Skip to main content

Featured

Posted by

Welcome to Take the Back Roads

🌿 Welcome to Take the Back Roads Hello, my friends — and welcome to Take the Back Roads , a journey through travel, reflection, and history. This space is my creative crossroads — where the paths of discovery, faith, storytelling, and art meet. Here, I explore what happens when we choose the scenic route through life instead of the fast lane. From here, you can explore the different roads that define my work: The Take the Back Roads Philosophy — essays and reflections on faith, slow living, and the joy of wandering. The Bucket-List Book Adventure & Rite of Fancy — my ongoing challenge to read 553 of the world’s greatest books (and to share reviews of all the others that have inspired me along the way). The Everyday Patriot Project — stories of remarkable men and women who served, reminding us what courage, honor, and dedication truly mean. 🖼️ Take the Back Roads Photography Shop “Sometimes, the best souvenirs are the moments we capture along the way.” Explo...
Post a Comment
Read more
Labels
Posted by

Bitter To The Last Bite - The Bolete Tylopilus Mushroom

Dear Henry,

This is one of the Tylopilus versions of the Bolete mushroom.  They are gorgeous, with deep purple caps, and, like most boletes, are non-toxic (there is a bolete with red spores, which is said to be dangerous. They don't appear to be widespread, and I haven't seen one).

There is, however, a huge variation in the edibility of "non-toxic."

Any bolete with a purple cap tastes awful, and by awful, I mean so bitter that your tongue tingles.

You could not eat this mushroom, not even if you are starving.

Ask me how I know.

You see, once, Fish and I, armed with the knowledge that "all boletes are non-toxic", picked, sauteed, and attempted to eat one. It smelled heavenly while it was cooking.  It tasted horrific. The taste was so bad that we were afraid we had misidentified the mushroom.

We didn't. They are just that inedible.

I hear (unverified and unresearched) that they are a component of bitters.  I did, however, make a joke about eating one on social media, and I should not have.  Anyone who tries to eat one will not enjoy the taste. I speak from experience here.

They do make lovely photographs, though.

xoxo a.d.


****** *********************************

a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia. 

In addition to her travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com

Her online photography gallery can be found at shop.takethebackroads.com

#TaketheBackRoads

Like my page? Please consider supporting my work by visiting my sponsors and webshop or buying me a cup of coffee!



Labels:
Location: Bella Vista, AR, USA

Comments

Post a Comment