Now I understand the meaning of the term, “embarrassment of riches.” Everyone’s talking about the abundance of mushrooms of all kinds this year, and we can certainly attest to that: our dehydrator is going non-stop, I have drying mushrooms spread all over my studio floor, and we continue to come home with piles of mushrooms after every hike in the forest. And the season isn’t over yet!
And this one—Sarcodon fuscoindicus, or Violet hedgehog—is a perfect example. Two years ago I was thrilled to find two or three specimens; last year I went back to the same spot and found none; this year I came home with 16 (yes, that’s one-six) pounds of them!
They weren’t all this size—in fact, I left quite a few buttons in case I get back to that area again—but I can’t wait to see what they do in the dyepot!
SHROOMWORKS 
I feel your excitement! How wonderful to be having such success in your foraging for natural colour.
Colour me green with envy…:))
P.s. I am also coveting your knife, love the swivel attachment too….totally green with envy…yes, what a shroom year, me too, dehydrating freezing and generally celebrating the Abundance….
And still trying to get my head around all the various hydnellums and polypores… Very lucky
Hmmm . . . red with embarrassment or green with envy . . . I think I’ll choose to be red! We’ve found violet hedgehogs in a few places this year, so I imagine you’ll stumble over some at some point. The bonanza I mentioned was gorwing along the edge of a forest service road, not all that high, and much of it under salal. I’m trying to keep my hydnellums separated out so I can do some comparison dyeing, but that’s not always easy once they’ve dried. I’m also finding Thelephora, also worth a try. Yes, the knife is great – our mushroom club sells them at events and forays, and we’re almost out now but plan to restock in time for 2014. Maybe you can get over this way for our 2014 Mushroom Festival?
Sounds great, I would love to come over to new griund, and meet you. I am thrilled with the harvest is year and the corts are really coming on now. I would love to purchase a knofe like that ..is that possible?
Am going to vancouver island tomorrow for my final off island excusion, so hoping for some fuscoindicus, and some of those other sarcdons would be welcome also, but mainly going for the corts. Have a wonderful harvest and happy dyeing….:))
Hi Mushroom Annie, please let us know your sarcodon fuscoindicus results, I dyed with some this year and got my best colour yet, BLUE!!! True blue, then I found some in a different spot, so excited put some silk in and no colour what so ever!! Very disappointed, so please let me know. Thanks Melissa. All was pre mordanted with alum. Thanks Melissa. P.S.-Sounds familiar the mushrooms taking over, it’s a Big year!!
Yes, I’m going to be holding my breath when it comes time to do a fuscoindicus dyepot! I got blue a couple of years ago, when I had just a couple of the mushrooms, although the colour wasn’t very strong on the silk sample I put in. I’m going to play with the pH on this, too, to see if I can adjust the colours at all. This has been such a big year . . . dare I say I’m ready for the season to end? My dyepots and spinning wheel are calling!
I am envious! Looking forward to hearing about what you discover.
Yes, I’m eager to get back to my dyepot discoveries . . . but I’m not ready yet for the foraging season to be over!
Oh, I wanted to ask you, with the auranticus I wondered, is the small really orange one a young auranticus or a different type…I am drying them separately but don’t really know.
I’ve been wondering the same thing myself. I’ve found them in all sizes this year, from small to gigantic, but they have orange flesh and that lovely fruity odour. I’ve been drying them together – let me know if you get different results based on size.
Hi there, I have gotten different colours, aranticus, made me wonder if the smaller, leathery ones I found are a telephora. I think colour is the way to tell. I usually obtain a nice green with the former and the later I got deep grey.
Yes, I’m finding enough Hydnellum this year to do some comparisons and experimenting with pH to see how it affects colour. I’m setting aside the smaller, “fringier” ones that have grey undersides and smaller stems,and they don’t have the orange of the aurantiacum – I think they may indeed be telephora, but I need some help identifying them. Soon I’ll be at the dyepots again and will see what they give.