The hunter with the rifle was in a better position to take the shot, but it was my doe tag. So thanks to this very generous doe, I now have 35 pounds of venison to prepare in any way I see fit.  Yes, I did take time to thank the doe for giving her life [...]

The weather is perfect. Everywhere I step there’s a profusion of black trumpet mushrooms (Craterellus fallax). I carry a camp stove, cookware, my own dehydrated and foraged food – and Larabars, but nothing like butter or olive oil.

So I crushed a number of shagbark hickory nuts and the oils blended beautifully with the smoky flavor of the black trumpet.

I’d rather go hiking and eat real food, even if preparing it takes a bit of work, than eat the corporate chemical concoctions available in most supermarkets.

Foraging field guides are worth collecting, since no two foragers have the same recipes and techniques.

Foraging the costal areas is a rare treat. Learning to prepare seaweed is one of the benefits.

Finding ways to use introduced edible wild species, like autumn olives can yield excellent results.

Knowing how to prepare wild foods, like dandelion greens, is the key to making them palatable.

Another way to enjoy this delicious wild edible.

A mushroom foray is typically a combination of collection and identification, lectures and educational programs, mushroom tasting and fun events. Clark Rogerson established the event I attended this past weekend. I never knew him, but am grateful to those he taught, who now teach me.

Discovering how to make anything better is worth the effort – that includes blueberry pie.