As winter approaches, I have been eagerly awaiting the first snowfall in order to tromp the grounds looking for tracks and other animal signs. As a prelude, I’ve been digging into Paul Rezendes Tracking & the Art of Seeing: How to Read Animal Tracks and Sign. The language used by Rezendes, “seeing” brought me back to tracking of another kind – foraging in
Although one might assume “tracking plants” to
be far easier than following the signs of moving animals, it took me a while to
find what my counterpart Maria described as my “mushroom eyes.” Not unlike
tracking animals, it’s important to wait for the right conditions – rain after
several warm days, and then the hope that your mushroom eyes are working! As
Rezendes says, “If you know an animal well, you will know where to look for it
and when,” - the same is true for mushrooms.
(Mushroom Pizza – Sumy )
When traveling the highways in Ukraine Desna
river, one of the program planners mentioned he had seen oyster mushrooms near
the sanatorium entrance, so we happily ended our meeting in search of them. He
brought them back the following day in the form of a soup that his wife had
prepared.
(Mushroom Soup - Odessa )
Without Maria, Dr. Valarie, or Tatiana (all
passionate foragers), I am reluctant to go on my own. Luckily this fall was
particularly rich with giant puff ball mushrooms (which have no poisonous
look-alikes). Rezendes believes that through tracking, a person can develop an
intimate bond with the animal, and furthermore develop a more keen
understanding of their relationship to the natural world. I believe the same
can be said for foraging. Through the collection of mushrooms, one can develop
a keen sense of their environment.
For helpful foraging tips, visit: http://www.foragingguide.com/
For helpful foraging tips, visit: http://www.foragingguide.com/
(Top photo: Mushrooms at an Odessa Market)
Great post, thanks for sharing! I would love to visit the Ukraine some day soon.
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