In celebration of spring, people flock to their secret locations in search of morels. They start hunting weeks too early, unable to rein in their anticipation. This delusional state reoccurs annually for their entire lifetime. However, there is an antidote, another early fungal treasure to be sought. While stomping about in the weeks leading up […]
The Snowbank Mushroom Read More »
I absolutely love living in a place with four distinct seasons, and I have a variety of sports to keep me active at any point in the year. But spring holds a special place in my heart, as it’s the time of the year when even the air seems softer and sweeter than usual. Temperatures
Spring Into the Inland NW Hiking Season Read More »
A couple thousand species of mushroom inhabit our region, quickly perplexing the budding enthusiast. Most people give up once familiar with chanterelles, morels, and shaggy manes. However, there are certain groups of mushrooms that can be approached by broad rules. This is a critical step in your studies, reducing the drudgery of hours buried in
Liza Mattana and her family brought home an impressive haul of morels in early May. “We went up into the Colville National Forest and they were just everywhere,” she says. It’s a bumper year for morels, the silver lining to last summer’s devastating forest fires. The mushrooms thrive on ground disturbances like logging and big
Foragers and Foodies Find Upside of Last Summer’s Wildfires Read More »
The Blackfeet said they were fallen stars. In Western ethno botanical literature, puffballs are referenced far more than other fungi. Nowadays people tend to overlook them, maybe because of the resemblance to softballs, golf balls, and volleyballs. Yet they are abundant, good to eat, high in protein, and when mature, fun to kick into explosions
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May is for morels, mycophiles say. But at “Out There Monthly,” May is for corals! No scuba gear required because the forest corals are terrestrial fungi in the genus ramaria. Corals are more prolific in the Northwest than anywhere in North America and possibly on Earth. Showing up a couple weeks after morels start and
Leaf Root Fungi Fruit: Coral Mushrooms Read More »
My roots in the Crown of the Continent go as deep as my first wobbly steps on Earth. My folks came to the heart of the Crown with hope for a better life for themselves and their children. A handful of photos of the bob Marshall Wilderness in a 1985 issue of National Geographic sparked
IT’S A UBIQUITOUS SUMMER PHRASE in Spokane: “Going to the lake.” For some, the body of water referenced is Coeur d’Alene; for others, Newman or Hayden lakes. For many, though, the “lake” in the phrase is Priest, probably the most popular water destination in the area and certainly the most scenic (apologies to Pend Oreille
Paddling Upper Priest Lake As Easy As 1, 2, 3,*** Read More »
By Amy Silbernagel McvCaffree and Erika Prins WHETHER IT IS TO A SNOWY or sunny destination, for a week or just a weekend, February is a good month for getting away from the norm. There are two holidays—Valentine’s Day and the extended President’s Day weekend—and spring is just around the corner. Plus, this is a
Winter Getaways On A Budget Read More »
Wild foods are not as large or uniform as their supermarket counterparts, but they often contain higher nutritional value—and hold up better in the kitchen, according to “Wildman” Steve Brill, author of Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild and Not-So-Wild Places and The Wild Vegan Cookbook. Many vegetables look bigger in the
Find Wild Food: Forage Like Our Forefathers (And Foremothers) Read More »
