On this...I shall pass for now.

  Growing up and following Granddad around as he worked, I learned many things.  He taught me woodworking when others thought I was too young, instructed me on how to properly groom a dog and made sure I knew enough edible wild plants to survive if I ever became stranded somewhere.  All of these things have come in handy over the years and I always think of how I was one fortunate youngster to have such a dutiful grandfather.  I still love to tinker in the workshop and can brush a dog with the best of them.  That wildcrafting has to be my favorite lesson, however.  Finding free food is always good...sort of....

  While out with the old dog this morning, Mark and I came across a fallen branch that was covered with a fungus called Tree Ear.  While this stuff may be rather disgusting in appearance and even more so in texture, it is edible.  No, I have not tried it since I do find it rather unappetizing in appearance and it is supposedly rather tasteless.  Still, if I ever become lost in the woods, I will feast!  This stuff is everywhere especially during rainy weather.

  Another strange thing about the Tree Ear is that, for years and years, folks believed that it had healing powers for earache.  The idea was "plants that look like body parts can be used to heal that body part."  Maybe?  An elderly lady who lived down the road from us once told me that it was great.  "Wash some Tree Ear.  Put it in hot milk and let it steep for a couple of hours. Add some garlic and soap and let sit again.  Warm it up again and then take it out and strain it.  Wrap the warm mushroom in a handkerchief and place it on your ear.  It will make the earache go away almost instantly."  Do what??  Several questions here.  Why milk?  Why garlic?  Why soap?  What kind of soap?  How does it work?  Answers...."Milk makes it sweet.  Garlic helps heal. Why not soap? Any old soap.  It just does."   She was quite adamant that this actually worked but I never even think about trying it when I get an earache.  Perhaps I should but, then again, she was a rather quirky old lady and may have just been making this up on the fly.

  The Tree Ear fungus remained on the broken branch with all of its sliminess.  Thankfully, I had no problems with my ears today so I was not inclined to follow this home remedy.  I did check and found it is edible, however...good to know...I guess.

Ear Fungus!

  Nope.  I am not going to disgust you with some detailed information concerning a weird mushroom in my ear.  Instead, I will disgust you with the latest find on my hike.  The weather has been a bit on the soggy side for the past week.  Rains and high winds are becoming a thing of the norm around here.  I have a feeling that we might be in for a wet summer which suits my garden just fine.  As for now, things are wet but not so much that it is detrimental.  I am still able to putter about a bit in the herbs and take my hikes about the hillside.  Others have told me that it is quite impossible to even get in their gardens due to the water.  I am fortunate to live on a high hill where the rains drain right down into the Bayou.

  Mark joined me for a hike about the hillside late this afternoon. The day had been spent mostly inside doing tedious housework and I was going a bit stir crazy.  I needed air!  Our hike took the usual course down the board path to the pier then back around the Bayou to the peach trees.  We always revel in viewing the blossoms.  Just behind the canebrake, I paused long enough to examine a downed limb.   The winds had knocked down another limb from one of the Black Gum trees. This particular limb was covered with fungus.  Tree Ear Fungus, Wood Fungus or slimy, ooey, gooey, icky stuff coated the dead limb and is a sure sign that rains have been occurring.  These wiggly fungi are sort of like Mother Nature's own rain gauge.  Only during rains are they the jelly-like blobs.  Most of the time they are sort of dry and rubbery but once they are pelted with raindrops, they become quite squishy. Those raindrops are absorbed and the fungi swell with the moisture. These are just one of the many Jelly Fungi.  They come in all colors and shapes but all have the same wiggly-jiggly quality that gives them their name.  

  Mark and I continued on our hike but nothing interested me as much as the Ear Fungus.  The name, itself, has a rather unpalatable ring to it but these are supposedly edible.  Hmmm.  I have not been brave enough to taste one.  Maybe someday, just not today. 

Shhhh! The trees are listening!

We had a copious amount rain last night (along with high winds, lightning and hail!). It was one of those wild nights on the Bayou that I write about often. The ones where I sit and stare out over the Bay just so I can enjoy the light show regardless of the deafening racket of the rain and hailstones that pelt the rooftop. This morning..another thunderstorm and then just heavily overcast for the remainder of the day. A good day to stay inside as much as possible.

I did venture out with the dogs several times and tried to pick up a few of the limbs that had been knocked from the trees. One such limb was from the Black Gum Tree. This tree had been so damaged during recent hurricanes that it has numerous dead or dying limbs. As Son and I were grabbing limbs to toss on the trash pile, I heard a low murmured.."ugh". Wondering what was wrong, I turned to see him wiping his hand on his jeans. Looking at him questioningly, he merely pointed at the limb and the "Tree Ears" or "Wood Ears". Tree Ears are one of several types of "Jelly Fungi" that grow on dead tree branches. Most of the time, they are dark brown, dry growths that are often overlooked but when it rains, they absorb the water and become jelly-like. The Tree Ears were quite slimy from the rains and when he picked up the limb, that slime elicited the "ugh" remark! They are called Tree Ears not because they help trees hear but simply because when they are water-laden they sort of have the shape of an ear! Even though the Tree Ears grow on branches, they are not a parasite since they only live on dead wood. They do not do damage other than occasionally when they become so heavy-laden with water, their branch will crash from the tree. This branch might smack some unsuspecting passerby causing him much pain from the limb and much "ick" factor from being slimed with an ooey-gooey fungi!

The Tree Ears, as unappetizing as they appear to me, are edible and in some places are considered a delicacy. Ummmm...nope...not here on the Bayou! (At least, yet! I might be tempted some day to try them once I get over the wiggly part of their jelly state! I don't even like Jello!) They are added to soups, salads, stir-fried dishes and casseroles. I am assuming that something happens to that squishiness to make them more appealing! Tree Ear Soup....Yum! Would you like to join me? I am more interested in the medicinal aspects of the fungi. It is said that in Asia, these wiggly things are used to improve breathing and circulation. Also, there are studies being done to see if certain chemicals in the Tree Ear can inhibit blood clotting. I am a firm believer that some of the most overlooked things in our world can be used in the medical profession to help conquer certain diseases. Tree Ear Fungus might just be one of those remarkable things!