Wild Plant Mushroom Hunt: What happened?

Christopher Nyerges, School of Self-Reliance; Seven, Ananda (Meetup), Wisdom Quarterly

WHAT HAPPENED?

Chris Nyerges is an expert.

We converged right on time. I had a basket full of mushrooms I'd hunted down in a woven basket ready for identification. The prizes were very large chanterelles (Cantharellus californicus?), but it was not to be. With years as a mycologist, our prolific wilderness author and Nature Guide Christopher Nyerges scoffed. They were hollow and seemed to have gills. But what caught his eye were some false morels he had spotted nearby. I found these near the stream a distance from our gathering spot. They are in abundance at this time. But what is not is the delicious tree oyster, which previously could always be depended on in some fallen logs and living specimens. They're saprotrophic. Then we set off in search of stinging nettle, chickweed, lambs quarter (Chenopodium, a kind of local quinoa), horehound, blewits, and false morels, which were collected boiled, drained, then sauteed in olive oil with a few potato flakes sprinkled in at the end. They had no salt but were delicious in our hearty vegan soup with bouillon and miso powder we brought along.

Fire is fun and a necessary survival skill.

We learned to make fire by the four methods -- chemical, electrical, mechanical (friction), and solar. A lighter is always good, but a simple clear plastic magnifier works wonders. Two used batteries and steel wool is even better (no sun required), mugwort as kindling and a little breath of life. But the most fun was derived from rubbing two sticks together, a near impossible feat. Some, however, are naturals and can do it in under 30 seconds. Most will not succeed in 30 minutes of trying, hands calloused and arms exhausted.

The soup was wonderful, salty and rich, full of fresh picked greens. And we learned to recognize spurge, poison oak, elderberry, everlasting, wild cherry, acorns (oak nuts), polypores like turkey tail and chicken of the woods (with some chanterelle lookalikes called Jack o' lanterns Omphalotus olivascens), possible agaricus and Lactarius deliciosus, and some mystery mushrooms yet to be keyed, spore printed, and positively identified. The best part is that Nyerges is a wealth of knowledge with a wry sense of humor, constantly playing off his two foils, dedicated students with comedic routines at the ready.

• A more intense wild plant and mushroom foraging nature walk awaits explorers next Saturday morning (see below) from the School of Self-Reliance

Saturday, March 9th

Wild Plants (Chris Nyerges)

At 10:00 am join in as we explore the ethnobotanical treasures of the wild areas of Los Angeles. We'll learn about the common wild foods in season and the many introduced useful plants (mostly from Europe). Many native foods that have been used for millennia, and recent rains have caused them to bloom along with mushroom springing up in the area. We will be examining plants useful for making fire without matches.

• Wild Food Foraging class and fire making
• 3/9, 10:00 am-1:30 pm, $45.00–$65.00
• School of Self-Reliance

Coming up: Seasonal Spring Foraging Walk (3/16)

How to read maps and navigate

On Saturday, March 16, 10:00 am-2:00 pm, spring foraging gets underway as part of the School of Self-Reliance's ETHNOBOTANY SERIES. Spring is the peak of leaf production, when native and non-native plants sprout up everywhere. It’s usually a bit cooler, and everything is going green.

However, in Southern California, we have had only light rain most of the time, so many areas were drying up before the sudden blessing of abundant rain. This means what is available now has changed. We'll learn which plants are useful as food and how to collect them sustainably.

In some cases, learning how to recognize sprouts can lead to plans to come back to a spot for harvesting. The newer growth of the prickly pear cactus or nopal occurs now, so this is the best time to gather them. (But they can be harvested year-round).

Some tree barks are best collected now, such as willow. Some fruits occur early, and we’ll see them in the woods. Some non-natives (invasives), like the mustards, flower early and can be readily collected and used as food or medicine.

Learn how some of these can be dried and stored for later use. Learn what the edible salad plants are likely growing right in our backyards, in the neighborhood, and in wild areas this spring.

Learn which plants can be foraged and made into nutritious foods with simple recipes. We’ll examine images and learn about diverse uses.

We’ll also share a way to look at the environment to see what the future will bring in terms of foraging.  Seasonal Foraging walks are offered four times to “read” the environment. It's a great survival skill.

Location: Upper Arroyo. Registrants will be sent the exact meeting location. Bring drinking water.

• Seasonal Spring Foraging
• Wild foods and useful plants by season
• March 16 @ 10:00 am-2:00 pm
• $45.00–$65.00
• School of Self-Reliance