...  

Each with three carts filled with unmarked goods.  Everything is on sale, but with different prices for each section of the store.  Each lady has a phone that they  are trying to use while simultaneously trying to talk to someone else on the other line.  

It's the cashiers first day at the job... And she doesn't speak English!   (That is when time stops!) That would extend my life indefinitely!  

But until that happens,  I feel I will be aging in the fast lane while I work at Haribo. 

In reality,  the job actually allows me to enter the "Flow State" where time feels like water and I'm gliding through  with a current assisting me.   Time disappears and I suddenly realize 4 hours have passed and I have not taken my first break!   Before long,  I have one hour to squeeze in my lunch before I have to punch out!   It has been a long time since I have had a job like that.   And it is Awesome!  

The only problem is that the weeks fly by and I feel like my own personal time is diminished.   The few hours I have before work in the morning is spent drinking coffee and petting the cat.  (And fighting the urge to sit in my comfy chair and relax.   Finding my Zen in the morning sun....

And realizing I have a very small window for blog time. 

But enough about that!  I have already dedicated several paragraphs as an intro...( That is what happens when I go off on a rant/tangent...)  Time to get into the things I found blog-worthy this week: 

With the constant damp weather we have been having,   I figured it might be a good time to take a peek at Pets to see if any mushrooms have been popping up.    I was expecting Chanterelles and Russulas.   Perhaps a Bolete or two... 

But instead I found MORE Chickens!  

A couple logs with several nice fruiting bodies on them.   One was a little old,  but the other ones were nice and fresh!  I still have an entire ziploc bag  of Chickens from Michigan!   So what the heck am I going to do with these?   

Well,  I gave some away to one of the guys at Haribo.   I was planning on Giving some to Christina... If she is ever available. but mostly I have been eating it for my lunch.   I fry some up and sprinkle it on a salad I make.   Tastes like a mushroom chicken salad!  ( As you might think....)  

I still have a lot in the fridge,  and I have been watching Youtube videos on how to preserve it.  Because after a week,  it will begin to go bad.   ( And it has already been a week with the ones I found in Michigan!)  I guess you simply cut them into small strips and fry them up before freezing them.   And then thaw them out whenever you want some.   

Or you can cook them into a soup... Freeze that!  That will last up to a year, I guess.   

Whatever the way, I plan on doing something tomorrow,  as I have to work at Haribo today.   I Swapped this Saturday with a Co-worker so she will take mine next week. The plan is to travel to Canada and visit Dave for the weekend.   See what that part of the Great North is all about...   Hopefully,  it will provide me with a few pics to blog about. 

I also went fishing at the Pond on Wednesday.   There was a small window of "no rain" and I figured I would take out the Kayak and see what I could catch.   It was overcast and rather humid.  ( Foggy!)   And I only caught one decent sized Bluegill.    I could have possibly stayed longer, but the water was murky and the air felt just a little "off" for me.   Perhaps I will try again next week.  

But the good news is I was able to dust off the Kayak and take it out.   This was the first time this year!   And I set my expectations low, so next time I will hook up all the bells and whistles to see how they perform before the season changes.  I still have to replace all of those fish we ate up last weekend!  

Then again,  My freezer will probably be full of Mushrooms, so I will find the freezer space limited.  

Ahhh..... Problems. Problems...  

And not the bad kind.  

Tomorrow is already looking to be a busy day.   Church, Laundry, Kayak Maintenance, House Cleaning...  And Hopefully finishing the Cat Tree.   I'll be impressed if I can fit it all in and not take a break for a nap.  As far as running goes:   I have done none this week!   The weather tells me it is going to rain and so I skip out.  Not to mention I lack the time.   

Not the run time!  Just the time it takes to get motivated to run.  It takes me nearly an hour to wake up, drink coffee, and psych myself up to get out there and do it!   

So now,  this blog post is finally written and I can now plan look forward to going right to work.  Each post takes me several hours to write and edit.  ( And even then, I still find mistakes that slip by...)  I knew that blogging before work would be a challenge,  but when else am I to squeeze it in?  Time is so precious...  And and there is simply not enough of it sometimes.   So I have to make every second count.