Shin, Andra, Katrina, Scott, and I went mushrooming today
out in Metchosin. It started raining at
almost the exact moment we entered the woods, but it wasn’t too bad. Mushrooms require rain, so part of me was
excited about the rain. We found moderate
amounts of White and Yellow Chanterelles (Cantharellus subalbidus and C.
cibarius), Hedgehog Mushrooms (Hydnum umbilicatum) and Puffballs
(Lycoperdon perlatum). I also picked a few Milkcaps (Lactarius sps.) because I want to get
more familiar with that group. I think the mushroom season may be winding down with all the cool weather we have been having.
Back home we canned some more Apple butter and sauce, and
started another batch of Garry Oaks (Quercus
garryana) acorns leaching. I ground the acorns in the blender and let
the blender go for a long time to try and make the flour as fine as
possible. Acorn flour smells so
delicious! Katrina likened the aroma to
graham crackers. I hope someday to
purchase flour sieves so that I can eliminate the course pieces and only the leach
the very fine flour. This would enable
me to leach the acorns more quickly, and probably retain more of the flavor.