Jackson's Slender Amanita

 Wild Harvest Tour Exclusive

 

This post is based on something we encountered on the July Wild Harvest Tour. The Amanita family is found worldwide but special care must be taken to identify your specimen as some of them are very poisonous.

 

https://www.facebook.com/p/Sandhills-Wild-Harvest-61557940700225/

 

 

Found on the July Tour at Clark Park.

 

 

Common Name: Jackson’s Slender Amanita

 

Other Common Names: American Slender Caesar, Eastern Caesar’s Amanita.

 

Botanical Family: Amanitaceae (The Amanita Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Amanita jacksonii

 

Description & Habitat:  Jackson’s Slender Amanita is native to North America and can be found in wooded areas as it forms a mycorrhizal bond with the trees around it. It will tend to emerge after a series of rains and cooler temperatures in areas with partial sun or dappled shade. This fungi was collected and named in 1984 by Canadian Mycologist Rene Pomerleau (1904-1993). Jackson’s Slender Amanita most likely got its name because it resembles Ceasar’s Mushroom (Amanita caesarea) which is endemic to Europe and North Africa. Visually Jackson’s Slender Amanita tends to have a cap that is up to 4.5 inches in diameter once fully opened. It tends to have a noticeable central bump over where the stem attaches to the underside of the cap and typically is brightly colored red over the bump which tends to fade to orange with a yellow color near the edges. The cap itself will lack any warts or patches and is generally smooth to the touch and may be somewhat glossy or matte in texture. Typically these mushrooms are found by themselves but occasionally loose clusters may be found.

 

When & What to Harvest:

 

Dangerous Lookalikes: The poisonous ones include: Amanita brunnescens, Amanita cokeri (Coker's amanita), Amanita crenulata, Amanita farinosa (eastern American floury amanita), Amanita frostiana, Amanita muscaria (fly agaric), Amanita pantherina (panther cap), and Amanita porphyria, but not Amanita ceciliae. The VERY poisonous Amanitas include: Amanita abrupta, Amanita arocheae, Amanita bisporigera (eastern NA destroying angel), Amanita exitialis (Guangzhou destroying angel), Amanita magnivelaris, Amanita ocreata (western NA destroying angel), Amanita phalloides (death cap), Amanita proxima, Amanita smithiana, Amanita subjunquillea (East Asian death cap), Amanita verna (fool's mushroom), and Amanita virosa (European destroying angel).

 

Related Useful Species: Amanita fulva, Amanita vaginata (grisette), Amanita calyptrata (coccoli), Amanita crocea, Amanita rubescens (blusher) and Amanita caesarea (Caesar's mushroom).

 

Recipe:  This mushroom once it is identity is verified is safe to eat raw but also can be used in cooked meals to enhance quantity and flavor. Sautéing this mushroom with eggs as part of breakfast is a common way to prepare this as part of a cooked meal.

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/amanita-jacksonii/

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

For those of you wondering what plants are going to be at the market this weekend here is the list.

 

 

Fresh Foods:

Tomatoes, Cherry Blend – 8 ounces

 

 

Soil Amendment Products:

Live Mushroom Compost – 18 Gallon Tote*

Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag

Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag

 

Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Lion’s Mane Tincture (New!)

Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Turkey Tail Tincture (New!)

 

Garden Plants, Perennial:

Gentian Sage

Spineless Prickly Pear

Spanish Bayonet

 

Garden Plants, Annual:

Celosia, New Mix

 

Coming Soon:

Soup Kit – Parsnip

Soup Kit – Turnip

Garlic Bulbs

Collard Greens

Fall vegetables

 

*The 18 gallon tote is by special order only and is delivered to any address within the Fayetteville city area.

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

Our group’s online presence has migrated to Nextdoor.com. All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (1): Red Malabar Spinach

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is August 31^st  at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.

 

Hemlock Varnish Shelf Fungi

 Wild Harvest Tour Exclusive

 

This post is based on something we encountered on the June Wild Harvest Tour. Although they are commonly called Reishi or more accurately Ganoderma Mushrooms the Hemlock Varnish Shelf is a species we are likely to find in our area. Ganoderma fungi are found worldwide and are always worthy of note.

 

https://www.facebook.com/p/Sandhills-Wild-Harvest-61557940700225/

 

 

The Hemlock Varnish Shelf can often be found in urban environments, look for the 'burnt omelette' appearance and you've probably got the right thing. I suspect this fungus came in with the chunky pine bark nuggets around the base of the Wax Myrtle.

