2018 Annual Skyview Acres Mushroom Foray
Annual Skyview Acres Mushroom Foray
On a beautiful fall morning (September 30, 2018), the annual Skyview Acres Mushroom Foray commenced at 10am. Some 20+ Skyviewer’s and friends met between #24 and #26 Dogwood Lane North and were led by Skyview’s own expert, Howard Goldstein, through the 76-acre
Striker property.
Howard has been hunting for edible mushrooms for decades, and this day he provided a wealth of information about how to correctly identify some easily distinguishable edible varieties and those that are poisonous. Importance was placed on PROPER IDENTIFICATION, and the difficulty of distinguishing between edible and poisonous mushrooms that look similar. Some can only be identified at the microscopic level.
With Howard’s expert guidance, several of us walked away from the 2-hour hike with arms and bags full of what would become our evening’s dinner: edibles included chicken mushrooms, hen-of-the woods and chanterelles.
Almost a decade ago, thanks to the efforts of Martus Granirer and Christopher St. Lawrence, the Town of Ramapo purchased the Striker land from the Toll Brothers and publicized it as open space. As we walked the lush Striker property we were reminded how ecologically rich is this parcel of land. Old growth trees, surrounded by mosses that grow abundantly, tower over the mushrooms, some in plain sight and others tucked under leaves, branches, and tree trunks. Also on this land is a tributary of the Hackensack River and several springs and wetlands. Thus, the Striker acreage is not only home to wildlife, it is a source of food and water for animals and humans alike.
Submitted by: Nana Koch and Robert Trostle
