Fall Fungi - a Witches Brew

Wrinkled prunes, mushrooms, motor oil, too.
Stir them in my witches' brew.
I got magic, Alakazamakazoo.
I got magic, Alakazamakazoo.
Hap Palmer, Witches Brew

This witch goes gathering mushrooms and other fungi in the dark forest by the river, but she takes no basket. She gathers images of the fungi she seeks.

For centuries mushrooms that mysteriously appear, have been associated with magic. The Fairy Rings that grace our lawns conjure stories of the dance of the little winged beings during the night.

Because of the fact that many mushrooms are poisonous and have resulted in deaths, in olden times they were sometimes associated with evil and witches. Today, only well educated and trained mushroom gatherers should attempt to harvest edible mushrooms from the wild. There are too many poisonous varieties that look very much like non-poisonous, edible ones.

However that shouldn't stop anyone from enjoying the beauty of the color, patterns and textures of fungi.

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The cool wet weather of Autumn brings forth a flush of mushrooms in south Louisiana. Actually, the mushroom is like the fruit of the fungi which disperses spores that develop into more fungi. Most of the fungi consists of underground fibers which break down leaves and other vegetable matter in the soil.

Fungi is an integral part of the ecosystem and without the thousands of different kinds, working to produce rich soil in which to plant our food crops, we would go hungry. So even though a mushroom may be a toadstool, it is a valuable asset to the environment.

These tiny, almost transparent mushrooms, which I believe are in the Marasmius family look like little Halloween ghosts, all lined up in a row.

Orange-yellow Mushroom 1 by tiger45

This species of mushroom is probably the most unusual one on our property. We have tentatively identified it as Gloephyllum sepiarium a member of the Daedalia family. It grows under or from the dead roots of Pine trees.

It starts as a weirdly shaped pale yellow-orange blob that looks like a cross between the blob and a creamsicle. It develops into a swirl of orange, red, brown, tan and cream shapes.

Most of them are an irregular oval shaped with an attractive spiral swirl in the center.

Orange Swirl Mushroom by tiger45

Amanita Emerges by tiger45

The Amanita family of mushrooms is filled with poisonous and non-poisonous varieties and some of them are gorgeous. The bright red, orange and yellows are perfect for the fall of the year and Halloween.

When an Amanita first emerges it looks like some sort of bald red baby coming out of an egg.

The persistant, white, saclike cup is one of the identification marks of the Amanita family.

These Caesar's Mushroom, Amanita caesarea, are one of the most attractive and colorful fungi in our woods.

Mushroom Amanita caesarea by tiger45

I'm not sure about the identification of all of these, but I did the best I could from my experience and my trusty Mushrooms of North America book.

The red ones are in the Russula family and they dot the forest floor from summer through late fall.

Red Russula Mushroom by tiger45

This one looks like a brain to me and since it comes out in the fall, through Halloween, that makes it all the more odd. Actually the common name is Cauliflower Fungi, Sparassis crispa, and we are lucky to find it on our property as it is infrequent.

Cauliflower Fungus by tiger45

Fairy's Mushrooms by tiger45

Al and I have been photographing nature for over 35 years. For many years we used the Canon AE-1 that we received as a wedding present, but about five years ago, we went digital. Today we use the Canon Powershot S series cameras. I have a Powershot S5IS and he uses a Powershot S3IS. They are not expensive cameras, but are very versatile, with a 12X optical zoom (expanding to 48X when multiplied by the 4X digital zoom) and a macro and super macro feature.

I used the macro feature for many of the mushroom shots. The super macro will focus from an inch away, so it's great for tiny things. These cameras also have an anti-wobble feature which makes it easy to get good close up photographs without a tripod.

When I go "on a shoot" after wet weather, I wear long sleeves and use Deet. When shooting mushrooms and other small plant-like things, it's best to get down on their level. The best time to photograph nature is in the morning before 10:00 a.m. and in the afternoon after 2:00 p.m. when the light is right. I try to avoid using the flash if at all possible. The photos have more color if taken with the natural light.

Amanita Mushroom Cluster by tiger45

If you'd like to see more or our work, you can view our photographs in our three Zazzle Galleries:

Naturally Native Creations
Louisiana Lagniappe and
Wild & Wonderful Louisiana

Pink Mushroom by River by tiger45

I know you're trying to sing along. Here are the lyrics so you can keep up.

Dead leaves, seaweed, rotten eggs, too.
Stir them in my witches' brew.
I got magic, Alakazamakazoo.

Spider web, moldy bread, mucky mud, too.
Stir them in my witches' brew.
I got magic! Alakazamakazoo

ooo - My witches' brew - ooo
What's it gonna do to you?
Boo!
Floor wax, thumb tacks, purple paint, too.
Stir them in my witches' brew.
I got magic, Alakazamakazoo.

Finger nails, lunch pails, apple cores, too.
Stir them in my witches' brew.
I got magic, Alakazamakazoo.

ooo - My witches' brew - ooo
What's it gonna do to you?
Boo!

Wrinkled prunes, mushrooms, motor oil, too.
Stir them in my witches' brew.
I got magic, Alakazamakazoo.
I got magic, Alakazamakazoo.




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Besides photography, we enjoy cooking and doing some magic in the kitchen. There are many delicious edible mushrooms that can be purchased at your local grocery and here are some recipes for some yummy Witches Brew (that include mushrooms) to serve your Halloween guests.



Witch's Brew Recipes



Witch's Brew
from: EverydayCook.com

Ingredients
1/4 cup bacon
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2 green peppers, cut up
2 large onions
1 large can of tomatoes
1 large can of tomato sauce
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of mushrooms drained
2 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni, cooked
salt and pepper
grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut bacon into pieces, fry until brown; remove bacon from the pan. Brown hamburger, green pepper, and onions. Add tomatoes, beans, and mushrooms. Cook for 15 minutes; stir in bacon and macaroni. Pour mixture into a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 1 hour.

A delicious Italian Witches Brew Recipe by the kitchenwitch, can be found at EHow.


You'll certainly need something to wash all those spicy dishes down with, so here's some Witches Brew Punch
From RecipeZaar

For fun, make a frozen hand for the punch bowl. Rinse out a plastic or rubber glove and place some orange juice in it. Freeze and slice off the glove. Float the frozen "hand" in the punch bowl.

Ingredients

2 (6 ounce) cans frozen lemonade concentrate
2 quarts apple juice or cider
2 quarts ginger ale
2 cups orange juice

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and chill.
2. Pour into punch bowl for display, if desired.
3. To serve, pour into glasses over ice, along with a slice of orange for garnish, if desired.
4. Makes about 6 quarts.