Day 2 – Iowa to South Dakota – The eternal I-90.

Self-healing mushroom grain jar caps

Day 2 – Iowa to South Dakota – The eternal I-90.

by Aug 19, 20182018 Montana, Travel0 comments

Next Stop – South Dakota.

Day two on our epic adventure, I got to learn about the joys of driving I 90. For me, it was a great experience. Its pretty much an 80mph straight shot across the country. I suspect its hell in the winter.

For anyone who thinks that billboard advertising is worthless, drive I-90. I am a 100% believer that under the right circumstances, billboards are extremely effective. Wall Drug case in point.  I don’t remember the first billboards I saw for them. I am pretty sure I don’t remember the second one either. After about 200 miles, I can’t remember how many of their billboards I saw. They were on both sides of the road, promising 5 cent coffee, leather works, shopping, a shooting range, just all kind of stuff that I was starting to believe the main point of our trip was to go to Wall Drug.

We saw a crap ton of billboards and stopped at three locations because of them:

  • Wall Drug – You have no choice after running the I-90 Gauntlet of billboards. It was worth the stop too.
  • The Corn Palace – Pretty cool stop. I had the best ear of corn here ever.
  • 1880 Town – Dances with Wolves Set. Pretty cool stop.

Enter – The Badlands

I am not sure anything can prepare you for what you see at the Badlands. It is just an amazing experience. It would be very easy to plan a trip around this geological marvel, spending hours hiking the various trails and just enjoying the martian landscapes.

You see the pictures and the first thing you think of is, “Why the hell do they need do call this place the badlands. I think it’s fair to say, everyone has a jaw drop moment when they first see this place. They say to themselves, this isn’t the, “Badlands”, this is the, “Holy shat, this is amazing lands”.  You immediately google how this place got its name and it all made sense.

Laurie

We stopped here toward the end of day 2. The Badlands could easily be the center point of a trip to South Dakota. They offer camping and a slew of trails to keep you busy. Watch out for rattlesnakes!

Robb

Mushroom Growing Naming Convention

As I continue to ramp up my mushroom growing endeavors, I am finding that I need to take better notes on my batches from the creation of the substrate to the inoculation and grow room.  To help with this, I am coming up with a naming convention for my grow outs and thought I would share it with everyone.

7 Amazing Wild Mushrooms in PA

Boletus Edulis - King Bolet

Boletus edulis. Called “king bolete,” these have a thick stalk and a nut-like cap. They are found near the roots of trees.

 

Laetiporus sulphureus. Called “chicken of the woods,” this fungus grows as a parasite on dead wood. The creamy yellow/orange mushroom forms a cascading series of shelves resembling a lava flow, and yes, it tastes like chicken.

 

shaggy mane

Coprinus comatus. Known as “shaggy mane,” these are abundant in the fall. They have a large cap that looks somewhat like an artillery shell. These should be eaten shortly after picking or the cap will deteriorate into a gooey mass. This mushroom is found in grassy fields.

 

Giant Puffball

Langermannia gigantea. Known to kids far and wide as a “giant puffball,” this fungus must be eaten fresh, when its flesh is white. They are found in fields.

 

horn of plenty mushroom

Craterellus cornucopiodes. The “horn of plenty” is black and looks rather unappetizing, but its trumpet-like shape is recognizable, and the mushroom is quite tasty.

 

Oyster Mushrooms in the Spring

Pleurotus ostreatus. Called “oyster mushrooms,” these fungi look fragile and flare from the stem. They have a slightly meaty taste.

Oyster Mushrooms in the Spring

Cantharellus. Chanterelle Mushrooms are beautiful orange mushrooms with a white inside. These are a choice mushroom.

Morel Mushroom

Morechella esculenta. The morel, which resembles a pine cone or Christmas tree-shaped sponge on a stalk, is commonly found in the spring in wooded areas.

Laetiporus Sulphureus – Chicken of the Woods

Chicken of the Woods is an awesome mushroom that has the texture of chicken and can really take on the flavor of the dish you are preparing.

Easy to Make Mushroom Grain Jar Caps

Video Tutorial: Making Mushroom Grain Jar Lids

Mushroom Grain Jar Lid Video Transcript

So the first thing I’m going to do after we drill out the caps is trim off the edges so that there’s no plastic hanging out there.

Then we’re going to use some silicon, and we’re going to use this to create a airtight gap around the injection port, so I like to use water here, because the water, the paper towel and water won’t stick to the silicon so it makes it really easy to put into place.

So we’re going to put a dab across the top opening of the jar lid and we’re going to dab that with the wet paper towel, turn it over and put a dab on the bottom, and then we’ll doubt that with a wet paper towel, and that’ll create a nice bubble also so you can see exactly where that port is on the cap it makes it really easy to find the injection port.

The other hole is going to be the vent hole, and we’re just going to use some surgical tape to place two pieces of surgical tape over that hole, so that the jar can breathe and that will let the mycelium get some air that it needs to reproduce and colonize the jar.

What you need for your grain jar caps

 

How to Make: Lapin à la Moutarde

Lapin à la Moutarde is French. I made this and it’s rich and intoxicating and layered in flavor. I enjoyed my time reading about the dish and then actually preparing it. You can use the whole rabbit for this dish, I look forward to preparing it again.

~ Laurie Luther @lutherhomestead.com

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