Get Outta Here Moose!

 

Elk season this year was very uneventful (and I think that goes for quite a few other people around here.)  We were still coming off a very dry spell, it was nice weather, there was a waning moon...and with my foot injury which caused me to be terribly out of elk-hunting shape.  You combine all that and it equals, crunchy woods, clear skies, the critters are up and moving all night and holed up during the day, and I couldn't come close to the areas they were hunkered in.  Needless to say, I called it quits early.  I spent the rest of my time off hunting closer in to the house in the mornings and then doing chores in the afternoon.  It was nice to get a bunch of winterizing done.

 

Southern view from Whitetail peak. 

I had been looking for deer the day before and ran into turkeys, so the next day I brought the shotgun instead!

Perfect size...from the first brood of the season

Last weekend found me in another chunk of Forest Service ground basically exploring while carrying a rifle.  As I'm walking up the road, the piles they burned a couple days prior were smoldering...the smell of which immediately took me back to fighting fire.  I could almost smell the MREs at that point!  But then I look up and see this grassy knob above me (Grouse Mountain)...so my "hunt" turned into a hike for a little bit so I could get to the top to look over at the lake.

Looking at the Clarkfork River Delta

More to the north now....a view of Hope (the town)

This is looking at Sagle / Ponderay area....the low hill to the left in the background is hiding Sandpoint

And this is looking toward Shepard Lake, towards Round Lake in the gap...with Cocolalla Lake barely visible at the far left

It was a hike to get to the top, so of course a photo was in order.  And yes, the wind was blowing

After that excursion I bumped some other deer that I never saw.  As I was cutting down the hill I had another near-heart attack.  I was stepping over this pile of brush and logs and this white tube-like form kept extruding out of it.  You know that feeling when all the blood leaves your head and you are truly frightened...yeah, I had that.  So this tube-like white thing that shot out of the brush finally stopped moving and turned into a snowshoe hare.  It was a bizarre experience, but I just wasn't expecting to see anything WHITE at my feet moving at about 40 mph!  All my mind registered was the blur I guess.

Later a big sounding deer let me get to within 25 yards of where he was sleeping the day away before bolting.  I hadn't spooked him too bad so we ended up playing tag for an hour or so.  While that was going on I heard a bear tearing apart logs looking for grubs...I'd seen his sign all over that hill.  I wanted to see him but never got the chance.  Well, the deer disappeared like deer do and I made for the truck because we had plans that night and I was close to being late.


In other news...we have a wonderful opportunity to replace boards in our new laminate floor!  Just a heads up, aluminum-sandwiched based steel pots are something to be careful with.  We have some nice Megaware pots and pans made this way and I found out Kirkland has a similar line.  There is an issue with aluminum as it has a fairly attainable melting point of 1200 degrees.  Whilst trying to steam some broccoli and talk about important issues, water wasn't added to the pot.  After a while, Sarah said, "Did I put water in that?  Oh shit!"  Whereas she grabs the pot to add the missing water...now, the layer of aluminum had melted...and the bottom plate of steel fell off and molten aluminum splashed everywhere!  We were lucky none of it got on us! 

Burned spots

Burned porcelain (the sink took the brunt of it.)  I think this old one will be used up at the shop!

I used a metal spatula to move the still-hot aluminum into a dustpan

The result

See how they used the aluminum to "sandwich" the base on?

Awesome

So, just be warned!  Also, I think I read something about if you put water on molten aluminum it can turn into hydrogen gas and keep burning.  I can't confirm but it makes a certain amount of sense...luckily we didn't do that (and we didn't even have to use the fire extinguisher) but it's good to keep in mind.  Oh, and we found out that NONE of our smoke alarms worked until we jiggled them...THOSE are getting replaced this weekend!


And final, last night I had heard a moose in the trees in front of the house making the unmistakable moose "yeeeeunk" noise.  I didn't think much of it and later let Lucca out the back where I immediately heard barking!  SHIT!  There's Lucca, off the stairs...barking at a moose (they were only about 10 feet apart.)  So I'm moving in on this and the moose starts moving toward Lucca (I honestly think the young girl was more curious than anything.)  But, yours truly doesn't think about anything but getting the dog and starts HOLLERING at the moose.  "GET OUTTA HERE MOOSE!   LUCCA COME HERE!  GET OUTTA HERE MOOSE!"  (I mention not thinking because we had a 10-foot triangle of dead space between all of us.)  Have you ever yelled and flailed your arms at a moose 10 feet from you?  I have. 