 

 

 

Common Name: Hemlock Varnish Shelf

 

Other Common Names: Reishi

 

Botanical Family: Ganodermataceae (The Ganoderma Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Ganoderma tsugae

 

Description & Habitat:  This type of Ganoderma mushroom is often called a Polypore. The word polypore itself means that the fungus will have many pores as the word poly means many. Typically fungi in this grouping have substantial sized fruiting bodies with an underside that is full of pores or tubes. This particular type of Ganoderma is not poisonous but unfortunately is inedible. In fact having tried to eat one myself I can say that it has a flavor resembling dirt and or charcoal. Not exactly bitter but you would only want to eat one if desperate. Typically you will find mushroom growing on members of the  Hemlock (Tsuga sp.) family but also on Pines, and based on where the specimen pictured was found, also on Southern Wax Myrtles (Myrica cerifera). The Wax Myrtle if you are not familiar with it is a very common evergreen broad leaf landscaping bush/small tree used because of its tolerance of mistreatment and urban environments. In this case the Reishi mushroom was found to be growing up beside a Wax Myrtle and had even grown through several of the tree’s roots.

 

When & What to Harvest: With these fungi you want to harvest the ‘cap’ and whatever amount of stem you can without injuring the host plant.

 

Poisonous Lookalikes: none

 

Related Useful Species: Ganaderma sessile, G. sichuanense (The actual reishi) G. curtisii, G. zonatum, and there are others.

 

Recipe: Typically this specific species of Ganoderma is used to make a tea which favors extracting the polysaccharides. Using alcohol methods to make a tincture, aids in getting the Triterpenoids in a bio-available form. As an additional recipe note, the softer ‘lip’ of the mushroom when they are smaller is favored for consumption as it is softer though the flavor may not be the best.

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/PP333

 

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

For those of you wondering what plants are going to be at the market this weekend here is the list.

 

 

Fresh Foods:

Blueberries, Rabbiteye – 12 ounces

Blueberries, Rabbiteye – 8 ounces

Figs, Mixed* – 16 ounces

Figs, Mixed* – 8 ounces

Tomatoes, Cherry Blend – 12 ounces

 

*Figs will be a mix of what is currently ripe; they might be White Ischia, Chicago Hardy, Celeste, Magnolia, Kadota, Brown Turkey or Petit Nigra.

 

 

Soil Amendment Products:

Live Mushroom Compost – 18 Gallon Tote*

Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag

Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag

 

Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Lion’s Mane Tincture (New!)

Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Turkey Tail Tincture (New!)

 

Garden Plants, Perennial:

Gentian Sage

Spineless Prickly Pear

Spanish Bayonet

 

Garden Plants, Annual:

Celosia, New Mix

 

Coming Soon:

Soup Kit – Parsnip

Soup Kit – Turnip

Garlic Bulbs

Collard Greens

Fall vegetables

 

*The 18 gallon tote is by special order only and is delivered to any address within the Fayetteville city area.

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

Our group’s online presence has migrated to Nextdoor.com. All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (1): Asparagus Fern

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is August 24^th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.

 

Baldwin's Ironweed

 Wild Harvest Tour Exclusive

 

This post is based on something we encountered on the July Wild Harvest Tour. Tobacco Weed is a native wild plant we found in droves in the July tour.

 

https://www.facebook.com/p/Sandhills-Wild-Harvest-61557940700225/

 

 

In the Sandhills of North Carolina, these plants had just reached flowering stage in late July.

Take note of the elliptical leaves, they have some serration which will help you tell that they are not Milkweed (esclepias sp.).

Common Name: Ironweed

 

Other Common Names: Western Ironweed, Baldwin’s Ironweed.

 

Botanical Family: Asteraceae (The Daisy Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Vernonia baldwinii

 

Description & Habitat:  While this plant is known to be native to Missouri, it can be found in meadows, prairies, and fields, waste areas in dry woods and along railroad tracks. Overall this herbaceous perennial is hardy in zones 5 through 9 and can grow 4-5 feet tall. It is best known for its attractive purple flowers that lack petals. These flowers kind of resemble a purple-colored version of Ageratum. The leaves are elliptical in shape and have a light serration. Interestingly this plant’s name Vernonia comes from William Vernon (1666-1711) an English botanist. The specific epithet of this plant is a reference to William Baldwin who first collected this plant.

