Well, no trouble getting up, this week. I’ve been looking forward to this so much that I woke up every hour, on the hour, though the night.
It was worth the effort as 3 hours wandering round the North of the forest yielded just over 3 kilos of mixed mushrooms. I put about a kilogram of the best, the Ceps, in a basket for Madam (my landlady) and shall be using some of the rest in a sort of slow cooked risotto that I discovered by accident and then found out that the author (and foodie), Julian Barnes has discovered the same thing himself.
A slight, intermittent drizzle slightly spoilt the morning but, it probably kept some of the other mushroomers away. The few people that I met all agreed that it is still too early and another two weeks are needed. This will bring us up to the next full moon. I’m not sure why but this seems to be very important.
As the mushrooms got wet, I had to dry them. You really shouldn’t wash mushrooms and if they do get wet, they need to dry naturally and slowly.
I packed it in early as I was getting wet but did pop across the road (I promise the maps will be online this week – If only I can get my scanner to work!) to look at a field that a neighbour told me could be good (if only because no-one else goes there). I didn’t spend too much time but did find one Cep on the edge of the field. Not a particually good photo but I was in a hurry as it had started to rain quite hard.
I shall be going into the forest on foot tomorrow; starting in the South-East corner, hopefully saying hello to the family of deer that live there and then working my way round the Eastern edge of the forest. This will bring me out at the North of the forest at the same field. I intend to spend some time there having a good look around.
One of the difficult things about mushrooming is that the really good places for mushrooms are well known and well visited. One has to find the other places that, whilst maybe not so prolific, are less well known. These we call our Petits Coins and whilst I may mention some of them on ths site, be aware, I shalln’t tell you about all of them!
Just to prove that it’s not all Ceps, Ceps & Ceps (as it is for most of my neighbours and friends), I did pick a few other mushrooms. Not too many as that is what I shall be doing tomorrow.
However, the mushrooms in the photo (once again, not a good photo) are……
One small Beefsteak Fungus(Fistulina Hepatica). Excellent eating (especially young) – cook as you would a steak but you may have to soak in milk for a couple of hours first (it sometimes has a slightly metallic taste). I only pick the young ones and soak/marinate in red wine – but that’s just me!
Two small Girolles(Cantharellus Cibarius). Always good to find; there haven’t been many about this year (at least in the Forest of Lanouee) so any are a bonus.
Five Amerthyst Deceivers(Laccaria Amethystea). These should start to become more common now, they dry very well, are nice and tasty (you do need a lot of them) and add a bit of colour to the plate. One of my Gourmet mushroom meals (not really gourmet meal at all!) is Girolles, Amerthyst Deceivers and Pied Bleus (a blue winter mushroom) served on a bed of rice with a bit of salad on the side. It looks as good as it tastes and, the taste… “Magnifique est trop petit un mot!”
So, overall, a good morning (even if I did get a bit wet). I am looking forward to tomorrow as it will be a lovely walk (I may get to see the deer) and I shall be concentrating on a wider variety of mushrooms. And who knows, if I get it right, I may get lost enough to exit the forest just North of the village of Lanouee which, of course, has a bar (3 , in fact). It’s strange how that often happens!
This River Cottage Handbook, `Mushrooms’ by John Wright, is a genuinely funny and hugely informative guide to mushroom and toadstools with some useful cooking tips and recipes too. (Some are even simple enough to try!)
Quite simply – this is the best book of its kind – superb descriptions and pictures – the only book required to correctly identify mushrooms in the UK.
Wild mushrooms can be difficult to identify, and many poisonous species look similar to edible ones. An identification guide must therefore leave nothing to doubt, and this book uses both photographs and drawings to present all the essential details
This handy, practical guide offers a quick way for beginners to identify mushrooms and toadstools Collins Gem Mushrooms describes almost 240 species of mushrooms and toadstools to be commonly found in Britain. Portable and clear, it is the ideal guide for those out foraging for fungi!
This handy pocket-sized guide provides quick, accurate and easy identification of over 200 European fungi species. Identifying colours and symbols, it classifies the species according to shape. It contains 320 colour photos that show each species with its characteristic features in its natural habitat. It also features 320 graphics that highlight the typical identifying features of each species, and a calendar wheel, which helps identify the time of year when each species can be found.
Collins Complete Guide to British Muchrooms and Toadstools allows everyone to identify mushrooms found in Britain and Ireland. The book is illustrated with beautiful photographs throughout, featuring the species you are most likely to see. By only covering Britain and Ireland, fewer species are included than in many broader European guides, making it quicker and easier for the reader to accurately identify what they have found.
