Imagine traipsing through the woods early of an autumnal eve and coming upon this sight. Can you imagine anything more inviting? I feel so lucky to spend time at Beaver Dam. (Especially when I'm not going out of my mind waiting for my bathroom to be repaired!) And to come together there with a circle of new friends I have been collecting upstate—people who love eating well, being in nature, just chilling—is such fun. A recent invitation for cocktails turned into a few hours of cooking, foraging and eating, with everyone contributing in a very serendipitous way. We brought squash blossoms and fresh Concord grape juice, and happened to stumble upon some more black trumpet mushrooms en route (!), and there were many more delicacies waiting for us when we arrived. "Peace" vodka from a nearby distillery to mix with the grape juice, a couple of flawlessly executed dishes made with locally foraged mushrooms and a gorgeous peach galette worthy of Alice Waters herself. The best part, though, were the enormous glass doors of Beaver Dam thrown open to the glorious view: the ferns bleaching to a golden crisp, the wheat-colored marsh grasses blushing from the glow of the setting sun, the dank woods smelling of mushrooms and wet leaves. Though it was not cold, we lit a fire as a tribute to the approaching fall.

You can see me and Tomo in the distance, shoulders a bit hunched as we trudge forward, eyes to the ground, always on the hunt for more mushrooms. We were not richly rewarded with black trumpets here, although we felt the conditions were perfect: a mix of conifers and hardwood, the presence of moss and running water.

As I mentioned, on the way to Beaver Dam, something on a tree caught my eye and G pulled over so I could check it out. It turned out to be a very large chicken mushroom, but already well past its prime, sadly spongey and soggy. As I was making my way back to the car, I happened to look down only to see that I was standing in a patch of black trumpets. Unbelievable.

First we all dove into Tomo's divine pizza, with a crust made from Jim Lahey's famed "no-knead" bread recipe. It was almost delicate, and so beautiful to look at.  Later we sauteed up the newly foraged black trumpets with white wine, butter and a splash of cream, and served them over grilled bread; just a couple of bites each, but so savory and delicious.

Tomo also brought these gorgeous rice balls made with some of the hen-of-the-woods mushrooms I gave her. Hopefully she will give me a lesson in making a few classic Japanese dishes soon.

I also brought some of these Mexican sour gherkins (Melothria scabra) that I found at the farmers market up here. They taste like tart, very juicy and seed-y cucumbers. I made them into quick pickles using this sweetened tamarind "drinking vinegar" I ordered earlier this summer for mixing with soda water. I threw in some shiso and garlic for extra flavor. They were pretty good.

My zucchini blossoms were better, though, stuffed with mint-spiked goat cheese, dredged in masa harina and fried to a shattering crisp. I'm going to post the recipe for those tomorrow.

Michael really outdid himself with this peach galette. A light dusting of ground almonds and sugar on a classic flour-&-butter crust lets the flavor of the fruit shine through in this rustic tart.I'm including Tomo's recipe for pizza made with wild-foraged hen-of-the-woods and black trumpet mushrooms. You can substitute creminis or shiitakes, or really any combination of mushrooms you like. Black truffles shaved over the top would never go amiss either! Here is Jim Lahey's recipe for no-knead pizza dough. Tomo says she makes his bread recipe every weekend, and sometimes uses the dough for two pizza crusts. (I want to live at her house!) When she does this, she lets the dough rise just once, and after 16 hours divides it in half, lets it rest for 5-10 minutes, then presses and stretches it to make a very thin pizza crust. For a great tutorial on making pizza, see Melissa Clark's video here.