 

When & What to Harvest: As far as I can tell, this plant is not edible and is really only good for supporting pollinators.

 

Poisonous Lookalikes: none

 

Related Edible Species: none known.

 

Recipe:  None available.

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=277584&isprofile=1&basic=vernonia

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

For those of you wondering what plants are going to be at the market this weekend here is the list.

 

 

Fresh Foods:

Blueberries, Rabbiteye – 16 ounces

Figs, Mixed* – 16 ounces

Figs, Mixed* – 8 ounces

Tomatoes, Cherry Blend – 16 ounces

 

*Figs will be a mix of what is currently ripe; they might be White Ischia, Chicago Hardy, Celeste, Magnolia, Kadota, Brown Turkey or Petit Nigra.

 

 

Soil Amendment Products (New!)

Live Mushroom Compost – 18 Gallon Tote

Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag

Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag

 

Garden Plants, Perennial

Gentian Sage

Spineless Prickly Pear

Spanish Bayonet

 

Garden Plants, Annual

Celosia, New Mix

Celosia, Red

 

Coming Soon:

American Aloe

 

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

Our group’s online presence has migrated to Nextdoor.com. All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (1): Downy Wood Mint

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is August 16^th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.

 

Partridgeberry

 Wild Harvest Tour Exclusive

 

This post is based on something we encountered on the July Wild Harvest Tour. Tobacco Weed is a native wild plant we found in droves in the July tour.

 

https://www.facebook.com/p/Sandhills-Wild-Harvest-61557940700225/

 

The dainty foliage resembles Vinca minor or a number of members of the mind family.

 

If grown as a groundcover this one will not tolerate foot traffic but will tolerate the shade.

 

Common Name: Partridgeberry

 

Other Common Names: Twinberry, Partridge Berry, Partridge-Berry, Running Box, Pigeon Plum.

 

Botanical Family: Rubiaceae (The Madder Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Mitchella repens

 

Description & Habitat:  Partridgeberry is an evergreen perennial low-growing herb that is commonly found in forests, near stream banks and other mesic habitats throughout eastern and central North America. In the case of the Wild Harvest Tour In June of 2024 we found this plant in Clark Park. Its white fuzzy looking flowers are borne in pairs and are said to be aromatic, and it should be noted here that this plant naturally does not get taller than two inches (50.8mm). It prefers the same ranges as acid soil loving plants. Its stems can root anywhere they are in regular contact with soil. In terms of foliage it has opposite leaves that are oval shaped and it somewhat resembles the common ground cover Vinca minor but with smaller leaves. This plant’s berries are food for a number of wild birds including Ruffled Grouse, Bobwhite Quail and, Turkeys.

 

When & What to Harvest: Typically what you want to harvest is the berries once they are bright red in color. The leaves are said to be useful as a tea to aid in child birth and wer eused by Native American women at some point.

 

Poisonous Lookalikes: none

 

Related Edible Species: none known.

 

Recipe:  Most of the recipes I found for this native food source suggested baking the berries into breads or making jellies out of them. There appears to be no shortage of ideas for using the berries in things and perhaps the strangest idea I’ve seen is to pickle them. Just as a note the berries are kind of bland and will need sugar if you are making preserves or jellies out of them.

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/mitchella-repens/

 

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

For those of you wondering what plants are going to be at the market this weekend here is the list.

 

 

Fresh Foods:

Blueberries, Rabbiteye – 12 ounces

Blueberries, Rabbiteye – 8 ounces

Figs, Mixed* – 16 ounces

Figs, Mixed* – 8 ounces

Tomatoes, Cherry Blend – 12 ounces

 

*Figs will be a mix of what is currently ripe; they might be White Ischia, Chicago Hardy, Celeste, Magnolia, Kadota, Brown Turkey or Petit Nigra.

 

 

Soil Amendment Products (New!)

Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag

Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag

 

Garden Plants, Perennial

Cutleaf Coneflower

Gentian Sage

Spineless Prickly Pear

Spanish Bayonet

 

Garden Plants, Annual

Celosia, New Mix

Celosia, Red

Marigold, Naughty Marietta – Yellow

Marigold, Naughty Marietta – Orange

Madagascar Periwinkle, Blackberry

Madagascar Periwinkle, Cranberry

Wishbone Flower

 

Coming Soon:

American Aloe

 

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

Our group’s online presence has migrated to Nextdoor.com. All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (1): Formosa Lily

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is August 10^th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.