The French had me fall in love with mushroom foraging. Living in Limousin, oak forests a plenty. Early in the morning you would see couples out with their baskets, delicately dancing through the woods.
The country also provides this amazing service of pharmacies providing free mushroom identification. After mornings out with Norma and the farmer brothers, I decided to pick and interact with the pharmacist, which really pushed my exploration of mushrooms further. Though, it was all in French, so understanding of detail was lacking but it's mushrooms, that's all the language you need.
Since France, I had foraged mostly alone, teaching myself in Alaska, Spain, Illinois, Indiana, Washington, Florida, Colorado, and Atlanta. Being in mushroom country, in Northern California, I am finally with people who have a similar passion.
The season has started and the foragers are coming around. I have spent the last few days in the forest with a well seasoned forager who has taught me a ton. There is only so much you can learn from reading and I was getting to the point where I needed to be out and experiencing with someone with vast knowledge.
The last few days have been glorious. Sunny and 70ºF. Slow walks through the forest, calmly finding a bounty of chanterelle and porcini. To top off the goodness of gorgeous weather, amazing people, great mushrooms, it has also been a negative low tide which has exposed some of the ocean floor giving access to seaweeds and mussels.
It is so invigorating, collecting your food from the wild. These days have been filled with foraged meals and wonderful company. I am not even sure how to articulate but this California life that I sort of stumbled into, without thought or planning, has been everything I dreamed of and longed for.
xx