An Encounter with Cantharellus

The ills of social media are far too numerous to list. We over-share, under-communicate, and generally forget that the nodes that we interact with are in fact humans. I’m as guilty as the next person when it comes to being fiercely opinionated and I have to watch myself that I don’t needlessly offend those that I maintain e-relationships with. Yet, despite the fact that social media is the great time-waster of our age, there are substantial benefits to having an account.

Over the past year I have increasingly dedicated my spare time to deepening my knowledge regarding the Fungi Kingdom. Naturally, this has led me to join numerous Facebook groups focused on the identification, gathering, and in many cases eating of fungi. The states that I frequent all have their respective forums where mycophiles share, discuss, and argue about their finds. These include: The Kaw Valley Mycological Society, The Missouri Mycological Society, and Oklahoma Mushroom Enthusiasts. There is even an Oklahoma group especially dedicated to morels! I find myself visiting these group weekly. This provides the opportunity to not only grow as a budding amateur mycologist, but also to get a feel for the emerging of choice edibles. When I can’t get out to see what fungal personalities are thriving in my local woods, I can always consult one of these resources and instantly obtain a fair survey of what exactly is thriving in the current season. It is a wonderful tool. In fact, properly approached, this trove of information could probably give a very reliable picture of the seasonality of select mushrooms throughout the region.

Last week I spent entirely too much time poring over the Missouri Mycological Society’s page. Glued to the screen, I note that prodigious amounts of stunning golden chanterelles* were being harvested after a recent rainfall—the very same storm system that had drenched my own parcel of God’s green earth. Inspired, I eagerly asked for information about the habitats, tendencies and peculiarities of these beautiful, trumpet-shaped fungi. As it turns out, hillsides near bodies of water in forested areas were being productive. The very same day I took this bit of intelligence and drove to the area that I had decided was most promising.

The generous rains meant that the heat index had soared throughout the day, reaching 113 F at its peak. Even at 7 P.M., the temperature exceeded 93 F and the humidity in the bottomland was absolutely unbelievable. The dead still of the depression was only disrupted by the near-constant buzzing of hundreds of pairs of wings: a veritable Luftwaffe of mosquitoes. Knowing this, I quickly made a series of deadly-serious, half-breathing ablutions with a can of Deep Woods OFF! before venturing from my truck. Little use! Dissuasion was beyond the grasping of the cloud of Culex as I constantly waved my walking staff to ward off those who dove too close to my unshielded ears. On the upside, the constant harassment forced me not to linger in the widespread patches of hip-high poison ivy. Unfortunately, the same constant motion denies the forager the opportunity to carefully scrutinize the ground (for chanterelles) and the trees (for Chicken of the Woods). Thus, I beat feet to the creek crossing where I had a week before found a cluster of dried Wood Ear. The gambit paid handsomely; the Wood Ear were regenerated by the rains and I was able to cut a double-handful from a downed tree just off the creek bed.

Looking up the ridgeline I noticed a very large tree that had been downed by heavy winds. I cut a vector for this tree (ideal mushroom habitat) when I caught movement in the canopy above. Just 40 yards away, a mature gray squirrel bounded from branch-to-branch. By keeping the larger trees between us I was able to close the distance to 20 yards and just as the squirrel paused on an adjacent limb I brought my .22 LR target pistol to bear. One hasty shot sent the squirrel tumbling through the layers of vegetation and I knew that wild game would be in the larder this week. After recovering the squirrel I cut westward across the ridgeline and practically stumbled on a cluster of shining goldenrod fungi. Could it be? I had in fact found my first chanterelles! The find was bittersweet. The only two specimens large enough to pick were plainly riddled with insects. The remainder were too small and I feared that the forecasted days of dry heat meant that they would not have the opportunity to mature. Nonetheless, I had accomplished my mission.

