Chaga

Today I went on a phenology walk with the MN Master Naturalists and also the Mycological Society members. We split into two groups. The leaders of one group were older and I had hiked with them before. The leaders of the other group were younger so I hiked with the millennials. Someone in the other group found this and they called it coral. It's a plant, not a mushroom, and it looks like the coral I have seen on coral reefs. I have never heard of such a plant before. We walked for an hour in the woods in Boulder Lake Environmental Learning Center. An hour long walk in the woods was perfect for a hot afternoon.

Someone in the other group also found Indian pipes which was cool.

When we got back to the meeting place on time the other group was still missing. One of my leaders took out his drone to see if he could see them in the woods. He got this very nice drone for only $600. I mentioned the drone footage I viewed of the Glensheen mansion. He knew the guy who did that footage and also the footage of a drone flying through the Bryant Lake Bowl. You can see the drone footage of the Glensheen mansion or the Bryant Lake Bowl on YouTube. This guy uses his drone on his farm. He farms nearby. He has pigs and goats. He uses the goats to fight invasive species. He hopes to start a business turning buck thorn into goat meat. He also has chickens and pigs. He calls his pigs his rototillers. He said pigs can dig up stones and tree stumps better and faster than any machinery. He said he made a proposal to the city of Duluth to use goats and pigs to clean up the invasive species in parks but the city didn't go for it which is too bad because I think it sounds like a great idea. Also, he named his pigs Bacon and Ham.  LOL

Our group found quite a few lobster mushrooms. See that patch of orange to the left of center in this picture? That is a lobster mushroom.The drought is negatively impacting mushrooms too. The lobster mushrooms are bright orange and they have smooth undersides.

Here is the lobster mushroom sautéed in butter for my supper with onion and a vegie burger. Delicious! I haven't eaten lobster in over 3 decades but I didn't think it tasted like lobster. In fact it didn't have much taste at all. I prefer bella mushrooms to lobster mushrooms.

The best find of the day was this hunk of chaga on a dying birch tree. Chaga is actually a fungus. The fungus attacks a birch tree and, once infected, the tree will die within 8 years.  I had heard of chaga before and I wanted some. He asked, "Does anybody want some?" I said I did and asked if it was hard to get off. He said it might be hard to get off and I might need a knife or a hatchet. Another millennial in the group said she might have a hatchet on her. Who says they might have a hatchet on them? In my opinion you know or you don't know if you have a hatchet on your person. Before she could look for her hatchet he pulled the chagas off the tree and gave me it me. It came off easy. The outside was black and the inside was light brown and looked like cork. Chaga smelled like soil. He kept a small piece for himself. Now I have chaga! If my chaga was liquid I would have about a cup of it. This fungus is worth between $200 and $2000 per pound! I put my chaga in a paper bag and I am going to dry it in my hottest room for a few days. After it is dried chaga is stored in a paper bag in a place with a consistent temperature. I think my refrigerator would be a good place. Chaga, once dried properly, lasts for years without loosing any of it's minerals or healing properties. I told a lady from Ely that the next time she saw me I would look twenty years younger. I was joking. I know chaga is supposed to fight cancer and inflammation so I think I will brew myself some chaga tea some day. I consider myself very lucky to be out in the woods today with this group of very fine mushroom pickers!