NTFP

My body always feels so good after a day of exercise. A healthy diet and exercise are integral to my life. That’s partially why I like to walk around my farm instead of always driving cars, atv or tractor. A cool spring day like today has the added advantage that there are no snakes and no tics. It’s too cold for them.

The cattle are often inquisitive of me when I’m on foot but will run when I’m on a machine. I’ve seen them run straight through our fencing, which can injure them and adds to my chore list.  

Walking prevents this and allows me to observe more wildlife; mammals and birds have long fascinated me, but the fungi I find in the Springtime are truly fantastic. I am also always exploring opportunities with NTFP. Non-Timber Forest Products. Wild edible mushrooms could be a profit center if I could just figure out how to find enough edible fungi! 

Although many are poisonous or not tasty, all are interesting to observe. Mushrooms grow abundantly, and “fruit” up on warm mornings when it’s humid and the ground is moist. I usually GPS any interesting mushrooms I see and store the info on our ARC GIS program. They don’t usually grow in the same place two years in a row, but I figure someday the information will be helpful. Some years I post the pictures on our farm website.  

Other Articles of Interest: 

• Fungi of Coal Creek Farm
• Fungi species

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