Day 21: Mushroom fiesta

Weight: 193

Today I ate more mushrooms than ever, and I never got tired of them. In between soccer for my 6 year old and football for my 10 year old, we took a superb hike behind the local library. After finding whole mini forests of inedible mushrooms, I came across the mushrooms shown here--shaggy mane. I picked the best ones, left some others, and brought them back for lunch. Then, I grilled them with butter (turns out we only went through the first half pint). The other one was hiding in the back of the fridge and it tastes as good as when we first made it. I added lots of garlic from the garden, white pepper, black pepper, sea salt, and a one free onion that a friend had given me. It was by far the best mushroom meal I've ever had.

Then, after the football game, we squeezed into the last spot on the ferry from Mukilteo to Whidbey Island to visit our superb friends. Upon arrival, I tricked our host into taking me to some mushroom hunting spots. None of them turned up anything edible, but lots of interesting fungi. Just when darkness threatened to end my dinner hopes, I found more chanterelles than I needed. After eating every last thing in sight, I only gathered the nicest, cleanest, and largest of the chanterelles. When I got back, I even got my wife and our friends to try some. I used some curry powder. I realized it would be a great substitute for chicken in a curry dish. I will always be interested in gathering a few of those on hikes, even after the experiment. I will go to bed fully sated.

BTW: I have discovered a great deodorant that has no aluminum. I recommend it: Tom's of Maine's Natural Long-Lasting Care Deodorant Stick. It has hops in it. I've tried lots of alternatives to anti-persperant, but this one is a new favorite. That's for all you who are worried about trading smelling nice for memory issues.