Saturday, September 10, 2011

an end to mushroom week


I thought I'd end the week with a wee giveaway.  After continuing with the mushroom theme this week, it only seems fitting that today I sat down and needle-felted a small sculpture from some of the mushroom-dyed wool I talked about this week.  As a thank you for tuning in, I'd like to offer it to one of you.


 The tops are a lovely raspberry color from Lobster mushrooms, dotted with french knots dyed with the same.  The underside is that great mustard yellow from the Phaeolus, and the stem is a cream color from the Sulphur Shelf.


The little piece is about 5" tall from the top of the tallest mushroom to the bottom of the cedar stump.

***this giveaway is now closed***

***To enter, talk to me about mushrooms.***
Tell me in the comments what interests you about them, or why you don't like them, or ask me a question about them, or give me your best mushroom soup recipe...something about mushrooms.

***One comment per person please.***

I'll draw a name on Monday evening and announce the winner on Tuesday morning. (Sept. 13 2011)

I'll ship worldwide, but do keep in mind that the piece of cedar branch has its shaggy bark still attached, so while this giveaway is open to everyone please understand that if your country doesn't allow natural materials (like bark) to enter, your mushrooms may get stopped at customs.

Thanks so much, everybody!
It's been a fun week for me with all the mushroom talk.  I hope you enjoyed it too.


74 comments:

Tricia said...

I am amazed by you and several other bloggers I follow who know so much about mushrooms. I live in the South and we don't go picking up mushrooms down here at all. I had no idea so many of them were edible. My daughter was very picky when it came to eating any vegetables and even though mushrooms aren't vegetables, she would eat them in a rice dish she used to eat.

Jodi said...

I had commented earlier this week asking how you know which ones are poisonous, and how you decide which ones to use for dye, and which ones to eat! :-)

Krista said...

I have been enjoying all the mushroom posts! As a southern Minnesota dweller, seeing the local source and dye pots you explored was fascinating and definitely inspiring!! The fact it the mushroom is all hand dyed by you and your finds can't be beat

pulchrabliss(at)hotmail(dot)com

Karen R said...

I have been fascinated by your natural dyeing adventures and your needle felted treasures. I love mushrooms and eat them frequently. We have them in Asian lettuce wraps and mushroom paprikash as well as in salads or sauteed and added to omelets! I hope to be brave one day and eat some wild mushrooms. And if I buy them but I am too nervous to eat them, I'll try dyeing with them!

Carmen Rigby-Willson said...

I love mushrooms! I'm trying to get my kids to accept them too by sneaking them into soups and things. ;-) I live in the Pacific Northwest so mushrooms are very prevalent! My dad used to bring them home from work; he was a logger. We have a mushroom farm in our capital city that really reeks on hot summer days but boy if you can get that compost on your garden it reaps amazing benefits!!
I love your blog, you're so inspiring.

carmenrigby(at)gmail(dot)com

Beth said...

I love mushrooms and am excited to try the chicken of the woods mushrooms I found at the farm market yesterday. I'm fascinated by the beautiful dyes you make from old mushrooms.

rosebud said...

i also love mushrooms and look for them whenever i hike. they are one of the most fun things to make out of meringue and use for cake decorations!!

Anonymous said...

I have enjoyed your mushroom experiments. I have never been able to get colors like you have. And I love the felted mushrooms you make. Since the 13th is my birthday it would be a special "present" to win your give away:-)

Pauline
fiberlooney@yahoo.com

Kristal Dawn Evens said...

Gorgeous felted mushrooms! I have such fond memories of foraging for morels with my mom. They are so delicious! And she used to look for them with her mom while her dad was fishing for trout... I would like to learn to grow some mushrooms... They make cool growing kits these days!
I also want to say that your work wig natural dyeing is amazing and very inspiring.

eidolons said...

I've been trying to get a picture of those yellow/green mushrooms I told you about. Turns out they are common houseplant mushrooms. And they're always yellow. Bah. I thought I had something new and different. Oh well. I still love seeing them in my (outdoor) parsley pot!

Allisunny S. said...

Oh joy! What a lovely contest!

