How to Get to the Avatar Grove in Port Renfrew, BC Directions Coming from Victoria, BC – Drive time approx 2.5 hours Click for larger imageA giant Douglas-fir (left) and burly redcedar (right) in the incredible Avatar Grove near Port Renfrew, BC.Photo by TJ Watt *** Please note: The Avatar Grove is wilderness area! Work has begun on the initial construction of a boardwalk (See photos here or click here to donate) in some areas of the trail but good balance and basic hiking experience is required in certain areas ie. possible muddy sections, slippery roots or slopes, crossing over logs, etc. The trail is not like Cathedral Grove! Please enjoy within your abilities. Here is a Google map showing where to go as you enter Port RenfrewPoint A is the Coastal Kitchen Cafe in Port Renfrew and Point B is the Avatar Grove. View Larger Map
MykoWeb: Mushrooms, Fungi, Mycology Koksilah River - Ancient Forest Hiking Guide Vancouver Island Area Description: The Koksilah Ancient Forest Reserve is an absolutely incredible stand of old-growth Douglas-firs that rivals Cathedral Grove with its beauty and scale. Old-growth Douglas-firs have been reduced to 1% of their original numbers on Vancouver Island so getting a chance to hike through a forest so full of them is an incredible experience. Most of the grove’s big trees range from 4 to 6ft in diameter with the largest ones reaching over 8ft across at the base. The forest is located alongside the winding Koksilah River which has excellent swimming areas as well as a Provincial Campground nearby (the park does not include the giant trees). Another site worth visiting in the area is the Kinsol Trestle, one of the world’s largest wooden train trestles. Status: Unprotected Upon reaching the area in the 1980’s, two loggers put down their chainsaws and refused to cut the forest for they felt it was something remarkable. Hiking Guide: Difficulty – Moderate Features: View Larger Map
Mycology Resources Recipes - Pacific Rim Mushrooms Wipe 4 perfect cep caps. Make a cross-shaped cut on top of each and place in an ovenproof dish or roasting tin (pan). Season lightly with salt and pepper and add a drop of olive oil. Put in a preheated oven at 240°C (475°F, gas 9) for 5 minutes. Turn the ceps, season again and bake for a further 3 minutes. Ceps a la Bordelaise - Porcini a la Bordelaise Trim the ceps; cut them into thin slices if they are very large, halve them if of medium size, or leave them whole if they are small. Ceps a la Hongroise - Porcini a la Hongroise Trim and wash 500 g (18 oz) ceps. Ceps a la mode Bearnaise - Porcini a la mode Bearnaise Trim and wash some large ceps and put them in the oven to release the excess juices. Ceps a la Provencale - Porcini a la Provencale Prepare as for ceps a la bordelaise, but use olive oil and fry for longer. Ceps au Gratin - Porcini au Gratin Trim the ceps, separating the caps from the stalks; season with salt and pepper, then coat with melted butter or oil. Makes 6 servings.
Mycology Mushrooms are a kind of fungal reproductive structure From mycology arose the field of phytopathology, the study of plant diseases, and the two disciplines remain closely related because the vast majority of "plant" pathogens are fungi. A biologist specializing in mycology is called a mycologist. Historically, mycology was a branch of botany because, although fungi are evolutionarily more closely related to animals than to plants, this was not recognized until a few decades ago. Many fungi produce toxins, antibiotics, and other secondary metabolites. Fungi are fundamental for life on earth in their roles as symbionts, e.g. in the form of mycorrhizae, insect symbionts, and lichens. Fungi and other organisms traditionally recognized as fungi, such as oomycetes and myxomycetes (slime molds), often are economically and socially important, as some cause diseases of animals (such as histoplasmosis) as well as plants (such as Dutch elm disease and Rice blast). History[edit] See also[edit]
Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms of the World RAMARIA in the Pacific Northwest Prepared for the Pacific Northwest Key Council By Kit Scates Barnhart (North Idaho Mycological Association) August 1981 Copyright © 1981, 2009 Pacific Northwest Key Council Reorganized and Expanded by Michael Beug – July 2010 Introduction References Shortcuts for the Ramaria Key Key to Species of Ramaria Index The key to Ramaria began with a 1981 key to Ramaria by Kit Scates Barnhart who had studied Ramaria in the Pacific Northwest for many years, photographing collections, doing extensive macrochemical work and microscopic work and maintaining a herbarium. Ramaria is a genus to interest everybody. Just as in any other group containing some poisonous species as well as many fine edibles, there is still a real need for better recognition of species. Because of the changes in shape and size and color each fruiting body goes through as it ages, and the overlap between species, it is a real challenge to key out a PNW species of Ramaria. At least one specimen should be young and fresh. Marr, C.
