Mushroom time again!

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brand

Guest
Big fan of fairy ring. Spring to Autumn very easy to identity. Field mushrooms reasonable easy to find, the idiots who make mistake and pick yellow stainer deserve the relatively mild poisoning. Reasonable amount of giant puffballs. Know a few places for lawyers wig (ink cap). I have to be careful not to eat the variety that react with alcohol although they are significantly different.
A neighbours garden is hammered with mushrooms as it used to be wooded but some reason they are not quite right.
The cracked top mushrooms grow in exactly the right environment, tops are right stems are wrong?
The fairy rings are also slightly wrong. The stems for instance are not as fibrous as they should be. Some lack an umbo something I would never expect.
His lawyers wig though are bang on....pity he won't give me any!
My best find was early morels down as suspicious but I had no problems other than finding them again.
There is a forest I used to use with tons of the same species of mushrooms again unable to identity. But now I have a tablet with 3 fungi apps on and have been able to identity lots of inedible mushrooms!!
 
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robjh

robjh

Legendary Member
Still waiting for the ink-caps to appear - some years I see loads of them but have been missing out recently.

I got laughed at in Estonia (laughter is universal, I didn't have to understand the words) for picking ink-caps - seemed like they're not prized over there, when they have sooooo many other edible species around (and the autumn markets are full of them).
 

brand

Guest
PS there are 1700 fungi in the UK although that includes athletes foot and a few other inedibles!!​
 
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brand

Guest
Still waiting for the ink-caps to appear - some years I see loads of them but have been missing out recently.

I got laughed at in Estonia (laughter is universal, I didn't have to understand the words) for picking ink-caps - seemed like they're not prized over there, when they have sooooo many other edible species around (and the autumn markets are full of them).
To far to go anywhere else a little closer to home!!
 

Hugh Manatee

Veteran
I can't bring myself to do it. The difference between a tasty pasta dinner and slow lingering death is too small for me. I get all my mushrooms from Sainsbury. If I am feeling very adventurous, I'll do some foraging in Waitrose!

Friends of my parents know Nicholas Evans quite well. Also how my brother described the smell of that one that looks like a cauliflower as it dried, um, put me off a bit!

Fascinating subject though. I have a few books on the subject.
 

brand

Guest
Edible
Inedible
Suspicious
Poisonous
Very poisonous
Welcome to death.
If I recall correctly there is only 3 of the latter. Personally I don't like to encourage people to gather mushrooms as I am not a fan of sharing. So let's change that to hundreds!!!
 

brand

Guest
I forgot this, a while back I was in cheapo shop and they had a bag of cooked mushrooms like the ones in tins. 1.2 kilos drained for 99p had to give them a try. When I translated the writing they were field mushrooms. Now I am not saying they were fantastic but once drained thoroughly they were decent. They were Chopped up very small and froze okay. Should have bought at least 4 packets sure a few neighbours would have had them.
 

theclaud

Openly Marxist
Location
Swansea
Still waiting for the ink-caps to appear - some years I see loads of them but have been missing out recently.

I got laughed at in Estonia (laughter is universal, I didn't have to understand the words) for picking ink-caps - seemed like they're not prized over there, when they have sooooo many other edible species around (and the autumn markets are full of them).

Their loss (assuming you mean the shaggy ones - .I don't easy mushrooms that react adversely with booze!) They don't last long before self-destructing, and their fragility means there are limited ways to cook them, but the flavour is superb, which makes them perfect for soupy stuff. And they are easy-peasy to ID, very common, and not remotely similar to anything deadly. Win-win-win.
 
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robjh

robjh

Legendary Member
Their loss (assuming you mean the shaggy ones - .I don't easy mushrooms that react adversely with booze!) They don't last long before self-destructing, and their fragility means there are limited ways to cook them, but the flavour is superb, which makes them perfect for soupy stuff. And they are easy-peasy to ID, very common, and not remotely similar to anything deadly. Win-win-win.
Yep, the shaggier the better.
I learnt the hard way that it is not good to pick them one day then leave them in a bag till the next - all ink and no cap is what you get (or just black smelly goo to be more descriptive).
 
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robjh

robjh

Legendary Member
I spoke (almost) too soon - I found the first shaggy ink-cap of the season this morning on the field, along with a host of field mushrooms. It remains to be seen whether it will have turned to goo before tea-time.
 
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robjh

robjh

Legendary Member
I've found a steady crop of field blewitts (bluelegs) in a field near me.
IMG_2947.JPG

They'll go nicely with lamb's liver, creamy mash and brussel tops from the garden tonight.
 
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