After a hard morning rain in Edmonton, six brave souls ventured out to Bruderheim for a foray. Just as we arrived, another downpour forced us to wait in our vehicles until the worst had passed. Fortunately, the rain ceased, revealing a clear, bright blue sky.

We set off on the sandy pathways, embarking on a magical walk through a lovely jack pine forest. The ground was carpeted with moss and lichen. Though we found a few small brown mushrooms, it was still too early in the season for the forest to truly come alive. This area will be fantastic to revisit in August or September. One of our attendees, Alex, has found boletes by the bucketful here in the past!

On a bright note, we welcomed two new members (Ivy and Andrew) who spotted the only oyster mushrooms. These were fresh, plump, and already home to a few bugs. C’est la vie!

We’ve received a message from our newest member regarding her first oyster mushroom experience:

Hi Alberta Mycological Society,

I hope this email finds you well. I have attached some photos I took yesterday of various mushrooms, as well as pictures of how I cook them. 

For the cooking process, I started by heating some oil in a pan and adding chopped green onions and garlic. Once they were fragrant and slightly golden, I added the oyster mushrooms to the pan. I then sprinkled a bit of salt and stir-fried everything until the mushrooms were cooked through. 

The result was a very flavorful dish, with a taste and texture reminiscent of chicken.

Thank you so much!

Best regards, 

Ivy

Here are some of her photos: