Day 3 & 4 – Wyoming and the Horse Penthouse

Wyoming was amazing. What a hidden gem this place is! Little known FACT, Wyoming is the least populated state in the US! But the people who are populating it are a freaking crazy good time! (Tess, Junior, TC...)
Self-healing mushroom grain jar caps

We stayed right outside of the small town of Sundance in Crook County on a “FOR REAL” working ranch. We wound down this dirt road off of I 90 seeing a plethora of ominous signs that said, “No Trespassing”, “Stay Out” leading us up to our next Airbnb adventure.

As we drove up our host came out driving us like her own cattle to the correct place in the dirt to park our car and yes there was a designated pace in the dirt to park believe it or not!

Devil's Tower Wyoming

We stepped out of the car and we were greeted by a menagerie of animals and Tess bearing gifts of cold brews, ribs, and beans with an extra side of sauce (via the t-shirt Tess was wearing) all ready to hike up to a picturesque lookout at the top of the ranch.

Wyoming Hiking at Tess's

We literally stepped out of our car and began a straight up hike what seemed to be into the clouds, yes it was a steep climb but beautiful at the top and well worth the hike up!

NO time to worry about what might be along or at the top of the hike before we headed that way (creatures and critters). Our host and her sidekick TC “The Intern” with the million dollar smile and the nicest 20 something kid ever lead us up the mountain!

They both began telling us stories of prairie dogs, rattlesnakes and the epic battle Tess had this past winter with a 147 lb mountain lion – which she won literally right outside of our horse trailer – approx 6 ft away from where we would be camping for the next 2 nights.

YES, Tess is BAD ASS  even without her big chew in and all! The best part was seeing the look on my husbands face when she dropped one in and proceeded to spit, spit and spit some more with her husband looking at my husband and saying “Welcome to Wyoming”.

So this was a particularly cool Airbnb- so cool I booked it for 2 nights. This would likely be our only chance to ever stay in what seemed to be a horse trailer penthouse. I originally had arranged a  tent camping adventure in Newcastle, WY but I admit my pitiful 47-year-old brain backed out after thinking it over for 2 months prior to leaving and a weather check ruled out a leaky tent adventure!

“The Horsey Penthouse” was nicer than most houses and could be yours too for a cool 150k. Complete with AC, shower w/skylight,  full working kitchen, super comfy bed and that’s all just for the horses wink-wink.

Really though the horses quarters at the back were almost as pimped out as ours were! Mental note, “Never rule out Horse Trailers they are great and the people who own them are even more fun!”.

They showed us a great time campfire, dinner, hilarious stories never to be forgotten and Cold BREWS!

While staying in WY we ventured out the next day to visit and have “A Close Encounter” with the Devil’s Tower, if you’re ever out in WY this is a must see. Up close it is a crazy amazing national monument and if you’re a climber be sure and get registered to so you can make like Spider-man and scale up that thing!

Wyoming, in general, is just a breath of fresh air- land as far as the eye can see!

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

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *