MycologistKnuckles

Since it's mushroom season I couldn't help but share my adoration of fungus.



There are so many reasons to value fungus as a food, medicine and beautification (forest, home & otherwise). They are unique, mysterious, diverse and fleeting. There is a duality with mushrooms. They can be good or bad, scrumptious or dangerous. They are rebels, neither animal or plant. Mushrooms live underground as a community. How bad ass is that?! When two compatible hyphae meet they join together to form another network called the 'Mycelium' which grows underground for most of the year until the conditions are right for fruiting and that's when we get to see mushrooms.



A couple months ago I went to the Motherearth News Fair to learn a couple things and pick up some goodies. While I was there I went to a talk by Mycologist Paul Stamens who blew my mind! He believes mushrooms can help heal the earth and the people on it. You can watch a talk similar to the one I saw on Ted Talks. It can be found on Netflix as well. I bought a patch of Reishi mushrooms to grow myself. This mushroom is usually broken up, powdered and steeped in simple teas. It is believed to be an immunostimulant, it is helpful for people with AIDS, leaky-gut syndrome, Epstein-Barr, chronic bronchitis and other infectious diseases. It is said to be used as an aid to sleep, as a diuretic, as a laxative and to lower cholesterol.



A couple of photos from a free wild mushroom walk I took last year in Bridle Park .If you live in the Puget Sound area you can check out this walk yourself.

Amanita Mushroom (poisonous)

Laccaria

Didn't identify - Tiny Orange Mushroom

Mycena (smells like bleach)

 

I've been dying to visit the Hoh rainforest for years with its lush scenery and enchanting hiking trails. While on vacation last month in the Olympic National Park my partner and I stopped for a picnic and short hike in the Hoh Rainforest. While checking out what is said to be one of the largest Sitka Spruce in the world (270-feet high, 12.5 feet in diameter, aged between 500-550 years old) we discovered a large patch of chicken mushrooms. They were brilliant orange and beautiful. This mushroom is edible depending on what kind of tree it grows on.

 

Recently I was lucky enough to find this clear glass jar shaped like a mushroom at a local thrift store. This simple and fun craft project involved just a few tools the jar, a can spray paint, masking tape and scissors. I'll be using the jar for cotton swabs & cotton balls in my bathroom. Why orange you ask? I was inspired by the chicken mushrooms and it matches the tiles in my bathroom. Yes I know I'm a dork.

 

 

1. Cut out circles and strips from the roll of masking tape in different sizes then place them randomly on the mushroom.



2. Spray the jar then wait about an hour or two for it to dry.



3. Pull off the tape. You can use a knife to cut around the tape before you pull it off to get cleaner lines but I just pulled it off.  I couldn't wait to see how it turned out. I cleaned up the lines with rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab.



4. You can add a clear coat so the paint does smudge or run.

If you want to learn more about wild mushrooms and see some in person check out the Puget Sound Mycologicol Society's Annual Wild Mushroom Show in Seattle Washington October 13th & 14th. Maybe I see you there :)



Factoid Outro: Armillaria solidipes, known to be one of the largest living organisms in the world, a single specimen found in Malheur National Forest in Oregon. Scientists estimate it's been growing for some 2,400 years, covering 3.4 square miles and colloquially named the "Humongous Fungus."



I'm tried to keep it short this time but I kept thinking of more and more fungus fanciness to share.



Since I'm new to blogging I'd love your feed back. Is my layout funky, font hard to read, or other suggestions? I'm not a strong speller but I will do my best for you Alana ;)



Stay tuned. My next blog should be about the small business I'm forming.

-Love KittenKnuckles