I wasn't even going to tell you about this, but

I've been working on something VERY big.


That is a 700c wheel. Yes, I ride those tyres on trails. Impressive? Pfffffft. This is less than 3 minutes into the trail system. I wasn't even trying yet. King Boletes...these are more like princelings.

Fly Amanitas (Amanita muscaria) are easily spotted (see how we do that?) but are not edible except for psychodelics.
Pass.
They are very pretty, though.


I was after the kings:


They are commonly referred to as Porcinis 'round these parts. King Bolete (Boletus edulis) as big as your face! Unfortunately, the giant was too far gone/softened to be worth harvesting, but the one on the handkerchief is the size of a cantaloupe and firm as zucchini. Perfect.




Then I found another even bigger! This was some mushroom hunting as a side project while riding to work via some trails.


Because this is how we do it.



So here is a picture of them at work.

I talked to the sous chef, and he was excited. He claims the large mushroom is worth $500. That porcinis are selling for $80/lb. Hey! Whoa!

I tried to sell them at a couple fine dining joints (we got a lot of those here on the Monterey peninsula) on my way to pick up the boy from after-school-care, but all the chefs had their stock for the weekend. The way to do it is to hit them earlier in the week. So I may.


The boy and I rode home in the dark and looked for recipes...


but we eventually simply sauteed them with olive oil and garlic. some are drying now, as the porcinis supposedly make excellent soup stock, and can be re-hydrated with good result.


Pretty girls love big mushrooms.



That $500 was _ucking delicious. Rich, buttery, substantial.