I have used a recipe for the most amazing shepherd's pie using portabello mushroom caps instead of meat: it's still so savory and aromatic and texturally wonderful...

mushrooms are always a culinary adventure!!

xo,
Allison

Lacey said...

I like mushrooms because they seem so magical and sudden to me. One day they aren't there, and the next they seem to tower and bubble over.

The only thing that worries me is that I have 100% ignorance of mushrooms, so I'm not going to go traipsing through the woods picking them up.

And, I feel terrible saying this to YOU, but I don't like mushrooms at all. Yeck. :)

Paul Baxendale said...

My heart skips a beat when you do posts about your needle-felted mushrooms; they are exquisite! I truly think you have perfected the mushroom form in felt-- no small feat, and the fact that you use mushroom-based dyes takes things to a whole new level!!! Your skills amaze me!

Obviously I'm no stranger to mushrooms; honestly, my "Mushroom Shelf Tutorial" is the only blog post I've ever done that continues to still draw traffic; people are super into mushrooms these days! Anyhoo, the shelf-type shrooms don't seem to grow on trees anywhere near where I am now (west coast) so I've been working on some cast plaster versions. I made a fly agaric mushroom out of playdoh that turned out very well and dried nicely; I display it under a glass dome, but I would happily kick it to the curb and offer the prime real estate to your lovely felted mushroom if I was to win!!

Simona Inserra said...

i'm fascinatede by your way of work with fiber and natural colors!
I love mushrooms, and it's a MUST for me to go around in the autumn to find mushrooms in the wood. When i was little i went in the wood with my grandparent, after with my father, now with my son. Every year is a special autumn to go around the country and find something very special, good to eat or not, this is not important for me ;-)
simona

Riverton Witch said...

what an interesting art form, I'm completely enamored with your style ^_^

Julia said...

I love everything about mushrooms! I love to eat them, I love going chanterelle picking in the fall with my parents, and I love all the varied and intricate forms they can take. There is just something so evocative of childhood fairytales about them, as well as making fascinating botanical specimens. I would love to own one of your pieces, the realism is so perfect. Thanks!

sugareaterATgmailDOTcom

prpltrtl946 said...

I never eat mushrooms...

When I was little I thought mushrooms were fairy and other magical creatures' houses! Where would they live if I ate them?!

I never acquired the taste for them and don't like their consistency now.

But I sure do like mushroom sculptures!! 8*)

joanie said...

I've loved all your mushroomy posts so much. I wish I could package up a few fly agarics and ship them to you. Amazing that you don't have any in your wonderful, bountiful woods! You amaze me with your mushroom knowledge and experimentation (and maybe even more impressive is the fact that your boys do the washing up!)

Tracy Golightly-Garcia said...

I am learning all I can about mushrooms.

Would love to take a walk in the woods and find some, but I am not sure wich ones are safe to eat. I did send an e-mail to a professor at Furman to see if he can give me some advice on which mushrooms you can find in the area where I live.

Best
Tracy :)

Birgit said...

Oh my! How wonderful this turned out Lisa, I just love it and I always wonder how it is possible to make things so beautiful... I never tried felting because I fear (and know) that I am not as talented as I wish to...
I love to find mushrooms and I also love to eat them. Here in our part of Germany there are some but the last years have been too dry and I also fear that too many people started to collect them in masses, so the Boleti or Chanterelles and the other prefered edible ones are really to be searched and when we find some we often do not dare to collect in order to preserve them. The Craterellus cornucopioides is still found very often and in autumn sometimes we have the house hanging full of garlandes of them for to dry them :))) I love it!
Because of the lack of many mushrooms it always seems strange to me to see on your photos that you take little ones out of the soil... but Minnesota seems to be mushroom paradise!
This year we have been in Finnland for our summer holidays and there we felt like in paradise too! Incredible beautiful woods full of precious moss and lichen, berries everywhere and guess what - mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms...!!!
I think most of our 1500 holiday photos are with them and our camp site meals have been heavenly! :)))
Love, Birgit

Karen G. said...

On the way to taking my daughter to summer camp one year we stopped to do a short hike at a national park. We had never been to this park before and it had rained previous. We saw mushrooms in every single color of the rainbow. It was the most magical walk and I will never forget it as long as I live!

