rainy day lake hike, labour day weekend

how do you turn fungi into fizz in seven easy steps?

Step 1: Take a friend who likes to sniff out wild mushrooms almost as much as you do and go hiking in the woods in fall...
Step 2: Make sure that friend has a recent memory of maybe, sort of seeing a place where matsutake might be coming up;
Step 3: Yell loudly in delight and appreciation when you discover that lovely button pine shrooms are indeed sprouting in that very spot;
Step 4: Take a sharp knife and carefully remove said shrooms, being sure to smell them and check for sandy bottoms to make sure they are pines and not amanitas, which will not kill you but, as Brigid said, will make you wish they had;
Step 5: Drive around town until you find the elusive mushroom selling station;
Step 6: Exchange 3 pounds of matsutake for $51, go to liquor store and exchange $50 for bottle of Veuve Clicquot; tell them to keep the change;
Step 7: Chill, pop and feel very pleased with yourselves :)