June is that time of year where some mushrooms from the early Spring are coming to their end, while some summer mushrooms are popping up for the first time. Yesterday I cycled near Echt and came past a perfectly manicured lawn, with several large boulders on it. Or at least so I thought! When I looked more closely, it turned out they were gigantic Puffballs, the size of a watermelon:
I touched them and they felt slightly wobbly, so any moment now these two could literally explode and send their millions of spores into the air. Their lifecycle complete, and hopefully spreading themselves far and wide.
Later that day, I went for a walk in our local woods, and to my great excitement I spotted some yellow dots in the moss. Baby chanterelles!
People walking by must have wondered about the sanity of this person who a. lay face down in the moss, sniffed and went ‘WHOAAAH’ (they smell of apricot), b. proceeded to water said moss from a bike bottle! It’s been very dry recently and I hope that by watering them every day, they’ll have a chance to grow full size and be ready to eat in a couple of weeks.
Tomorrow I’m off to Glen Affric, where I’ve been told grow more mushrooms than anyone can eat in a lifetime. Well, I’ve got 3 days so I’m giving it my best shot ;-). Watch this space!
The healthy forager 