The ones we DIDN'T eat, though I think a few of these are edible.

October was the season of the mushroom here in the Pacific Northwest.  For the first time since moving here, I finally got to go not once, but twice, into a secret forest just North of the Oregon border.  The scenery was so lush with mosses, leaves and fungi, it was almost too much for the eyes–like an intricate woven tapestry.  And the mushrooms were all so cute and luscious, I wanted to eat all the ones that would probably kill me. Luckily, I had my botanically gifted friend Julia protecting me from myself and the siren songs of the adorable but deadly fungi.

Pinecone Mushrooms!

Coral Mushroom

Lichen, bark and mosses are a great visual inspiration!

In the end, we picked and ate only chantarelles, and though they were a challenge to find in the nooks and crannies of the woods,  they were worth the effort!  Our resulting dish was a hand-made chantarelle pizza (although we cheated with the pre-made Trader Joe’s crust.)

Chantarelles!

yummy chantarelle pizza

-Claudia Brown