The trudge back to the truck was less rewarding. The heat and humidity had really begun to take their toll. I swatted mosquitoes and cleared spiderwebs the entire way back. Upon arriving at the parking lot I promptly dropped by pack and began guzzling a giant Nalgene bottle of water. I was on the verge of heat exhaustion, having walked at least a half-mile through unforgiving country in the lamentable conditions of July. I felt the tickle of spiderwebs on the nape of my neck and itched the bites on my arms. Laying out my trophies for examination, I also noted that I had collected a very large Brown Recluse on my backpack. In my stupor, I wandered round the gravel parking lot, sipping water. Having meandered about 15 ft from my truck I noticed something interesting in the grass perimeter and parted the ground-cover to reveal not one but three more chanterelles! I could not believe it. Prophetically, I had written about finding morels in bar ditches back in 2015. No doubt this was a testament to the unpredictability of fungi! I also took it as a blessing.

The next day I was determined to cook a meal befitting of both the squirrel and chanterelles. My browsing stopped when I reached a recipe for Swabian “Pockets” (Schwabishe Maultaschen) in Mimi Sheraton’s The German Cookbook. These pockets were really little dumplings filled with minced meat, grated onion, spinach, eggs, and breadcrumbs—and flavored with classic German spices like nutmeg and allspice. I’ll be honest, I had never made this sort of dumplings before. I broke out the KitchenAid and proceeded to coat our kitchen with a fine layer of all-purpose flour. The dough actually did work though—I cut out 3” scalloped rounds and stuffed them with a mixture of minced squirrel meat (that had been parboiled in chicken stock), spinach, grated onion, rehydrated wild oyster mushrooms* and the fresh chanterelles. I then cooked these dumplings in the reserved stock and mushroom broth with juniper berries, black pepper, and more allspice. Despite my complete absence of dumpling-making skills, the result was sublime. I’d love to share the recipe with you but the fact is that I don’t have one. I eyeball a lot of my ingredients while cooking and this dish was no different. If you want to approximate it, pick up a copy of The German Cookbook.

*The chanterelles that I found belong to the Cantharellus cibarius clade, but this nomenclature is no longer accepted for all of the golden chanterelles in the United States. Rather, Cantharellus cibarius is likely only found in Europe and the U.S. has several closely related species.

*The oyster mushrooms were Pleurotus ostreatus, or the Fall Oyster.

Wild Beers and the Evolution of Religion

Today I was reading in Hank Shaw’s always entertaining Hunt Gather Cook Facebook group and came across a post where Hank himself described his wild homebrew saison wort as the wee yeasties. Now, if there is a more Scottish description of the requisite organisms for fermentation I dinnae ken what that would be. As such, I had to compose a short poem there on the spot:

Wee Yeasty Beasties
Fermenting a' tha day
Serenaded by the Pibroch
While the leal folk
Think on their deadly thirst
And labor on the hay

It is pretty evocative for such a short and unpolished piece. So much so, that I was brought back to the imagery of the hayfield. Now, I’m not talking about the Oklahoma hayfield where the sun crisps you like a pork rind, but rather those romantic hayfields captured in so much fine artwork. What, you don’t believe me? Have a look for yourself. The depictions of country life don’t fall short on the harsh reality of agricultural employment, but they do soften the edges. I wouldn’t mind working in many of those fields, given that it was September or October and I could quit after about 30 minutes.

Though not Scottish, Ralph McTell’s The Girl from the Hiring Fair is also appropriate here. It is a work of poetry itself: enchanting, pastoral, and evocative of those blessed summer nights when the back-breaking labor is done and there is time for the craic. McTell’s word-smithing is genius throughout the song, but to me it is at its finest here:

And I swung harder with my scythe, few words between us passed,
And I cursed my tongue-tied youthfulness and I hoped that she'd hear my heart.

Luckily for McTell’s strapping mower, his subdued romantic inclinations do not go unnoticed.

She was safely gathered in my arms when from the barn
Drifted the sound of a violin and we hurried back to the farm,
And all were dancing in the lantern light and music filled the air,
And I thanked my stars for the harvest moon and the girl from the hiring fair.

Here we have the full circle. The laborer’s toils end with dancing and most certainly (though implicitly) a celebratory brew. It seems unimportant, but that act was been repeated through generation-upon-generation. So much in fact, that alcoholic beverages and the grains that they were made from (embodied by Robert Burns’ John Barleycorn) became central elements in the rituals of numerous religions as symbols of life and fertility. In his master-work, The Golden Bough, Sir James Frazier documents the widespread worship various of deities (Virbius, Jupiter, Dianus, Janus, Adonis, Attis, Osiris, Dionysus, Bacchus, Persephone) as the embodiment of agricultural fertility. Oversimplified, The Golden Bough connects the founding of nearly all world religions to three basic functions: (1) ensure that the vegetation and crops regrow every year, (2) ensure that the livestock multiplies, and (3) ensure that the rains fall.

That’s something heady to think about the next time you enjoy your favorite craft brew. Perhaps you’ll even decide to try your hand seeing what magic lies in the plants, yeasts, and world around us.

Mid-Year Goal Status

Remember my post 10 Outdoor Goals for Simple, Fulfilled Living in 2016? Time for an update!

• Pick a wild fruit and make something homemade out of it: a jam, jelly, pie, syrup, or liqueur. DONE! Check out this amazing Blackberry Liqueur starter kit and the final product mixed with some sweet tea.

• Gather and leach enough acorns to eat, whether they be as acorn flour or simply roasted. NOT DONE. Check back this fall.

• Shoot my longbow more and make it a point to spend more time with my wife in archery. PARTIALLY DONE. We've been out shooting a few times, but not really enough to satisfy this.

• Add two more species of fish to my catalog of species caught on the tenkara rod. PARTIALLY DONE. I have one new species added to the list: Channel Catfish. It was a good one too! My sweetie also caught a Warmouth, but that doesn't count for this purpose.
  
  
  

• Improve my butchery skills and teach someone else the dying art. PARTIALLY DONE. Although I haven't taught anyone butchery at this point, I have been perfecting my fish cleaning. I was really poor at it before, but am getting better. I even filleted this Smallmouth Buffalo before learning about Haff Disease. Sadly I relegated him to the garden.

• Visit a National Park or National Wildlife Refuge and celebrate such a unique American gift. DONE! We had a great time exploring Hot Springs National Park on our annual vacation.

• Cook a wild game meal outdoors using cast iron. NOT DONE. I'll tackle this one when it cools off. Hopefully I'll get to do it during the Small Game Road-Trip I'm planning.

• Journal a vivid description of an outdoor scene with deep appreciation (like John Muir). DONE!

• Change someone’s mind regarding the culinary value of small game or waterfowl. DONE! This one has been my absolute favorite. I spent 6.5 hours cooking a giant pot of Squirrel Brunswick Stew a couple weeks ago and fed 10 people with it. No complaints and a lot of empty bowls. Best of all, my sweetheart ate squirrel for the first time!
  
  
  

• Locate and harvest a bounty of Sulfur Shelf Mushrooms (Laetiporus sulphureus). NOT DONE. Sadly, I haven't been able to find any of these Chicken of the Woods. It isn't for trying. I did however, manage to find Morels, Oysters, and Wood Ear this spring. We ate the Wood Ears for the first time ever and despite the bland flavor, there were a great texture addition to stir fry.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

The Perils and Pleasures of Leaving the Rod Behind

What started out as an ill-fated squirrel hunt ended up with me reclining on a lake shore, journaling and writing poetry. I was perturbed that I did not throw my rod in the truck before I left. Yet, after a while sitting under the shade of a huge cottonwood I appreciated the opportunity to just exist. Nonetheless, I will be returning with fish on my mind sometime in the near future. That's the wonderful thing about exploring--your discoveries are always able to be revisited (whether physically or through reminiscence). I'm not actually sure how long I spent at that spot (several hours?) but it was enjoyable. Included below are snapshots from today and a short poem composed on virgin ground.

