Quetico pickin'

[Stick in Mud]

I was up in Quetico for the last week, and while I spent the vast majority of my time fishing, I did manage to get out and do some 'shrooming. The only (known) edibles I could find were oysters, which were pretty abundant, and they made for a nice addition to the pasta.

[NoWiser]

Sounds like fun. I just got back from Ontario myself. We were about an hour north of International Falls. I found a lot of oysters but most were too old. Still got enough for a meal. I also found a handful of chanterelles big enough to pick. They made for a nice treat. Seemed like there were lots of different types of shrooms up there.

[Stick in Mud]

I found no chanterelles, but the bugs were so bad in the woods that I honestly didn't spend must time looking in the leaf litter....just a very fast walk looking for fallen aspens for me.

And yes, there were a ton of 'shrooms I couldn't identify. There were some HUGE russulas where I was, but lacking a field guide, I have no idea what kind they were. A few boletes, too, and while I'm pretty sure they were edible--no bruising, non-yellow or red pore surface, no orange cap--I didn't want to make any risks. I don't know if there are any fatal boletes, but Quetico isn't the place to risk Human Faucet Syndrome.

I really wish the bugs wouldn't have been so bad...it was nice to get out of the canoe for a bit and walk around, but the skeeters made it pretty tough to spend any time in the woods without some serious DEET and a bunch of clothes on.

Were the bugs bad where you were??

[NoWiser]

The bugs were very bad. I sprayed my clothes down before the trip with permethrin, so I didn't have any ticks, but the other guys were covered in them after the portages. It seemed like you could never go more than 30 seconds for the entire week without getting bit by a mosquito or fly of some type. Horseflies, deerflies, ankle biters, we had them all. Walking through the woods or swamp would bring giant swarms of mosquitoes. In 13 years going up there, this was the worst I've seen it. The only good thing was there were no yellow jackets, which seem to be a problem on the dry years. Still a heck of a lot better than work!!

I also found some boletes that I was temped to try but, like you, without a field guide I was a little too nervous.

[Stick in Mud]

Well that makes me feel a little bit better....at least I wasn't the only one suffering.