Walk on the Wild Side

Fall is upon us in all its glorious splendor, my favourite season. As a serious forager I look forward to the last chance to harvest the bounty of the forest. My top pick at this time of the year are wild cranberries which abound in the river valley and especially on the southern slopes of Hermitage Park. A good frost enhances the flavor but you can also pick now and store in the freezer to make into jelly at a later date. Plenty of recipes can be found on the internet. Did you know that Pembina (as in the river) is French for cranberry?

On a short walk along the trails of St Albert, I discovered a bountiful bloom of honey mushrooms – delicious sautéed or pickled. We are at the tail end of a late bloom of parasol mushrooms, (macrolepioti rhacodes) one of my favourites. Meaty and full flavoured they make wonderful duxelles. My advice for picking mushrooms is do your research, I strongly recommend joining The Alberta Mycological Society which sponsors neighborhood forays and educational workshops. Do not pick or consume mushrooms unless you are absolutely positive on their identification. Arm yourself with a good guide, a notebook and camera and forage with an experienced picker. Be prepared to walk on the wild side and enjoy the treasures of the fourth kingdom – Fungi, what treasures these morsels be!

Recommended guide: Mushrooms of Western Canada by Schalkwijk-Barendsen
Alberta Mycological Society- www.wildmushrooms.ws