It’s Day 45 of the Papa’s Walk Challenge.

Today, I noticed that wild mushrooms are sprouting in lawns and gardens along my walking route. A mushroom is a fungus.

I have always been fascinated by mushrooms. My husband and I attended a few events held by the Mycological Society of San Francisco. They lead field trips and forays in the area to teach people about mushrooms, and how to safely collect and eat them.

Mushrooms are delicious but foragers must be VERY CAREFUL because certain kinds of mushrooms such as the “Death Cap” are DEADLY POISONOUS if ingested.  For amateurs, it’s safer to buy mushrooms at the grocery store.

My mom used to sauté sliced mushrooms in a little olive oil and garlic, and serve them atop coulotte steaks that Papa barbecued.

You can grow edible mushrooms safely by using the Grow-at-Home Mushroom Kit from Back To The Roots.  The development of that company is fascinating and you can read all about it at their website, www.backtotheroots.com.

In case you’re interested, Cornell University has an interesting “Mushroom Blog“ that discusses all kinds of fungi – not just mushrooms.

And AmericanMushroom.org offers a free “Mushroom Education Packet” for kids.