Mushroom season's open again !!!

[paulm]

Been a disappointing season to date round my neck of the woods, and indeed in the New Forest a few weeks ago when I was camping there early August and again earlier this month, but after the recent rain, misty mornings and warmth I had a feeling it might be worth another look today













A mixture of ceps, orange birch boletes and oak boletes, another load was already in the dehydrator before I thought to take some pics of the rest.

That should see me through another year of risottos, pasta sauces and casseroles :lol:

I made sure to leave all the smaller immature ones and the overly mature ones also, to ensure there will be some another day. Seems to work as I've been going to the same area for the last fifteen years or so and it's still very productive in the right conditions.

Cheers, Paul

 

[Steve Maskery]

I love the idea but I'd be terrified of picking something I shouldn't. How do you know?
S

 

[paulm]

You're right to be cautious Steve, not something to mess with if you don't know what you are doing !

I started years ago by going on a couple of accompanied expert led forays locally, and then got a few good books and learnt the half dozen or so good edible mushrooms that I was likely to find and the half dozen or so very dangerous ones too !!!

There are several thousand types inbetween those two extremes but I don't bother with them, and interestingly, once you know what to look for, there is not that much possible overlap between the good ones and the very bad ones, they tend to be quite distinctive once you have a certain level of understanding of what to look for.

On the odd occasion I'm not entirely sure I just leave well alone as it's not something to take chances with of course.

So a good starting point is an accompanied field trip with an experienced expert, there are usually a few around at this time of year if you can find about them locally.

Great fun and part of the appeal for me is getting out early morning when things are quiet and misty and you often get to see all sorts of wildlife at close quarters at the same time, I often get within a few yards of roe deer in my usual location before we notice each other and scare the wits out of each of us !!!

Cheers, Paul

 

[MARK.B.]

I love the idea but I'd be terrified of picking something I shouldn't. How do you know?
S

You could always get swmbo to test them first :wink: :lol:

 

[ChrisR]

Brings back good childhood memories. The field at the rear of our garden used to be covered in mushrooms, around this time of year.

My mother would fry them up, then serve on top of toast spread with beef dripping and plenty of pepper.
Mouth is watering, just thinking about it. =P~

Cholesterol what cholesterol. :shock:

Take care.

Chris R.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Dripping!
We always had dripping on toast on Monday from the Sunday roast. Pork dripping was my favourite. And Turkey at Christmas.
Sadly trad Sunday lunch is a thing of the past. I think I miss the dripping on toast more than I miss the roast.
S

 

[t8hants]

We had a tragedy over here on the IOW, one lady died and another was very ill from eating the wrong mushrooms.

Gareth

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

The aptly named Deathcap is the most common cause of poisoning amongst ingested funghi. Paul's harvest you'll notice are all from the Boletus family. The much prized Cep or Porcini or Penny Bun is Boletus Edulis...and boy does it taste good saute'd in butter.

The Boletus family don't have gills...they have pores under the cap...lots of tiny holes that are rather spongy in appearance (and function when wet). So any would be mushroom foragers would do well to stick to the Boletus family in the beginning because they have no deadly members at all. There are some distasteful ones but nothing anywhere near lethal. The gilled mushrooms on the other hand have all the nasty ones. Destroying Angel is another killer. One or two people die each year throughout Europe from mushroom related incidents and it's almost always one of the two I've mentioned.

Paul's advice about going with a guide (ie pay for it) is wise in the first instance. But the pay-off is great. When you eat a genuine field mushroom, not even one of the exotic ones like a penny bun or a chanterelle but just a regular field mushroom like in Tesco....the difference in flavour is staggering. They really do remind me of how mushrooms used to taste before they were mass produced.

 

[devonwoody]

1978 (I think, the year of the drought) we picked buckets when the rains finally arrived down here in Devon, particularly the fields where horses grazed.

