a harvesty day

it was a mushroom kind of day
a clump of light tan mushrooms
at the foot of one of the burr oaks

a little later
in another part of the yard
a clutch of larger darker mushrooms
again at the base of a burr oak

a bone I have to pick with mushroom
field guides
so sweldom do I find photos
that look anything like the mushrooms
I find. . . 

then later yet
while collecting the days fallen walnuts
I discovered a mushroom I do know
a hen of the woods
of sizable proportions

a choice edible
used for centuries in Chinese Medicine
lowers blood pressure
reduces the size of cancerous tumors
 and retards their growth
and reduces the nasty side effects of chemotherapy
lowers blood sugar
strenthens the immune system
full of excellent essential fatty acids
a protein feast
and beautiful

hen of the woods also known as
maitake mushroom
this one weighs 6.5 pounds



(some as large as 50 pounds
so while mine's a giant to me
it’s small potatoes in the mycological collector’s world

then in a walk  up the steep hill behind the house
another one found
smaller
only 3 pounds



but here is me
now with 9.5 pounds of prime mushroom


lucky it’s freezeable
and I sauted up a panful in butter
with salt and pepper
and they are delicious!

I note they’re selling on the internet
for $33.00 a pound

I am wealthy in ‘shrooms tonight

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