This has been an incredible mushroom year in Maine.

I have a very very skilled foraging friend K - who has been having a difficult time in life of late. Specifically she knows a lot about mushrooms. While we along (with another friend M) have attempted to plan educational mushroom walk this year - we have not quite pulled it off. I would really like to learn to identify some edible mushrooms (and any look alike non edibles).

That said this has been a bumper year and my friend is generous. And I have been trying to visit her more often than normal. Yesterday I took my (another mushroom lover) mom for a ride to visit said friend and her husband. And to be given a pile of mushrooms.

Side note: M had recently told me about a new bagel place in Waterville. So we stopped by on our way to visiting. The owner seemed to recognize a fellow former NYer in my mom. Or just liked eccentric little old ladies - and just kept adding to my mom bag. Fresh sourdough bagels - oh my. Not NY bagels but delicious.

Dinner was sauteed matsutake on toasted bagels with chicken and tomatoes. Then I came home and dried a bunch of Hens and started a duxelles with all of them.

Photos: Matsutake, Hen of the Woods, Aborted Entelomas and an earlier flush of black trumpets