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Summer growth
A season of learning, exploring, and growing more & more curious
Bek Jopling
July 03, 2025
Growth and change are everywhere you look this season- summer is the time for trying new things and exploring, like these adolescent newts taking to the forest from their aquatic homes.
What sights, sounds, smells or feelings do you most associate with summer? Right now, I am living and working at summer camp in Pisgah Forest for three weeks, soaking in not only the magic of the land here but the deep magic of experiencing the summertime as a child does.
In the mornings, before the campers awaken, I get to stroll the quiet trails, taking in the rich smell of the wet earth and leaves beneath the rhododendron tangles, spotting new fungi emerging after our regularly scheduled thunderstorms, trying to recognize the singer of each bird and frog call, greeting the tiny salamanders and remembering to watch my step for them and others, and most of all feeling deep gratitude for the chance to wake up each day and not only experience the beauty of all this life, but to share the magic with others, all day long!
When the campers start their day, they will have chances to laugh and sing with friends old and new, get sweaty and muddy, learn new skills, encounter more-than-human critters we share this land with, swim, play, wonder at fireflies, dance, and dunk their heads in the creek, and explore expanded independence and everything else that comes with living in a connected community. It has always seemed to me that this season of playing and exploring, being immersed in the natural world every day, trying new things and making new friends, offers much deeper and more meaningful chances for growth for kids than even a full year of traditional schooling. (Part of why I am still coming back to teach and live in community here 20 years after I first joined this camp world!)
What ways can you find in this season to prioritize laughter, play, community connection, and closeness with the rest of the living world we so often are seemingly set apart from (though we have never stopped being a part of it all)? If you can’t drop everything and join a summer camp crew, I recommend starting with a little noticing walk in the mornings, even if only in your own neighborhood. See what you can spot that brings curiosity up for you, and let yourself feel excitement at learning or just seeing something new. Just a few minutes a day of being with the living world, and feeling what that brings you, can truly shift your whole day.
If you want to prioritize these joys and connection moments, to practice noticing and presence in tune with the seasons, and to add in the community piece of others who are seeking the same, check out the new Wild Community Walks - they start up again once we return from camp, and spaces are limited, so be sure to sign up soon!
Upcoming Events
I am SO excited to be re-opening the doors to this offering- it was such a joy for all who joined this spring, and I can’t wait to continue connecting with community and meeting new nature friends in our Wild Community Walks later this month.
I deeply believe that being in nature is healing, that feeling our connection to the living world that we cannot exist without is vital to heal our current world, and that if you want to learn wild food and medicine the best way is to get outside as often as possible and meet all the wild things throughout the seasons. And I have been dreaming of a way to make all of that more accessible to everyone for years.
In these bi-weekly walks for small groups we will spend time grounding in nature and getting to know our more-than-human neighbors. Each walk will be unique: we may forage mushrooms or gather plants for food or medicine, spend time up close with the moss and forest critters, make tea from seasonal woodland plants, or explore different ways to safely begin (or deepen our practice of) incorporating wild food and medicine into your life.
With Wild Community Walks, the mission is that folks interested in pursuing any of these things will have an affordable way to find community around it. Join for a day here and there ($25/ea), or dive into wild food and connection by signing up for the whole series! ($20/ea). If this pricing is outside of your comfortable financial ability, please reach out - no one will be turned away from joining due top lack of funds. If you can’t join now, but would like to support other members of the community in participating in this experience, you can donate to the community support fund below.
If you have wanted to explore wild food & medicine or learning about our ecosystems more, to make a practice of spending more time outside, or to meet other nature-loving-and-curious folks…..
Golden Chanterelles — the apricot-scented, classic, favorite-child fungi of summer
Summer Chanterelles
Of the many types of mushrooms commonly called “chanterelle,” -both “true chanterelle” and otherwise, this one pictured is probably the most classically known and gathered. The golden chanterelle is known for her bright color and sweet and fruity scent (like apricots, a lot of folks say). They are one of the most delicious, too — much lighter on the mushroom flavor than many other fungi and even when older, as long as they aren’t too buggy, they remain tasty and tender.
Unfortunately, they are so commonly known that they are also the mushroom folks are most likely to accidentally poison themselves trying to eat … due to their similarity to the jack-o’-lantern, Omphalotus illudens.
Jack-o’-lanterns are super cool in their own right- they are incredibly beautiful, bright orange, and their gills glow in the dark! But while not deadly toxic, I’ve heard a meal of them can make you at least feel as though you’re going to perish (think extreme gastrointestinal purging).
So, even with a handy checklist of identification differences, I highly recommend getting to know at least this common chanterelle and the jack-o’-lantern well in person before foraging your own feast of them.
That said, here are a few telltale questions to ask when getting to know your orange summer fungi.
How do they smell? Chanterelles are sweet and fruity, and while Jack o lanterns smell very nice if you like fungi, they definitely just have a strong mushroomy scent.
What is it growing from? Chanterelles grow from soil, Jacks grow from rotting wood. But be careful – sometimes the mushroom can appear to be growing from the soil, but there’s actually a chunk of wood under the leaf litter or dirt.
How is it growing? Jack-o’-lanterns often grow in giant clumps, all coming from a fairly central location. I suspect this is one of the reasons people so frequently bring them home for a meal when they aren’t totally sure about them. It’s hard turn down such a giant beautiful cluster of mushrooms! Chanterelle’s on the other hand, generally grow spaced out. Even if there are lots of them covering an area, they aren’t growing in clumps of more than two or three from any one spot.
How do they look inside? If you slice them in half, you should always find a white or significantly lighter center of the cap and stem of Chants. The inside of the Jack o’lanterns is just as orange as the outside.
Does it glow-in-the-dark? OK this isn’t really a safe identifying feature as not all jack-o’-lanterns will glow in the dark, depending on where they are developmentally, but it is really cool to bring them home and see them light up on your bedside table!
Get to know your local flora and fungi well before diving into eating them - it’s a great practice for safety but also in respect of connecting to the world before we go straight to taking.
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Salty & Sweet Summer
I love finding unique ways to capture the seasons, using what is abundant in the woods where I roam. We now have a limited supply of never-before-tasted summer 2025 blend! In our newest wild-seasoned salt, tender young chicken of the woods, bee balm leaf & flower, and wild onion preserve all the flavors of these steamy mountain days for your year-round enjoyment.
On the sweeter side, our new early-summer sugar blend is made from organic cane sugar infused with handpicked Juneberries, mulberries, and lavender blossoms. Try it in your morning oats or yogurt, fruit and granola, atop baked goods, or just straight to your tongue!
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