Foraging for Food

[karstopography]

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The prickly pear mead is clearing up. Probably two weeks from bottling.

[karstopography]

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Bottled up the Prickly Pear mead yesterday. Had a very little sample of the yeasty leftovers. Like all of these meads, they need at least months stashed away before getting good. I didn’t measure the specific gravity, but I’m guessing this will be off-dry and about where I want it to be. Definitely not sweet or cloying. A lot of body, not thin or watery at all. The flavor of the prickly pear is still there. Hint of bubble gum and a vegetal note. Should be an interesting mead in a year or a year and a half. Likely around 14-15% ABV based on the amount of honey used plus the limited sugars in the fruit. I used EC-1118 champagne yeast which can ferment all the way up to 18% ABV.

[svalli]

This year has been quite good for mushroom and wild berry picking.

In July I was going to pick some bilberries for a pie and stumbled to a lot of golden chanterelles, which I did not know to grow in that area. When my small 5 liter bucket was full of mushrooms I had to use my hoodie as a bag.

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Yesterday may have been the last warm day of the year with high at +20°C. We took the day off and went away from the city to enjoy the weather. I went to look for funnel chanterelles in my trusted spot. I also checked the area where I found the golden chanterelles and there were still some good enough to pick.

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We picked also 15 liters of lingonberries on the same trip.

[Shule]

I usually only forage when I'm camping, which I haven't done in a long time. Here's a list of things I've found and eaten:

- Bilberries (we called them huckleberries)
- Strawberries
- Blackberries (not while camping, but while visiting Washington and Canada)
- Raspberries (by some hot springs)
- Mint
- Some other kind of berry (I think we called them chokecherries); it was dark and had a watery taste

I've found blackcurrants and rose hips (not while camping), but I'm not sure if I ate them.

Edit: Looks like I already replied in this thread (with a similar answer)!

[svalli]

We took the day off from work yesterday and I had a chance to go check the places where funnel chanterelles grow. I picked my basket full. We have now plenty of dehydrated mushrooms in the pantry.

[bower]

Those are gorgeous! We got none this year - I literally have not seen a single one, and my friend reported the same.
Sometimes a frosty night is what they need to show up. And a good soaking. I'll look for late ones.
Different patterns of rain and drought have favored different mushrooms this season. Golden chanterelles were about a month early, but then dried up in the field. False chanterelle are now everywhere. Quite a few unknown mushrooms turning up even in the garden, but not the regulars. I haven't seen any of my Cortinarius dye mushrooms either, which seems impossible they are so common and reliable. The fall rain has brought up mushrooms in the place where you'd expect them, could be Corts but not the same ones. Only the Tricholomas have fruited on time and where expected. Man on Horseback and others. We don't eat them, unfortunately, because the poisonous species are much too similar looking.