Last week, I went to the Core Arboretum Nature Connection Series and learned about research on the health benefits of forest bathing.
The presenter explained forest bathing involves spending time in nature (with clothes on, unlike bathing in water), slowing down to take time to engage one’s senses while in a forest.
She encourages people to listen, see and smell what is around them, but not to use their sense of taste to experience the forest.
This last rule is one I’ve broken spending time in my neck of the woods, albeit with caution.
Recently I went into the woods, not with the intention of specifically forest bathing — I was going mushrooming with my daughter. We grabbed baskets and headed out. We stepped off our dirt road and into the woods … and realized my daughter forgot to wear socks.
She ran back to get a pair, and I sat on a rock waiting and looked at the leaf litter and plants growing in front of me.
I noticed some well camouflaged mushrooms; their shades of black and grey blended well into the decomposing debris on the ground a few inches below them. Their shape — like horns with wavy edges — also helped them blend in; from a distance they looked a lot like brown leaves. As soon as I saw them, I knew I’d sat down next to something special. I wasn’t positive they were edible, but they triggered a memory of reading about them.
A quick internet search confirmed my inkling that these were black chanterelle, also known as black trumpet, or trumpet of the dead.
A little more reading online informed me that these were choice edibles, with no poisonous look-a-likes. I tripled checked this last nugget of information, and asked a family member to also look it up and confirm.
Since they were not far from my house and in an easy to find place I left them for the moment, and when my daughter returned with socks on we continued on our mushrooming walk and gathered five pounds of golden chanterelle to preserve.
I think we met the definition of forest bathing on our walk, as we proceeded very slowly to observe the plethora of fungus. It has been years since I’ve seen so many mushrooms growing at once. Every few steps we stopped to look at another group of mushrooms and other forms of fungus.
On my way back to my kitchen I harvested the black trumpet mushrooms. It looked like a small patch, but with more mushrooms than my first look led me to expect — more than I could carry in my hands, so I filled the hem of my shirt with mushrooms until I could transfer them to my already full basket.
At home I cleaned them (quick rinse), simmered them in water, added oil and herbs before mixing with rice and garlic.
Reputedly these mushrooms are some of the tastiest in the fungal world. I found their flavor, blended with other flavors in the dish, to be mild. If I find them again I might try simply sautéing them in butter, to see if I can taste more of their flavor.
As with other mushrooms, I read that these can be high in nutrients. At the arboretum last week I learned that some researchers hypothesize that plants emit compounds we breath in, which have healthy effects on our bodies.
I’d like to think that foraging is a healthy practice for me — one way or another.
ALDONA BIRD is a journalist, previously writing for The Dominion Post. She uses experience gained working on organic farms in Europe to help her explore possibilities of local productivity and sustainable living in Preston County. Email columns@dominionpost.com.
