The healthy forager

Aberdeenshire has seen record levels of rainfall in the past few days. Rivers are swollen and have burst their banks; floodplains are doing their name justice. We were out yesterday to pick the Chaga I saw last week, and had a look while we were there:

The sheer volume of water was immense. Today I went to Falls of Feugh to see the state of the river there, and oh my goodness, the power! I hardly dared venture out onto the footbridge as I felt it shaking. Turn your volume up for the best effect:

Finally, after 4 days of rain and dark, overcast skies, this afternoon the clouds lifted. The natural world breathed a collective sight of relief as it stretched out and shook off the atmosphere that had weighed it down so heavily.

I found Velvet shanks and horse mushrooms. We enjoyed them at lunchtime today, with some tarragon and soured cream. Here’s some footage:

Tonight a frost is forecast. That means the end of the season for some mushrooms, so I will venture out tomorrow morning to pick the remaining ones that I know of. For Velvet shanks the season is only just beginning. Here’s to many more!