There are not many people who have been collecting, cooking and devising recipes for mushrooms for over 60 years, but Antonio Carluccio is one. Known as the ‘mushroom man’, Carluccio’s Neal Street Restaurant in London’s Covent Garden is a mecca for mushroom and truffle lovers from all over the world. Carluccio’s expertise is unrivalled and this book, with over 100 recipes that make the most of readily available mushrooms in dishes ranging from classic to contemporary via oriental and Eastern European, will not disappoint.
Fully illustrated throughout, this practical guide to identifying edible mushrooms gives you all the details you need to enjoy the adventure of locating and collecting wild mushrooms. The book features all edible species of mushroom, together with those with which they may be confused. Organised by habitat for easy reference, it is beautifully illustrated and includes the best ways to cook and eat the mushrooms you collect.
This one-stop practical guide will show you how to identify, pick and cook edible mushrooms. To make your progress easier, it comes in a handy format with colour photos and expert advice throughout. From identifying and picking edible mushrooms to growing your own mushrooms, from recipes for seasonal dishes to important information on poisonous species, this book provides all the helpful information you need to relish the exhilarating experience of collecting wild mushrooms.
This is the most comprehensive photographic handbook for the dedicated mycologist, general naturalist or mushroom hunter collecting for the cooking pot. It features 1,000 species of higher fungi found in the British Isles and northern Europe, from the most common to the rarest – including some never hitherto published photographically.
‘When all’s said and written, there’s nothing better than field mushrooms that you have gathered yourself, on toast, for breakfast.’ Jane Grigson, The Mushroom Feast The Mushroom Feast is an indispensable classic for all those who love mushrooms. It is a fine, timeless, literary cookbook. Truffles…ceps…morels, they all conjure visions of one of the most intriguing and subtle of all gastronomic treats.
Discover the delicacies that hide in your garden, local woodlands or fields with this fully-illustrated A-Z guide. Learn the identifying features and habits of the most popular edible mushrooms, and try the suggestions for storing and cooking your bounty. Also included is a section on inedible mushrooms, clearly illustrating the poisonous species that you are most likely to come across.
Gathering edible wild food is a wonderful way to forge a connection to the earth. Mushrooms are the ultimate local food source; they grow literally everywhere, from Central Park to your own backyard. The Complete Mushroom Hunter invites readers to connect with a hobby that will enrich their understanding of the natural world and build an appreciation for an ancient, but relevant, body of knowledge.
Mushroom collecting is becoming increasingly popular, and while a comprehensive identification guide is essential, the folklore, facts and fables, recipes and stories that have accumulated since ancient times create part of the charm of these strange organisms. Oddly, these facts have never been compiled in one book.
Field Guide Edible Mushrooms of Britain and Europe
The fields, woods and gardens of Britain and Europe are home to a wide range of edible mushrooms, a number of which are not simply good but truly excellent to eat. This book is a practical, user-friendly guide to collecting edible wild fungi species across Britain and Europe.
This indispensable guide to the Mushrooms of Britain and Europe is part of the new Black’s Nature Guide series. Over 450 species of mushroom are covered, each beautifully illustrated with detailed paintings and clear photographs.
Explores the world of edible mushrooms from the field to kitchen. Focuses on the best edible fungi, providing failsafe identification notes for over 50 choice varieties, and offers over 50 delicious everyday recipes using specific mushrooms and mixed mushrooms. Ideal for the forager and the foodie.
This guide offers information on observing and identifying 150 of the most commonly encountered fungi species in Britain and Europe, all of which can be recognized without the use of a microscope. A concise description details the main features of each species, which is illustrated by a colour painting. The guide explains how fungi grow, what to look for in each family division and how to make a safe identification.
Clear, highly accessible guide – it cuts out all the mushrooms with gills and reduces the field to a group of readily identifiable, edible mushrooms. It includes clear guidelines, encouraging the reader to read the book twice before going out so that they are confident about the principles it explains.
Ray Mears has travelled the world discovering how native people manage to live on just what nature provides. Whats always frustrated him is not knowing how our own ancestors fed themselves and what we could learn about our own diet. We know they were hunter-gatherers, but no-one has been able to tell what they ate day to day. How did they find their calories, week in week out throughout the year? In this book he travels back ten thousand years to a time before farming to learn how our ancestors found, prepared and cooked their food.
Leave a Reply