Tenkara

Deer hair snowflake
Drifting down
Amidst the dancing cottonwood seeds
An infant's kiss (From Heaven: テンカラ)
Upon the water

One gyration
One frantic twitch
An inky shadow
Menacing, imposing
Drags the charlatan beneath the olive plain

Then pandemonium
Predator now prey
Two hunters
Connected by tapered braid
Two worlds apart

Upon Reviving the Spirit, Ouachita Mountains, April 10th 2016

Lobed leaves like mittens¹

Impart imprudent incense

I shudder, deer-like

Never before a pilgrim

Yet here I am Sainte Terrer²

Grasping fennel wood³

I heave earth up to daylight

Balm of Winding Stair⁴

Tea steeping in the Ouachitas

Lord, where do I go from here?
 

10 Outdoor Goals for Simple, Fulfilled Living in 2016

An Excellent Bluegill Caught on a Tenkara Rod

Back in 2013 I jotted down a quick list of outdoor goals for the season. Typically, I am not a goal-oriented person. This may make me sound like an underachiever but that is quite untrue. Rather, I prefer to be open-minded and to capitalize on opportunities as they develop. Now, this doesn’t mean that I don’t have a general sense of direction—just that my daily task focus becomes a burden when it is wedded to long-term goals. However, the outdoor goals of 2013 proved a joy rather than a burden. With them I pushed past my recreational comfort zone and explored the novel, the eccentric, and the off-color.

10"+ Oyster Mushrooms Found in Late December

I’d like to revisit this process in 2016. Despite not having these goals set for 2015, it too was a year of exploration. Primarily, I dedicated most of fishing time to the Japanese tenkara style of fly-fishing. In addition, I spent less time single-mindedly pursuing game and more time smelling the flowers..errr….mushrooms. Between tenkara (which is done without the use of a reel) and mushroom gathering I found myself learning more and dealing with less frustration. In both of these pastimes I realized that their intrinsic simplicity was a reward in and of itself. While my current residence doesn’t allow me to heft trophy largemouths, it does allow me to stalk city parks with teeny pheasant tail nymphs for bluegill. Likewise, my freezer may not always be full of big game—but it does have a few Hen of the Woods (Grifola frondosa), Oysters Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus), and squirrels tucked away. Isn’t that a more Transcendentalist approach? Thoreau goes so far as to say this: “As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.”

Hen of the Woods Hides So Well You Could Easily Walk Past It

Thus, in the spirit of simplicity I propose the following humble goals for 2016:

• Pick a wild fruit and make something homemade out of it: a jam, jelly, pie, syrup, or liqueur.

Sand Plums Make the Best Jelly on Earth

• Gather and leach enough acorns to eat, whether they be as acorn flour or simply roasted.

• Shoot my longbow more and make it a point to spend more time with my wife in archery.

• Add two more species of fish to my catalog of species caught on the tenkara rod.

Golden Shiners Aren't Your Typical Fly-Fishing Quarry

• Improve my butchery skills and teach someone else the dying art.

• Visit a National Park or National Wildlife Refuge and celebrate such a unique American gift.

Home to Selenite Crystals, Verdant Marshes, and All Manner of Birds 

• Cook a wild game meal outdoors using cast iron.

• Journal a vivid description of an outdoor scene with deep appreciation (like John Muir).

• Change someone’s mind regarding the culinary value of small game or waterfowl.

• Locate and harvest a bounty of Sulfur Shelf Mushrooms (Laetiporus sulphureus).

The Rook Rifle Project Part II – A Superior Small Game Rifle

Back in June, I wrote about an ongoing project where I was attempting to build the modern equivalent to the British Rook Rifle. Since then, I have had the opportunity to finish the product and spend some time with it afield. This project report will give some initial impressions on the rifle and the effectiveness of the .22 K-Hornet cartridge on small game.

Assembled Rifle

After waiting quite some time to receive my SSK Industries barrel (UPS lost it in transit) it took only a few minutes to assemble the complete Encore rifle. With the shortest legal barrel not requiring an ATF tax stamp (16”) the gun’s handiness was extremely impressive. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it carries better than any rifle I have ever owned. Although I am no sheep hunter (my pockets aren’t deep enough), this quality is still critically important when venturing over hill and dale in search of small game. I’m not too proud to admit that I also have a fetish for rifles that are carry-friendly. In this instance, the Encore performs exceptionally. In fact, I have found it to be the perfect weapon to accompany me on mushroom hunts—offering comparable burden to a large revolver and considerably better range.

