Chanterelle, what a nice name.

Our long drive yesterday took us to Mendocino. A very quaint (read- so cute it hurts) seaside town. We found shelter and bedded down for the night.

Up early this morning we made our way to the Sub-Surface Progression Dive Shop where we met our host for the day. Ryane Snow is a sixty-something localtarian (only eats food from within a 100 mile radius). An ex-chemist and school teacher he is now a retiree who makes his way in the world by foraging the local forests, diving for abalone, surfing the coast and travelling the world (most recently China) hunting for mushrooms. Not a bad way to get by if you ask me.

The plan (in our minds) was to have Ryane guide us through the forest, collecting wild mushrooms along the way. Having only been in contact with him via email up until yesterday evening, we were a little unsure of what exactly to expect. My sensible girl alarm bells started ringing when he said "we might have to be a little sneaky... I'm a bit of an outlaw" but, i'll admit, the thrill of adventure was enough to get us up and out of bed before midday.

From the dive shop we excitedly followed Ryane in our car inland to our first stop. Now I'll stop for a second and warn you. This next part could get gushy. It could develop into spontaneous bouts of sacchariferous prose.

My heart skipped a beat at our first sight of the Red Wood Forests. The trees were majestic and the scent of the forest uplifting.

As we started out he warned us that the recent weather on the coast (summer heatwave coming late in the season) meant that the forests would most likely be crisp and not very mushroom friendly. We remained optimistic.

It turns out Ryane doesn't really like paths, so for the next four hours we traipsed along behind him, up hill and down dale. All the while he regaled us with his knowledge of the local forest and it's bountiful harvest.

And bountiful it was, we ate huckleberries (both red and black) and dogberries along the way. Both tasting somewhat like blueberries crossed with currants. We wondered what link there might have been between Huckleberry Hound and the two different species... My post-adventure research came up blank.

But where are the mushrooms? Well he had been right, there weren't many around. Chanterelles were the only edible mushroom on offer this soon after summer. The "potato chip" crackle of the forest floor his give-away of a too-dry location. We did hunt them out however and a hefty three pound (guestimation) sack of them was our reward.

He told us (teased us) that if we'd been out there in a month or two's time the forest would be "popping" with mushrooms. Morels, Pine, Beefsteak (which when you cut open looks like a bloody piece of meat) and Porcini to name a few.

I could go on, but I must cut this long story short. We farewelled Ryane, a little disappointed we hadn't been asked to do anything too illegal (trespassing is okay, right?) and jubilantly took our prize to a local picnic ground for our lunch. We cooked the chanterelles in a little butter and enjoyed their sweet nuttiness with salad, cheese etc for lunch.

Epic day, epic blog post. I feel all conquistador-y.

We now find ourselves in the heart of Californian wine country. Until next time.

xo