Well, Lucca finally came up the stairs, the moose went to ask her sister what the hell just happened, and I took the dog inside. 

It's kinda peculiar now because WTF was going through MY mind?  I must like that dog...

Oh, if you've ever seen "The Rundown" what I was yelling reminds me of the "Get outta here monkey" scene.  Ha hahahaha!.

The last couple of times he says it at about 1:15 is what I was thinking:
http://youtu.be/BDU8ew4ZeVQ

Zach Deputy - Home

I heard this song quite a while ago then forgot what the guy's name was.  Countless searches for "home" and "smiling bearded guy in water album cover" were the result. 

Until today!! I finally found it again!  So, in order to not forget again, I put it here.  I really do like this song...

Destroying Angel

This is a short tale about the mushroom that almost gave me a heart attack.

The weather in North Idaho has been mild this fall, actually, it's been pretty dry and warm.  We finally got a good douse of rain this past week and the fall mushrooms are coming up in force!  I've got shaggy manes out my office window growing quickly each day and new ones are popping up all over our lawn.  Some folks down south around CDA have been finding masses of chanterelles, as have some people up near Priest Lake...but I have yet to find those around Sandpoint. 

What I DID find, was a beautiful white mushroom on the side of the road...with more in the button stage around it!  Cool! 

I left the young "buttons" as they're called, and picked the big one to take home and identify.

(The pieces are broken off from the main cap)

Okay, I know what some of you are thinking.  "Anything with a ring on the stalk shouldn't be eaten."  I've heard that too, in the past...but have luckily progressed past that with identification of various mycological species...

But I was unsure about this critter and looked at my books.  I consulted the internet.  I was confident it was Lepiota naucina or "Ma'am on a motorcycle."   BUT....

By the way, "BUT" is a bad thing to EVER think when identifying shrooms...trust me.  Just do this once to confirm what a Rosy Russula is:

"6.)  Taste peppery (chew on a small piece of cap, the spit it out)

Edibility:  Not recommended; the strong peppery taste is a deterrent."

(Note:  THAT experiment had me spitting for about three hours!!  But, if you wanted a peppery stew...that's the shroom for you!)

Okay, BUT, the warnings on everything I read said something like this:  "be careful not to confuse it with the deadly amanita!!"  Or basically something like: the species often responsible for mushroom poisoning deaths from mis-identification with a deadly species of close resemblance.

Well, the species they are all referencing has the pleasant, melodic name of "Amanita ocreata!"  Unfortunately, the common name is "Destroying Angel."  This particular amanita holds the title for being "responsible for 95% of all mushroom fatalities" by causing delayed liver and kidney failure.  Yep, delayed...at first you are fine...eat all you want!  Then, an average of 10 or a max of  24 HOURS later, you develop symptoms of the flu, diarrhea, vomiting, severe cramping, and so on.  Then, you recover.  For a day.  Following that, you are in for it and your liver and kidneys start shutting down and blah blah blah....a liver transplant is basically the only way you'll survive.  (By the way, I learned all this LATER...meaning today.) 

NEVER rely on one or two mushroom books.  Ever. 

Well, I was confident enough to take a bite.  It really wasn't bad, more bland than anything (it wasn't cooked) and honestly, raw, it wasn't anything to write home about.  I considered spitting it out (a common identification method for non-lethal species is to chew on a piece of the cap and spit it out...remember the Rosy Russula) but instead I swallowed it...tough-talking myself into confidence. Well, then I was on the internet, feverishly combing through various mushroom websites, forums, and scientific PDFs.  That quickly brought my anxiety, fear, and insecurity to the surface and within five minutes of the "swallow" I hustled to the bathroom to force myself to get rid of the small bit.  (Yes, I'm sparing you some details.) 

