Mushrooms

Some rain went through yesterday evening and cooled things off a bit. The humidity also let up a bit after it cooled off. Today is bright and sunshiney. I love the fresh clean look everything has after a spring rain.

We took a short road trip with friends this morning. Both hubbies needed new overalls, so mine got introduced to a store he didn't know existed in a nearby town. I knew it was there, but it had slipped my mind that the store carried overalls and such – it's more known for carrying a wide variety of fabric. Both guys came back with large packages – new overalls for both, new socks for my hubby, and new jeans for the other one. We gals figured the next road trip should be for us to shop!

The new overalls needed to be washed, so we sorted our laundry and threw a couple of loads in when we got back. All that is done and put away, fresh towels hung up, etc. I'm ready to take a brisk walk outside. The body needs to wake up!

This time of year I really miss the farm. It was always such fun when spring came and the weather warmed up. Once the calendar got to mid-April, we had a few showers and warm weather, our minds naturally turned to hunting mushrooms.

I haven't heard of anyone finding mushrooms yet this year, but we've had a good spring for them. They should be popping up soon. I feel bad for anyone who's missed out on the excitement of walking through the timber looking for morels in the spring. There's supposed to be a science of where to find them. My experience shows that sometimes there is, and then other times it's completely random.

I remember one year when I was finding mushrooms at random spots in the yard – and that was the only year for that to happen. But I found several. I always checked those spots in later years, but nothing appeared.

Mom, Dad and I would often go through the timber together mushroom hunting. We usually had good luck and would come home with enough to cook up for a good meal – nothing else was required on the table when there was a platter of fresh mushrooms. It was like fresh-caught catfish.....you just ate until you were stuffed, then sat back for a few minutes to catch your breath and then start eating again!

There was one really memorable year for mushrooms. I might have been in junior high. I think we each had a big grocery bag and walked through the timber, somewhat following the little creek that ran through the farm. At one spot someone decided (I think it was Mom) to check the creek bank. It was the biggest jackpot we ever found. All three of us descended on that creek bank and started picking mushrooms. It began to feel like for every mushroom we picked, three would pop up in its place. Every time we thought we were about done, we would turn around or move a few more feet and there would be more.

I'm not sure we ever got that spot completely picked clean, but I know we had enough mushrooms to feed us and my cousin's family that year. And I don't think we ever found mushrooms in that spot again. It's been several years since I've had any mushrooms, and I know they would taste good. But I don't crave them enough to pay for them.......there are people who make a business of going out in the Missouri River Bottoms and picking mushrooms along the river, then selling them for around $20 a pound.

After talking about all that eating, I really am ready to take my walk now.