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Punkines!

Ha, I still crack up every time I think of that road-side sign we saw that declared "Punkines!" In fact, that's all we've ever called them since. I'm pretty sure they were selling pumpkins, but now that I think about it, wouldn't that be funny if the joke was on me, and there really is something called "punkines?" Is there?

Punkines! (I think)


Canned punkine.

Punkine puree. (is this picture gross? I wanted to show my prowess at getting this stuff pureed, but I know food pics can be iffy, so I apologize if this makes anyone else a little whoopsie.)

Roasted punkine seeds.

Chanterelles

(It was hard to know which of my blogs to post this on. It was a hike to gather these, so it could've gone on Dirty Walking, but since it was ultimately about food, I'll put it here, although there is a related nature story coming, so be ready for that.)

These are Chanterelle mushrooms. (shon-ter-ELZ) We go up to Tiger Mountain most every autumn to hunt for them. I do not like to eat them, but I do like to hunt them. And I like that there aren't other mushrooms that look like them that could kill The Big Guy who does like to eat them.

Finding these requires climbing up the steep slopes of Tiger and bushwhacking through the underbrush. It takes a LOT to make a little once they're dried.

See? That whole picnic table-full is all right here in this cannister. No kidding. So now when you go out for a really fancy dinner or you watch Iron Chef America, and you see Chanterelles on the menu, you'll know why it costs more than your house.

Now for the nature story:

There we were, scrambling along the slopes of Tiger, when I look up and not 15 feet in front of me is a pretty mule deer doe. Why she wasn't running from us since we were making lots of noise, I didn't know, but then I thought, "Gads, maybe she's not scared because she's sick, and any minute she's going to charge and start kicking the hell out of me!" Fortunately, that did not happen, but what did happen was she would move a ways away, and then circle around and sort of hang out near us. She did this several times. A couple times, we thought she had finally moved on, but then she'd come bounding through again Boing! Boing! Boing! Let me assure you it is very humbling when you're using every ounce of strength and balance you have to stay on the side of a steep forest slope and a deer springs through like it's a meadow. Show off!