It's almost February! How did that happen? January has in some respects dragged in its rainy days and dark nights. And yet, it has positively whizzed by in countless hours at my desk and several action-packed outings into the wilds.
The rain, for which we're all so thankful, finally arrived and returned our little corner of the world to the winter wonderland that nature's cycle had in mind.
Forest floors are moist and spongey with spectacularly colored layers of composting materials working their magic for the seasons ahead.
My intrepid friends Susan and Richard whisked me off to a secret location for some early mushroom hunting. Although we found some marvelous mycological specimens in the wild, this time we satisfied ourselves with the spotting rather than the sampling, to be on the safe side.
You'll be invited along for more of this educational outing in my upcoming book "Fog Valley Winter", in which I've written a chapter on mushroom foraging in the region's pioneer heritage, amongst many other tasty subjects touching on the bounty of the natural world.
It's been a big focus for me for the past year and I can't wait to share it all in the fall of 2016.
I look forward to picking up the pace with more frequent blog posts on delicious trails through Southern Sonoma Country, as soon as the book is in production.
I'll keep you posted!
And if you're interested in mushroom foraging yourself this winter, I'd strongly suggest tagging along on one of the organized outings of the professionals in Sonoma County's Mycological Society. Click here for more info.
Love the skull photo! But then I suspect you knew I would! :-)
Posted by: Frankpetaluma.wordpress.com | Thursday, January 28, 2026 at 09:54 AM