BEST KEPT SECRETS OF VICTORIA How to Catch Shrimp, and How to Catch Prawns When I was a child, my family would visit my relatives in Charleston, South Carolina. We'd caravan out to their house in the country that was smack dab next to a salt water creek. There was a dock and we'd spend hours fishing for blue crabs off the dock, using a length of cotten string, and a chicken neck for bait. When the tide was low, my Uncle Ike and Cousin Tommy and my Dad Lamar would take out the seine and drag it down the creek in the remaining pools, to catch shrimp and fish and crabs. Now, I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I go fishing and crabbing on the ocean with the Tolman Skiff Jumbo Tolman Skiff - A boat designed by Renn Tolman of Homer Alaska. It's Fall, and the season that we head out the Golden Gate to drop our best crab pots and catch limits of Dungeness Crabs and perhaps drop a line or two in 180 feet of water to catch a mess of Sand Dabs. And now all I need is the ocean to calm down so I can go shrimping, or as a relative once said, "schwimppin". . Phylum:
Traditional Plant Foods of canadian indigenous peoples, Nutrition, Botany and Use Almost all major groups of wild plants in Canada have edible members that are reported to have been used by Indigenous People. Exceptions are the Bryophytes (Mosses and Liverworts), which were not eaten—as far as can be determined in the literature. Any literature reports of "moss" being eaten seem actually to refer to lichen species. Slime molds, too, have no evidence of having been used as food. In this section plant foods listed alphabetically by scientific name within their major taxonomic categories: ALGAE (Seaweeds); LICHENS; FUNGI (including Mushrooms); PTERIDOPHYTES (Ferns and Fern-allies); GYMNOSPERMS (Conifers and Conifer-allies); and ANGIOSPERMS (Flowering Plants, both Monocotyledons and Dicotyledons). Within the PTERIDOPHYTES, GYMNOSPERMS, and ANGIOSPERMS, the plants are further categorized into families, which are also presented alphabetically by scientific name. Introduction to Algae Seaweeds are highly in variable in appearance, palatability, and nutritional content.
Identifying Blue Camas and Other Edible Bulbs Photo by Holly A. Heyser Edible bulbs, a forager’s conundrum. Part of what I do in my leisure time is read scientific articles about the wild food plants that live here in North America. I know. Riveting, right? What you are looking at above is a bowl of the bulbs from camassia quamash, or blue camas. To eat a bulb is to kill the plant. Photo by Hank Shaw I’ll admit it: I hesitated not only because the bulbs of these plants are only about the size of the end of your thumb, and with the stand being only about 30-40 plants, a dozen such bulbs would not be such a huge meal. I could stare at this flower for hours. I have, however, harvested a few bulbs from a thick stand of white brodiaea’s cousin, Dichelostemma pulchellum, also known as the wild hyacinth or “blue dicks.” They look tasty, right? All of this brings us to the Queen of Bulbs here in the West, the blue camas. Photos courtesy of the US Bureau of Land Management Blue camas is, obviously, on the left. Is all of this worth it?
Cooking and Eating Blue Camas Bulbs Photo by Holly A. Heyser I’d been searching for blue camas for several years because it has a reputation as a world class food. When I finally found some near Truckee last week, I was excited to put these bulbs to the test in my kitchen. Going into this process, I knew a few key things about eating and cooking with blue camas, camassia quamash: First, they are nasty when eaten raw. They are crunchy enough, but when you chew on them the bulbs get gummy and stick to your teeth. I also knew that camas is loaded with inulin. When in doubt, go to the Indians. What did the Indians do with camas? This slow and low cooking breaks the inulin down into fructose, a simple sugar we can all enjoy. I wasn’t sure I wanted a camas dessert just yet. Next morning I took them out and tasted a small one. I put the bulbs back in the oven for 3 more hours. Decision time. Booyah! camas bulbs, cooked two ways Camas bulbs are native to North America, and there are several varieties — all blue. Cook Time: 12 hours