Wild chanterelles are truly a beautiful sight to see in early June until early July here in the Atlanta area. Not only do they add color to the forests and woodlands but they are also a gourmet’s delight. I recently meet a young couple, however, that became violently ill after eating what they believed were wild chanterelles. Unfortunately, none of the “wild chanterelles” were kept for identification purposes. When picking and eating wild mushrooms of any kind, always save a few for later identification in case there is a toxic reaction. The following describes a number of mushroom species that could be mistake for chanterelles. I do not recommend eating any wild mushroom unless you personally can identify them. Common Name: Golden Chanterelle; Chanterelle: There may be as many common names for Cantharellus cibarius as for Boletus edulis. From the French we have chanterelle and from the German we have…
Category: Newsletters and Member Articles
Planter And Leaf Mold Tuffas
The basic materials for casting planter tuffas and leafmoldings are the same: Portland cement, fine play-sand (because it is clean of debris), and water. You’ll also need a garden or cement trowel and a couple of large plastic dishpan for mixing the cement, sand, and water. In one large dishpan, you’ll need to mix some water with the sand until it can be molded by hand as if building a sand castle on the beach. In the other dishpan, you will mix 1 part Portland cement with 2 parts sand. Add water until the mixture is the consistency of thick frosting. Portland cement comes in 40 lb. bags. They can be resealed after use. Play-sand comes in 40 lb. bags that are easily stored for future use. For a casting planter tuffas, select a mold in the design of your finished product. It can be a simple bowl, tub, or…
A Bit of Dirt – Spring 2009
The full pdf copy of this edition is available here. Editor’s Cuff Notes – by Dan Willis. OH, DEER! I enjoy living in a woodland setting. I have slowly grown accustomed to seeing quite a few deer around my home. The quiet, graceful movements, the big brown eyes, the gentle flick of its white tail, all reassure me that there still is a place for wild things in the surrounding environment. One February morning I woke to find 7 does and 3 bucks browsing in my backyard. Two of the bucks were eight pointers with nice symmetrical racks. This spring, a doe gave birth to a single fawn in a little visited part of my front yard. It was fascinating to watch the little guy or gal struggle to follow mama around the yard. It seems that many of the deer in my neighborhood have lost their fear of people…