Anonymous said...

When I was 22, I went to Vermont to visit then-boyfriend's grandmother. We went mushrooming for chanterelles. They are like eating earth -- loamy, rich, woodsy, wonderful. I was hooked on both though haven't gone again. California seemed tricky for mushrooms. Now we are in NYC, and I think walk through central park could be great fun for viewing. I am not prepared to forage (there's a class!) just yet.
I loved your photos, enthusiasm, and dye projects! So glad I found your blog!

Marilyn said...

I have my hand up...see it...way over here....you know how much I love your things....
just sayin'
:)
as always they are fantabulous...

Ellen said...

I like your mushrooms! I don't know anything about them but I like learning about them through your posts. I took this picture-any idea what sort of mushroom it is?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/49575133@N00/6035855669/in/photostream

Anonymous said...

i'm amazed at the color that comes from the mushrooms you dye with - usually when i see a mushroom, it is some sort of gray/brown/white/etc. and then they put out these vibrant, rich tones...it's so cool!! all of your mushroom posting has made me extra alert when i'm out and about - i haven't picked any, because i have no idea what does what, but i always notice. sometimes i take pictures. sometimes i say to brittany "lisa would like this!"

CaLynn said...

Oh I love this, and that it was dyed with mushrooms! I am mostly familiar with morels. My family makes annual trips to northern Michigan to go hunting for them. I like to eat them battered and fried. That said, when in the south of France I was lucky enough to experience a gastronomic dinner. There were about 5 different kinds of mushrooms on my plate and they looked so amazing and tasted so unique I almost couldn't stand it. I had no idea that there could be such a variety of flavor since I am mostly limited to morels and the few choices at the grocery store. Thank you for the opportunity to win! hoopla ((at)) thecrafties ((dot)) com :D

Brittan said...

i find mushrooms fascinating. i study herbal medicine and use many different types of mushrooms for healing. a couple of my favorite are turkey tail which is good for the immune system and helps fight off colds and flus. also chaga which i put in my chai and is a great immune booster, adaptogen, aids the nervous system and has been found helpful in fighting cancer! the amazing thing about chaga is that is grows on live birch trees (it grows up high and looks kind of like a burnt rhino horn) and it seems that it doesn't harm or kill the tree, which makes me wonder if it is helping heal the tree like it helps humans!? so fantastic, one of my faves!!!

Susan said...

Sorry, that was the wrong link! Please delete my earlier post! Here's an updated one:

Ooh, I love mushrooms! I didn't like them when I was younger, but over the years they really started to grow on me. I love stuffed mushrooms and always have to have mushrooms on my pizza, but I think my new favorite recipe is this warm quinoa, spinach, and shiitake salad. It's very hearty and very good.

Sally said...

I've loved every minute, chunk, drop, stitch, and snap of mushroom week. Thank you, Lisa! My 'shroom story is that last Christmas, I made two mushroom pixie homes, made from felted sweater sleeves and with needle-felted tops + pixies for my nephews. I'll try to link to a picture: http://www.flickr.com/x/t/0090009/photos/34458762@N00/5310662448/

Christie said...

'Shrooms are delightful in every form. Amazing the powers they possess- from dye-worthy to lethal to delicious! We have been involved in identifying fungi at our local vernal pools for suvery and documentation purposes for years. Did you know that their mycelium ("roots" underground) can stretch miles? The largest root system in the world is of a shroom!

JoAnn said...

My husband is a retired mycologist. Before we were married our dates involved looking for mushrooms. Before that my Polish Grandma would take us out in the fall looking for "button" mushrooms to can. Mushrooms to this day are a big part of my life.My mushroom spread recipe even was included in an article about mushroom hunting in the Spokane paper. Love, love your blog.

Anonymous said...

We went hunting for morels as kids, and my parents liked to tell their friends how much better my brother and I were at finding them than the adults. Their theory is that we were closer to the ground...or just better at finding little bits of magic in the forest ;)

I'd always hated mushrooms as a kid, but when my grandma fried up those morels, that is my first memory of liking mushrooms!

