WriterByNature.com

Thanks to my COMA walk last week, I learned to identify several new edible mushrooms, including the black trumpet (Craterellus fallax).

I sautéed them in olive oil and ate them.

This has been one of those wonderful, bountiful days. I had planned to wait several months to read the final Harry Potter, but as it turns out, my request makes me the first to read my local library’s copy.

Bring on the thunderstorms. I have a fresh, new copy of a well-written saga. Maybe the combination of black trumpets, red russulas, a well-written fiction will stimulate yet untapped creative connections in my own brain.

I’m really glad that J.K. Rowling is richer than the Queen of England. It’s affirming to think that in a video game world, this writer’s well-crafted stories have turned non-readers into readers.

But I digress. Here are today’s wild edibles:

These red russulas are the good guys.

How do I know? BIG DISCLAIMER: I verified this with my experts.

One thing to look for is that russulas DO NOT have a milky fluid. Russulas have white gills that attach to the stem. I could easily peel the red skin from the mushroom. And -BIG DISCLAIMER- when I pinched a piece and put it on my tongue. There was NO bitter sting after 1-2 minutes.

I hesitate to say anything about putting raw mushrooms in your mouth - I did this with guidance and supervision.

A really good test for identifying russulas is to throw them against a tree. If they shatter - you know it was a russula. That doesn’t make it edible - but it’s a good learning tool.

Most experts will tell you that russulas are typically brightly colored and that they are frail. I found the red ones shortly after it rained. I was a little late finding these green russulas.

In addition to mushrooms, the wineberries are getting ripe. They appear to ripen one or two at a time.

The ripest berry on this bunch is the hardest one to see.

And just when you think it could not get any better - Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is on sale - even the organic B&J.

So, mushrooms for dinner, and wineberries with organic ice cream for dessert and a really good book. Honestly, could it get any better than this?