I Joined a Mushroom Club!

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Identified Mushrooms

I’ve been foraging for years, but I’ve always stayed clear of mushrooms. They fascinate me, but they also scare me. There’s just too much room to make a mistake, and I don’t think a book can teach you everything you need to know. Mushrooming is definitely something that you need to learn first-hand from an expert. Or better still, a whole group of experts. And that’s just what I’m doing. My husband and I joined a mushroom club last week, and we went on our first foray over the weekend.

Mushroom Gills

We met at a state park, and divided up into smaller groups for a three-hour mushroom walk along the hiking trails. Whenever we spotted a new mushroom, we carefully dug it up and added it to our baskets. Then, we met back up with the other groups, spread the mushrooms out on a few picnic tables, and set to work identifying them.

Mushroom Closeups

There were four mycologists in attendance, so it didn’t take long for them to identify the rainbow of mushrooms that we had collected.

Cauliflower Mushroom

There were edible mushrooms like this Cauliflower mushroom …

Jelly Babies Mushrooms

strange-feeling mushrooms like these Jelly Babies, color-changing mushrooms and even some poisonous varieties.

All in all it was a fascinating experience, and well worth the $5 membership fee that we paid to join the club. We’ll definitely do it again (and next time we’ll bring the kids with us).

And while you won’t catch me popping a foraged mushroom in my mouth anytime soon, I at least feel like I’m learning from the right people.

Want to find a mushroom club in your area? Here’s a state-by-state list of clubs.

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3 Comments

  1. Do you know a frugal way of buying meats. It is so expensive. I have started eating breakfast for dinner & salad only meals. Now we are only eating once a day.

  2. Hi Melesai,

    There are actually quite a few ways that you can save on meat (I’ll try to do another post on that soon), but in the meantime, here are some things to consider:
    -Grocery stores often have reduced-price meat available for purchase. This is meat that it is getting close to its sell-by date, but is still good. Just look for the reduced-price sticker when you’re shopping
    -A whole chicken costs quite a bit less than packages of breasts, thighs, etc.; and you can get multiple meals out of one bird
    -Groupon and Living Social often have half-off vouchers for local grocery stores and butcher shops

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