Anyway we had a feast until one day I fell ill (very ill) never picked a mushrooms since, I have those clean ones from the supermarket now.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

That's a shame Devon....but I understand. I had Oyster related food poisoning when I was 21 and didn't take another bite till about 35. Mind you I love them again now

Mushroom hunting is risky....no question and its crucial they're properly identified...but with some learning, tuition etc its like everything else (including the use of a table saw), it can be de-risked. I just lament those cardboard tasting things from the supermarket that look so "farmed" they don't even have dirt on them. There really is nothing quite like the taste of a freshly picked decent "shroom" Right up till the Ambulance arrives

 

[maltrout512]

1978 (I think, the year of the drought) we picked buckets when the rains finally arrived down here in Devon, particularly the fields where horses grazed.

Anyway we had a feast until one day I fell ill (very ill) never picked a mushrooms since, I have those clean ones from the supermarket now.

1976 was the hot long summer.

 

[devonwoody]

1978 (I think, the year of the drought) we picked buckets when the rains finally arrived down here in Devon, particularly the fields where horses grazed.

Anyway we had a feast until one day I fell ill (very ill) never picked a mushrooms since, I have those clean ones from the supermarket now.

1976 was the hot long summer.

Nearly went bust, nobody was using Taxies down here in the evenings, they just wanted to walk back to their lodgings.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I remember it only too well. My Dad and I had gone for a weeks Barbel fishing on the Hampshire Avon's Royalty Fishery in Christchurch. We camped at a place some way out of town called Matcham's campsite and the surrounding bit of the New Forest caught fire. We couldn't get back to the tent after the first days fishing and ended up at a B&B in town (candlewick breadspreads etc).

I just remember the huge red glow filling the sky before we came to the police road block. I was 13 at the time and apparently the forest fire was huge.

Don't remember any mushrooms though Do remember Dad catching a near 9lb barbel and losing a sea trout after a 45 minute fight during which it straightened the forged steel size 6 hook!

 

[devonwoody]

I fished the River Avon at Breamore a few times in the 1960's. Caught mainly grayling. It wasn't cheap, but before rod licenses arrived.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I remember it well....we used to fish Aquarium Pool on the Royalty and it was £12 each for 7am till 7pm. They locked the huge green wrought iron gates to the car park after 7pm so no night fishing....no maggots.

My Dad was a teacher, then a headmaster so we were skint as a family and that £24 per day was a lot of cash in those days. We used to go a week every summer. I remember it with VERY fond memories.

Parlour pool was the next stretch down from Aquarium, separated by a footbridge. It was strictly salmon fishing only and in 1976 it cost £45 per day!! The little bailiff's hut was right in front of the footbridge and had a 60lb stuffed glass cased salmon on the wall. As a wide eyed youngster fisherman...that place was heaven.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Well I've been again to my local Boletus hunting ground and there was absolutely nothing. Very disappointed. Then driving home I happened to pass one of the local fields and bingo....a different quarry admittedly but still delicious - horse mushrooms.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

1978 (I think, the year of the drought) we picked buckets when the rains finally arrived down here in Devon, particularly the fields where horses grazed.

Anyway we had a feast until one day I fell ill (very ill) never picked a mushrooms since, I have those clean ones from the supermarket now.

I was thinking about what you said about the field mushrooms poisoning you Devon and I'll bet your Mum accidentally picked whats called a Yellow Stainer in the batch of horse or field mushrooms. Field and horse mushrooms really prefer close cropped grass which is why they tend to be found in fields where animals graze. The one species that is very very similar in appearance to the horse mushroom is this yellow stainer. It's mildly poisonous inducing stomach cramps, vomiting and the squits. My guess is she picked 99% good ones but a stainer sneaked in to the basket! Unlucky.

 

[paulm]

Mmm, they look tasty Rob

Cheers, Paul

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I had a pan full just after I took that snap. Just a knob of Lurpak in a sauté pan and some freshly ground BP. BLOODY HELL were they good. There was enough salt in the butter to forgo any more

 

[heatherw]

Mmmm, can't wait for it to rain here, supposed to start tomorrow. Should have mushrooms within a week.