After that I continued to freak myself out using this "great tool" we call the internet.  (You have cancer by the way...I don't care what symptoms you have....you have cancer.)  Read, read, read...it has no volva...no cuplike remnant of a universal veil...(the Destroying Angel has a volva)...or did it?    SHIT!  So there I was, in the truck, up the road with a flashlight to find the other "buttons" that I left.  Finally, in the dark with a big flashlight pinned between my kneeling  legs, I gently excavated a small mushroom from the side of the road, PRAYING it didn't have a hidden volva.
.
.
.
It didn't!

But that only helped for the night.  All morning I was looking through book after book, publication after publication.  Same thing, I basically thought,  "I'm guaranteed to die today."  Stupid stupid stupid.  Of course, I started to give myself symptoms thinking like that.  Do I have an upset stomach?  Do I need to poop?  Do I feel nauseous?  My plan at the time was to wait until about 5:00 p.m. (24 hours after half-ass ingestion) to see if I developed symptoms.  Well, that wasn't going to happen behind a desk, so I left work and went on the move...which oddly led me to the same road and the same area I picked the little bastard in question.  There were more!  A lot more!  I picked all I could, young and old, paying close attention to digging rather than picking so as not to disturb any volva that may be present.  Again, I was home identifying...but this time...it was to an entirely more relaxed state of mind. 

What I have is, I'm mostly sure, the harmless (to some people) Lepioda naucina. 

 

OKAY NOW, FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON AM I CLAIMING THESE FOLLOWING PHOTOS ARE DEFINITELY THE SPECIES OF MUSHROOM THAT I THINK THEY ARE.  THIS IS NOT A GUIDE, THIS IS AN INFORMED OPINION.  

 Frick, I could be wrong as far as I know...and if I am, will someone PLEASE write to tell me?! 



Pretty, but notice...no volva

Young dude



Young and older caps

Teenager

I THINK this is the same species.  It was in the same "area" the idea follows for the rest of these....

Grandpa...same thing, just in the same area...

His nasty cap

Young and old caps

Just because

Pocketknife for reference.  Cute little buttons...now come on, don't they look decent to eat?
 

Veil JUST released from cap



Now, for reference, here's the bad one:

The flimsy veil hangs like a skirt...I guess that's a common thing.  Not as robust as the veil on the "Ma'am on a motorcycle"

This shows the volva (not separated), skirt, and shaggy stem

 

And, I wanted to show the volva separating at the base. The whole critter starts off as an egg-looking outfit I guess (that's where the "universal veil" or "sac" comes from.  Looks like a puffball at first I guess.

 

Okay, so now if you want more info on the poisoning potential and effects, this person has a good description:
http://blog.mycology.cornell.edu/2006/11/22/i-survived-the-destroying-angel/


So, that's my most recent adventure in foraging.

In order to justify my curious tendencies, since starting to get interested in wild mushrooms I've put up hundreds of pounds of morels (seriously) and learned that chanterelles are wonderful,  boletes are almost as good as morels, lobster mushrooms are really a parasite that tastes like it's host (and is a good meat substitute), and oyster mushrooms really do have a look and texture that remind you of oysters when fried. Puffballs are okay, fairy rings are as well, and...well, Ma'am on a motorcycle is nothing I want to play with again.

I honestly don't know HOW folks mess with the funny ones.  That would scare me to death!


Canning!

With our surprisingly productive garden, we thought perhaps this was a good year to learn to can.  I had all sorts of pickled goodies in mind, but never got around to LEARNING to use all the nifty new tools we had bought.  I finally made a decision the other day that darnit, I was going to pickle some jalepenos!  I found a good recipe / how to (it had lotsa pictures) online and we followed it to the T.  The only trouble was that Sarah has salsa in mind for the rest of the jalapenos and the bigger tomatoes (when they finally ripen.)  Hmm, we did some math and....well, we had enough extra to make ONE pint of pickled jalapenos.

Bummer.  BUT a great way to learn and not have the potential to screw up a BIG batch of something else!  (How's that for positive thinking?!)

It honestly didn't take as much prep and/or time as either of us anticipated.  It was a lot like making wine in that regard...it was more about the sanitation than much else.  The thing that took the longest was getting roughly four gallons of water to boil (to cover the pint jar by an inch or so.)  After the single pint jar boiled for the specified time, we pulled it out and I happened to be nearby at the right time to hear the seal POP like it's supposed to! 

Now we just have to wait a couple months before we can try them...

*sigh*   

 

 

They sure LOOK pretty!