Mrs. Denmarkguy and I have a tendency to declare ourselves "too busy" to give up an entire day to a random side trip, but a friend said he was headed our way to drive around and look for Morel mushrooms... and would we like to tag along?
We do live in rather beautiful surroundings!
Well, it's the first bit of sunny and warm weather we've had this year, so we decided to "throw caution to the winds" and pretty much blow off everything we'd planned to get done today... and go along for the ride.
Sometimes, it's just the process of breaking state that we need the most.
Morels are among some of nature's stranger looking growths... loosely resembling a pointy "brain" atop a white stalk. Just from looking at them, I can't help but wonder about the person who first thought this might be a good thing to eat! But they are super delicious.
They are also quite rare in most places, and tend to be extremely well camo'ed out.
A morel mushroom in its natural habitat
Surprisingly enough, we found a few at the very first stop we made, which put everyone in a good mood. That, combined with the super nice day we were having... which just made for a nice drive.
When we started, we were somewhat under the impression that our friend "knew some places," but it turned out we were all pretty much "going by feel."
Morels tend to like places where there's a good bit of moisture in the soil, and often grow where smaller deciduous trees have grown up after a fir/pine forest has been cut by lumber companies. They also seem to like it after forest fires.
It's unpredictable, though... just because you found some in a spot one year doesn't mean you'll ever find any there, again. Small wonder they run about $40/lb (88 USD/kg) at gourmet markets!
As it turned out, the majority of the rest of our day turned into a lovely drive in nature.
We visited a number of places where there were clear signs that other people had been out; the morel season is quite short (mid- to late spring) and because they are such a delicacy, a lot of people go looking for them.
But that didn't mean we felt the trip was a failure, by any means... because we did remember to turn our eyes outwards and upwards to the spring beauty all around us.
Although it has only been "spring weather" since the middle of last week, nature is truly coming back to life!
There are lots of things we will be returning for, later in the year: Wild strawberries, huckleberries, blueberries, blackberries... and in fall, Chanterelle mushrooms.
Although you might not know it based on today's weather, many of the spots we visited today are actually in what's considered a "temperate rainforest zone," and all you have to do is look up and at the trees, which are typically covered with thick layers of moss.
We followed a number of logging roads alongside streams, gradually leading up mountain sides... and there were often spectacular views, although capturing them with the camera fails to do them justice.
We got up near the snow limits a couple of times... a reminder that the freezes of winter were not that far in the past.
And then over a ridge and into a more sheltered and south-facing area, and spring again!
All in all, we spent about eight hours driving around, and just enjoying a beautiful day. Whereas it would have been nice to have found more morels, we did end up with enough for a nice starter before dinner.
Above all, it was just nice to "break state" and get out from under the sensation of always having to work. There will be plenty to catch up with tomorrow!
Thanks for stopping by, and have a beautiful remainder of your week!
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Created at 2023-05-02 23:43 PST
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