Tag Archives: Turkey Tail

Plants and Mushrooms On The Farm.

New.Munchkin.Gnome.Yellow.Boots

The morning started off with a torrential rain which filled up our tanks.  Yay…this means that we can continue to have long hot showers and keep on using the washing machine.  We are thankful for small blessings!  After the rains, we walked together with a wheel-barrow of seedlings to plant out (gosh…this is Munchkin and Gnome romancing!).

We planted out Carob seedlings.  We are especially excited about these because these can be a nutritional chocolate alternative and the seeds are a source of guar gum.  We planted these on high ground because they are not supposed to like “wet feet.”

Carob Seedling.
Carob Seedling.

We also planted some good varieties of mangoes…I know that this sounds rather mundane for the tropics but on our farm we have NO mango trees!   This also happens to be our favourite fruit so we are trying to catch up.  When we first came to Belize ten years we spent all our time planting unusual edible tropical fruits and forgot about the ubiquitous mango.

Freshly Mowed Field Ready For Mango Planting.
Freshly Mowed Field Ready For Mango Planting.

We have found from our own personal experience as wannabee farmers that the best way to plant a seedling is to cut the bottom off the plant pot and set it in a shallow (6 inches) hole.  This ensures that the roots are not disturbed and also you can weed-wack around it without damaging the plant.

Planted Mango.
Planted Mango.

Ooooh look our betel nut is flowering…not sure what to do with it so we will have to do some research on that one…

Betel Palm Flower.
Betel Palm Flower.

And, last but not least, the mushrooms are coming out with the rains.  This is Turkey Tail mushroom which can be boiled up for a tea and is rich in anti-oxidants.

Turkey Tale Mushroom.
Turkey Tale Mushroom.

This is Chicken of The Woods.  We are waiting for them to get bigger so that we can harvest them to eat.  When you cook them up, they taste just like chicken.  Yummy…can’t wait!!

Chicken Of The Woods.
Chicken Of The Woods.

What exciting things on the farm!!

Mushroom Foraging in Belize.

Munchkin.ShoutingIt has been pouring down in Toledo so this is the best time to go foraging for mushrooms!  Take a look at what we found today…a bountiful treasure for Munchkin and Gnome!

We found oyster mushrooms growing on some peach palms.  We identified them as Pleurotus ostreatus which is a smaller type of edible oyster; they are fleshy and full of texture.

Oyster Mushrooms Growing on Palm.
Oyster Mushrooms Growing on Palm.

Yay!  There are more Oysters coming up!

Lots of Baby Oyster Mushrooms!!
Lots of Baby Oyster Mushrooms!!

We also found more Wood ear mushrooms which are edible.  These mushrooms are well-liked by the Asian population and are usually cooked in soups and stews.  Of course, we like them too!  Moreover, this little number also has medicinal properties which include anti-cancer, hypoglycaemic, anti-coagulant and cholesterol lowering activities.  What a wonderful mushroom!

Wood Ear Mushroom with Two Romantic Snails.
Wood Ear Mushroom with Two Romantic Snails.

Fungi foraging also revealed more of the Mayan mushroom known as Schizophylum commune.  These are rubbery in texture but are edible nonetheless.

Mayan Mushroom on Log.
Mayan Mushroom on Log.

There was a plethora of Turkey Tail Polypores which came in a spectacular array of different colours.  Not only are they nice to look at but they can be made into a medicinal tea.  This type of fungus is known to have anti-cancer properties and so a cup of tea now and then won’t do you any harm.

Trametes versicolor on Log.
Trametes versicolor on Log.
Big Trametes.
Big Trametes.

You may have gathered that we are really Big on Mushrooms. Gnome has written many essays on this subject.  Check out these links:

Tomorrow I will post up pictures and a recipe for my Beef Jerky Soup with Wild Edible Mushrooms.  Meanwhile, Happy Hunting!