Lisa Boni said...

My parents were avid mushroomers and our August outings were usually in search of Boletus Edulis, chantarelles, lactarius delisiosis and others. In May, we would join a branch of the family in search of morels! Happy memories! I don't hunt them much now, as there aren't an abundance of mushrooms in the desert southwest, but when I travel back to the Rocky Mountains, I love hunting them with my camera!

Mattie van den Heuvel said...

What a nice give away! I would like to know more about mushrooms, because I love to gather food from nature, so I embarked on a guided walk last year to look for mushrooms and it was very long ago I got so wet. Every item of clothing was wet although I had waterproofs on. In two weeks time the lady does another walk and I will go again and I will take my 7 year old son, because he shares my passion for edible nature! I'm really looking forward to it!

Anonymous said...

I never used to like mushrooms. I used to think that when they were cooked, they looked like slugs (& probably tasted like it too).
Last Arpil I went down South with my Dad to visit my Grandma. One night we had a Chinese takeaway which had an abundance of mushrooms in it...so I decided to try one. From them on I've put them in any meal they will go with! My trip to see my Nan was the last time I got to see her before she passed away. So mushrooms kind of remind me of her.
I love coming to your blog daily to check for new posts. The crazy kind of mushrooms you find always amazes & educates me as I've never seen mushrooms like that over here in England!

Sue said...

My mom introduced me to mushrooms at an early age.
She grew up near Nuernberg during the war and her family relied on the forest for food supplement and firewood .During that time she learned about all the mushrooms and when we were growing up we would go into the woods around my hometown near hamburg and she would tell us all the different mushrooms, show us how beautiful the are with the different textures and break one in half and let us smell them.She told us how to pick mushrooms the right way, so that they will come back the next year. Of course we got to eat some too. Fried in butter that evening, so tasty...... :0)
I really appreciate my mom for sharing that knowledge with us!

Kelli Ann Whyte said...

I love your blog! I googled felted fish (wanted to make a trout and needed some inspiration) and spent the next 1.5 hours viewing your site and all your pictures!

My boyfriend (now husband) and I were fishing in Alaska and I discovered a huge mushroom that looked just like your giveaway, bright red with white spiky spots. Being from California, I'm accustomed to mushrooms in the white, yellow, tan range and had never seen one so colorful live in person. I just had to shoot it (cause I was afraid to touch it!).

My fav recipe is to fill a portabella with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper and grill cap side down for 20 minutes. YUM!

Thank you for sharing your life and art with us!

Margie Oomen said...

i am in love with mushrooms and sometimes i pray for rain to add moisture to the forest so that i might spy some beauties. I have been spore printing this weekend with some lovely results.

mymamatoldme said...

I used to live in your neck of the woods (Crosslake) and never knew there were so many uses for all the mushrooms there! I would love to learn more about eating wild mushrooms, but as it is I put the store-bought ones in just about everything. If you would like a recipe I can dig out my aunt's Hungarian Mushroom Soup recipe.
Megan
Mokey25@hotmail.com

Julie said...

I am amazed at the variety of mushrooms you can find! Here, in Central Texas, we can find them mostly in the, umm, what's it called?...oh yeah,rainy season. It's been sooo long since we've had rain. Anyway, you are inspiring me to become more knowledgeable about mushrooms. I'll be prepared when they return.

Laura said...

I love mushrooms! I'm not too adventurous with them - usually I stick to button mushrooms from the grocery store. I love them fried in butter or in cream of mushroom soup.
I also love the mushrooms you create! I love that you used your mushroom dyed wool to make this work of art!

lambiepie4 said...

Mushrooms are primeval and magical! One of the things on my bucket list is to take a photo series of a single mushroom "bloom" from a "bud" to "full flower". Will need commitment, patience, and a good book (a mushroom guide, of course).

greeniezona said...

I fell in love with mushrooms when I moved to the woods in Michigan. I spotted a few here and there, until I went on my first morel mushroom hunt, and suddenly, I saw mushrooms everywhere! I loved taking pictures of them and trying to identify them, but I am still a poor identifier. I have two books, but there seem to be so many gaps in between, so many different ways of organizing the information! It's definitely a skill I would like to improve, but I don't have as much opportunity to practice now that I live in a city again.