Packability is fine, but accuracy is final. At this point I haven’t done hardcore accuracy testing with the rifle. Rather, I have opted to establish a solid zero and spend time with the gun in the field. However, informal target practice without a range-quality rest revealed that the rifle was capable to producing 3” groups at 130 yards using factory ammunition and the equipped iron sights. Undoubtedly, the rifle is capable of much better accuracy than this—I just haven’t taken the time to prove it. Despite what it is written about improving the Encore’s accuracy using oversized hinge pins, action jobs, and trigger jobs, I have found these to be unnecessary for my purposes. Moreover, the trigger on this rifle is excellent from the factory.

Aesthetically, the rifle is quite eye-catching. The matte stainless frame and barrel contrast with the black synthetic furniture quite well. As previously mentioned, I might consider wood furniture in the future to enhance the aesthetics and trimness of the rifle but I haven’t made this commitment yet. The factory furniture is functional, but the fit and finish are not great. Quality wood furniture would be certain to improve the warmth and elegance of the rifle.

The SSK Industries barrel in the standard Pro Hunter contour is beefy and is a bit of an oddball considering its brevity. However, the heavy, stubby barrel should be extremely stiff and therefore will likely contribute greatly to the arm’s overall accuracy.  Furthermore, the finish of this barrel is excellent, as would be expected when you dish out considerable money for a custom piece.

Ammunition Preferences

I have been using two factory .22 Hornet loadings for small game hunting and for fireforming brass to the .22 K-Hornet chamber. These are the Prvi Partizan (PPU) 45 gr. Soft Point  and the Hornady 35 gr. VMAX. While effective on game and economical to shoot, the PPU ammunition has been disappointing from the reloading perspective. I have been able to retain virtually no brass from these factory loadings due to a 90%+ failure rate via neck-splitting. Conversely, I have yet to lose a single casing from the Hornady loadings.  Both of these loads shoot to similar POIs, with the Hornady tending slightly higher. For hunting purposes, the vertical deviation between the two loads has been inconsequential.

Field Performance

To date, eight cottontails and three squirrels have fallen to the Rook Rifle. Through these harvest I have learned that both of the aforementioned factory loads are highly frangible.  Despite this, head shots and well-placed shots in behind the shoulder (as with deer) have not ruined meat excessively. The VMAX is more dramatic than the PPU soft point and thus the PPU ammunition (despite its shortcomings) has been my preferred load for hunting. However, my original intent still holds true: once enough fireformed brass has been obtained I will be loading the 50 gr. Hornady SP to moderate velocities in order to extenuate brass life, minimize reloading cost, and reduce meat damage. 

In all cases game has been killed quickly and ethically. As expected, no quarry has required a follow-up shot. The .22 Hornet is orders of magnitude more lethal on small game than either the .22 LR or the .22 WMR. I have also found that by hunting with the Rook Rifle I am able to more efficiently clean and process small game when compared to my hunts with a shotgun.

Two weeks ago I managed to add a number of cottontails to the pot and found that even when I “edged” the rabbits with a portion of my 12 gauge’s shot pattern I would still put a couple of pellets into the intestines or stomach. This has the potential to taint meat and makes processing quite unpleasant. Conversely, accurate headshots neither taint nor ruin meat and have proven easily achievable with the Skinner aperture sight on my Rook Rifle. This is very important to me as a meat hunter—especially when Brunswick Stew is on tomorrow’s menu.

I’m still learning about this Rook Rifle, but the more time I spend with it the more I like it. The rifle appears to fit the Rook Rifle niche well. It is handy, accurate, cheap to shoot, mild of report, and performs well on small game. Since building this rifle I’ve been conflicted. I’ve always been a shotgunner, but now I find myself grabbing this little rifle more often as I go out the door. This choice may reduce the number of game birds in the larder, but I believe that it will substantially increase my pleasure afield and the number of furred game in the freezer.