I finally got a chance to be in a place that is more ‘me’. After wanting to get out of the city and into nature for so long, I got an invitation to go foraging for mushrooms. I had mentioned a few things I was looking to do and experience while having a quick messaging chat with another volunteer. She mentioned that she may have plans to go foraging for mushrooms near the city, and asked if I would be interested in going. Don’t have to ask me twice to do something like that. Nature. Food. Sign me up! I was especially looking forward to this as it was an activity I wanted to do in the Carpathian area. With the arrival of autumn it is prime wild mushroom season. I was supposed to have a bake day, but it was not a hard trade-off for me. I have not experienced any time like this since coming to Lviv. Being out in nature for any reason does my soul some good. It was also something new and different. Why not. Places like this speak to me.
On the way to meeting her friend (who would be introducing us to a local guide) we walked through a village. There were lots of fruit and nut trees. I even got a chance to eat some fresh walnuts while we walked. Lots of berry bushes lined some properties. I even saw several hops bushes. There was even one plant vine that caught my attention as we walked by. It was simply glowing from the way the morning sun was hitting it.
The night before we went to go foraging I decided to watch the Netflix documentary Fantastic Fungi (again), featuring Paul Stamets. These natural wonders fascinate me. They are so interesting from just a culinary standpoint. But there is an incredible hidden and not yet fully understood world that we need to evolve with. They can be medicinal; they can also help deal with things like oil spills. I can’t wait to have a property where I can incorporate these wonderful creatures more with my lifestyle.
As I mention so often, I love to wander. Being out in a setting like a forest with the purpose of foraging could lead to interesting little discoveries - and potentially food for meals. What I will show is just a fraction of what I saw. The images will show a variety of species and places that they can be found. Various shapes and colours. I did come away with a small bounty of mushrooms to cook with. They did not look very photogenic by the time I got them home, but it was so amazing to cook with them. Such nice aromas, and textures. Have to admit it was a little unnerving while I was eating, as well as for the few hours afterwards. But there were no odd after affects. Our guide did not fail us.
Beautiful photos, Marko! They were downright dreamy! <3