NanaBeast said...

When we were kids my sister hated mushrooms. Her plate always had a pile of mushrooms on it, meticulously picked out of whatever entree mom had cooked them in. My mother claimed first dibs on the mushrooms from my sister's piece of Shakey's pizza - those were the best!

I have always loved the red and white polka dotted mushrooms first seen in my Raggedy Ann and Andy books and the other fairy tale books of the time. They mean magic to me.

The first time I had a meal with my soon-to-be in-laws, my MIL sauted mushrooms in loads of butter and garlic to garnish the steak. OH MY GOD! I had found a bit of heaven! Forget steak, those mushrooms were the bomb! My MIL taught me many great dishes using fresh mushrooms. Since my mother could only afford a small can of mushrooms to add to her recipes, I hadn't learned what FRESH mushrooms were all about.

I enjoy seeing all the mushroom love on the various blogs I read and so much good art featuring mushrooms. They are beautiful in form and color let alone their good eating!

Cynthia Nicole said...

Okay, mushroom tales, heh? I've got to try for this wonderful piece of yours.
Well we just had a housewarming and I made stuffed mushrooms (MStewart recipe I think) which were a huge hit. I used gluten free bread in the stuffing.
I can't believe the abundance of shrooms you have there. I live in a piney-madroney-manzanita-sandy area that doesn't have many mushrooms. But we do have a local fungus faire and I'll take closer note of what locals can be used for dyestuffs. thanks Lisa.

tami said...

What's not to love about mushrooms...delicious and beautiful! I still really love the mushroom barley soup recipe from the Moosewood Cookbook. But we like them in just about everything...omelets, risotto, pasta, pizza, tarts, soups. They have their place just about everywhere. Yours are just as much of an artform as those outside. We love your sculptures! Thanks for the chance.

Anonymous said...

Nature and her colors can be so magical and uplifting, and seeing her through your eyes is very special. I always look forward to your posts - your handiwork is so natural, beautiful, and inspirational. This sculpture is so cheery and lovely that it brings a smile to my face - and, a small sense of peace and serenity that is especially welcome today, the 10th anniversary of 9-1-1.

My first experience with eating mushrooms was when I was quite small. We were a family of 8 growing up in rural Indiana and we loved picking wild berries, fishing, and hunting for morels. My dad always prepared them simply with a dusting of flour, salt and pepper and pan-fried in an iron skillet. Nothing ever tasted better, and that earthy taste and aroma still transports me back to a simpler time and life. Thank you for blogging, and letting us share in your discoveries - have a wonderful weekend!

dorotheaspears964@hotmail.com

Sheilagh Dyson said...

I want to find out if the mushrooms sprouting prolifically in our lawn are edible!....and btw, I've been really enjoying reading about your dyeing exploits, and think your little felted funghi are just the cutest! (that's for real, not just saying to try and influence the draw!!) - truly creative, inspiring stuff! x

Valerie said...

I live by the beach in Southern California, so not much mushroom growing here! My favorite is to saute mushrooms with red onion and asparagus in a bit of butter with some salt and pepper. THis is so yummy that I could eat a plate of it every day for a year, I'm sure!!
x, Val

mireya said...

i am new to the mushrooming crowed but , have alwaysed loved there shapes, form, and textures. i love to incorperate them into my art. soon i am going to try to start a mushroom patch of my own. thank you for the wonderful give-away, you have always been an insparation for my new blog.

A Deegan said...

when i was little i once picked a large unidentified mushroom, put it in the saddle bag of my bike then forgot about it for 4 weeks. When i opened the bag again the smell was truly foul. I still love mushrooms though:)
Such a beautiful blog lisa
Alison

Kim said...

I've really been enjoying the mushroom posts this week. Mushrooms really are magical. While I do like eating mushrooms I much prefer them cooked rather than raw. I find your felting and natural dying so intrigueing and am inspired to try some myself. Love your blog, it's one I check every day.

Anonymous said...

I love to see & spot mushrooms anywhere I go, but I don't like eating them. I prefer to admire them in their natural habitat, I suppose.
I enjoyed all of your mushroom & mushroom dyeing related posts. Thank you for this generous giveaway, the sculpture is once again breathtaking. And naturally dyed, at that !!! Way to go !
oxox

Anonymous said...

Mushrooms are like the unsung flowers of the forest floor. Always a delight to see one poking up from underneath some fallen leaves or surrounding a giant tree. They are harbingers of magic and mirth. I simply adore them.
Peace~
Dawn

Amber said...

I am brand new to the world of mushrooms! I've really only known button mushrooms, portobellos and shitakes very well, but between your recent posts and a recent trip to Yunnan province in China, which is famous for its many species of edible wild mushrooms, I've been drawn in. I tasted more varieties in 10 days in China than I had in my whole life! And I loved all but about 2 kinds! I should have taken notes as to what they were, oops. I was excited to learn from Pat that I can find lobster mushrooms at our farmer's market here in Ithaca! (I'm very nervous to go out hunting on my own for fear of poisonous mushrooms ;-( Thanks so much for your wonderful mushroom photos and info!

Lisa Saputra said...

hello Lisa!

I wonder if it's too late to enter this giveaway, or maybe my country doesn't allow natural materials, but at least i give it a try, because i'm very interested with your mushroom and it's worth a try!

i found your blog last week, and i'm so excited to read more about mushrooms and nature things. we have two things in common. first, i admire mushrooms a lot! and second, my name is Lisa too! :)

i love anything about mushrooms, they looked sexy in my eyes, i love their caps, their color, their gills, the curve of their stem, and they tasted really good as food. let me share one of my favorite item i've made about mushroom: http://mrpostman-on-duty.blogspot.com/2010/12/big-momma.html

thanks for reading my comment! nice to found your blog, Lisa! :)

regards,
Lisa (saputra.lisa@gmail.com)

momma rae said...

what do i not love about mushrooms?! ;) i love to eat them, love to forage them, love to make them, and collect them. i have participated in a couple of mushroom swaps and have a lovely little collection of handmade mushrooms from various friends around the globe. i could think of nothing more lovely than adding your incredible piece....dyed with mushrooms! you are incredible.

Sue A said...

How ironic. I was just mentioning your blog today to my boyfriend. We were in a wooded area of a state park doing some geocaching and I spotted some mushrooms or toadstools growing under these huge pine trees. They are such a nice little surprise to find even if you don't like to eat them. My boyfriend is always looking for these things he calls "puff balls". He wants me to try them. If he finds one and cooks it for me, I guess I'll try it. I would love to win your beautiful felted mushrooms. I love your photos too!

Thanks for all you do,
Sue (saddison@twcny.rr.com)

Renee said...

I've never learned so much about mushrooms than when reading your blog. I didn't know that I didn't know SO MUCH.

Coolest mushroom I have ever seen was in Colorado, near Steamboat Springs. It looked quite like this woolen one in your giveaway. Just brilliant!

susan said...

love mushrooms. there was a little cafe in the middle of wisconsin that made the most memorable mushroom sandwich. sometimes i dream of it. sadly the cafe is no longer there. there is also a mushroom market in wis. that sells all.manner of mushrooms and mushroom concoctions. fave quick recipe? stuff button caps with mix of cream cheese and crumbled bacon (works with fake bacon too). brush with butter (or not) and broil for about 5 min. or until bubbly. after eating your fill you will be ready for heaven....promise

antilight said...

For me mushrooms are childhood. I remember warm days of August when my mum was taking me to the forest and tought me which ones are good and which ones are bed. She tought me that the "ugly" inedible toadstool is actually a red gem in a emerald forest and that I should look underneath to see if there's some dwarf guarding a secret. Years passed and now I'm miles away from her but everytime I see a shroom in the city jungle, foring his spirits to grow somwhere under the tree near the pavement I think of her, and what she tought me when I was a child. And I'm grateful.

Fée des Bois said...

These mushrooms are fabulous!

kristin said...

such a lovely way to mark the end of your mushroom dyeing. it's perfect Lisa, the colors are so beautiful.

what absolutely fascinates me about mushrooms is all the intricate details that can be found on even the tiniest of fungi. and i like to imagine the world from the perspective of being little and down there under a mushroom cap.

thanks again for all your lessons. xx,krisitn

Mousy Brown said...

I wish I trusted myself to collect mushrooms to eat. Every time we try the ones we find look nothing like the ones in any of my (many, many) books and by the time we read the warnings and hear tales of poisoning we always, with true regret, decide maybe next time...The only time this didn't happen, we found ink caps near cub camp and made a pizza, as it was cooking the power was knocked out by a storm and the whole thing turned into a cold and soggy mess...maybe someone was trying to tell me something?

Dragonsquared said...

Your felted sculptures are absolutely delightful, and inspiring!

I'm not much of a fungus connoisseur, but I do love the aesthetics of them.
I used needle felting to add little mushrooms to the tops of some 3" quilting pins in order to find them more easily in fluffy fake fur fabric.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dragonsquared/6139895986/

(and in use!) http://www.flickr.com/photos/dragonsquared/6139901360/

That sculpture piece is totally enchanting, and I've enjoyed following your stories of home dyeing. The results are great! Thank you for sharing!

Ivana said...

These felted mushrooms are simply beautiful!!!
I lived for 20 years near a forest and my loveliest childhood memories are related to that forest. My parents, my brother and me would often go mushroom picking and the greatest achievement would be finding a boletus edulis. My brother and I would often compete who would find more of boletus. I would almost always lose but it was still so much fun. Mushroom dyeing is something completely new to me,a new perspective of mushrooms and your work is simply amazing.

Rabbit in the Rain said...

We just returned from a two week road trip with our three year old - 2,000 miles and 5 states, and amazingly, it all was great. Our little one traveled beautifully. I returned home as a very tired mama, though, and my sweet hubby cooked us a meatloaf with warm mushroom gravy - such wonderful comfort food.

Tallulah said...

Beautiful but deadly! I grew up in Northern Italy and mushroom picking was something we did each year (and my father still does). I fondly remember what we called "mazzatamburo" (something like drumstick), which I just learned is a Macrolepiota Procera and tastes wonderful dipped in egg and breadcrumbs and cooked in butter.

Tara said...

My admiration of mushrooms started late in life. We were hiking with good friends many years ago when my friend revealed that she loved mushrooms. She had even bought a mushroom identification guide. It was that day that I first began looking at mushrooms as something other than those I had seen in the grocery store.

Jessica said...

Thing I find most interesting about mushrooms is their underground connection to each other. Amazing!

Lee said...

I love your felted mushooms; they are amazing! My favorite thing about mushrooms is looking for them-- especially searching for morels in the spring-- and then eating them.

Anonymous said...

I've learned so much about mushrooms from your blog and the links you gave. We are in SE PA and after all the rain from Irene and Lee the woods around us are bursting with mushrooms. I never realized the variety around us! We are busy using the internet and field guides to try to identify what we're seeing. You're needlefelted mushrooms are exquisite. My favorite mushroom soup recipes are in the first Moosewood cookbook - Hungarian Mushroom soup and Mushroom Barley soup. Thanks for broadening my knowledge with your blog.
Melissa M

k said...

this is such an amazing piece! thanks for always inspiring me with your art and your mushroom adventures!

i love to traipse through the forest in search of all the little fungi popping up - it is really just an extension of how much i enjoy being in nature and spotting all the little things that go unnoticed by so many. lately i have gotten a bit more studious, pouring over mushroom ID books and also figuring out which ones i can take home and have for dinner. mushrooms are so unlike anything else, and so varied within the species that they constantly amaze me. and i would recommend you try out this: http://ohsheglows.com/2011/08/23/stuffed-mushroom-phyllo-roll-mango-kale-salad/ recipe; it was amazing, and i plan to try it again soon with some wild mushrooms.

Anonymous said...

This summer my farmer's market offered a wild mushroom booth and now I'm on the mushroom train - shitakes, morels, maitakes, chantrelles: yes please!! With butter and a little cream at the end. YUM. I've been noticing mushrooms on my property more, too, but usually forget the camera. Thank you for sharing your mushroom love!

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