# The Foragers' Thread



## theclaud (10 Apr 2021)

Partly to stop me and @mudsticks diverting weightier threads with questions about our dinners, but also because it's spring and there's bounty in them thar hedgerows, forests and fields...

I have long been a casual mushroom forager, but since there was not much else to do last autumn, I refreshed my memory, roped in some friends, and expanded my mushroom repertoire in a more determined way. Whilst waiting for the mushroom season to get going in earnest I've decided to take the same approach to plants, and venture beyond the obvious. I've already banged on at enormous length about Wild Garlic, which might be common as muck but is still one of the best and easiest free foods around, but so far the discovery of the new season for me is Hogweed Shoots.* They need to be cooked - they are best steamed or blanched very quickly and them fried in butter, IMO. But then, what isn't? They keep their bright green colour when cooked.

Hogweed and Wild Garlic omelette for breakfast this morning . Tell us about your free food finds, CC peeps!







*Not to be a killjoy, but you need to be 100% confident that you are not picking Giant Hogweed, which is an extremely dangerous plant, and shouldn't even be touched. It's the thing your mum warned you not to make blowpipes from when you were a kid! All of this is less daunting if you do your homework beforehand and treat every walk as an opportunity to learn and observe a little more. I recommend these guys as an excellent source of info for newbie foragers - if you are going to pick something new, chances are they have an informative video on the subject.


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## Julia9054 (10 Apr 2021)

Horseradish is just about impossible to kill. It would grow wild in the verges of the public carpark behind the flat we used to live in 25 years ago. Go out, chop off a chunk. grate in the food processor and clear your sinuses at the same time. We dug up a bit when we moved and offshoots of that same original root has moved house with us three times since. 
We manage to kill off just about everything else we try to grow but the horseradish is still going strong.


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## theclaud (10 Apr 2021)

Julia9054 said:


> Horseradish is just about impossible to kill. It would grow wild in the verges of the public carpark behind the flat we used to live in 25 years ago. Go out, chop off a chunk. grate in the food processor and clear your sinuses at the same time. We dug up a bit when we moved and offshoots of that same original root has moved house with us three times since.
> We manage to kill off just about everything else we try to grow but the horseradish is still going strong.


Do you bother eating the leaves? Apparently the young ones should be good around now, if you like a bit of a kick in your salad...


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## Julia9054 (10 Apr 2021)

theclaud said:


> Do you bother eating the leaves? Apparently the young ones should be good around now, if you like a bit of a kick in your salad...


Not tried that. Will give it a go.


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## Julia9054 (10 Apr 2021)

This is Al's trusty guide. We've got out of the habit of late but I recall him coming back on his bike once with his rucksack full of the biggest chicken-in-the-woods I have ever seen. It made about 5 portions of stew for the freezer.


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## theclaud (10 Apr 2021)

Julia9054 said:


> This is Al's trusty guide. We've got out of the habit of late but I recall him coming back on his bike once with his rucksack full of the biggest chicken-in-the-woods I have ever seen. It made about 5 portions of stew for the freezer.
> View attachment 583155


I've got the Phillips, too. It's brilliant but with a few caveats. Cross reference it with the Wild Foods UK lads above and err on the side of caution and you can't go too far wrong.


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## Salty seadog (10 Apr 2021)

I used to forrage specific mushrooms but I was young and carefree then. Now I'm getting older and carefree I forrage in farm shops and M&S.


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## oldworld (10 Apr 2021)

At times there are masses of mushrooms about but I'm not sure if they edible or not. 
A friend here also likes the idea of picking some so we consulted 3 different reference books. It was a waste of time, the illustrations for a variety differed greatly between each book. We didn't feel confident to pick and eat any. I think the only way to safely learn is to go out with a experienced mushroom picker.
Every time I see someone with a basket of wild mushrooms I think of all that food I'm passing by.


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## glasgowcyclist (10 Apr 2021)

oldworld said:


> At times there are masses of mushrooms about but I'm not sure if they edible or not.



All mushrooms are edible but some can only be eaten once. 🍄


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## oldworld (10 Apr 2021)

glasgowcyclist said:


> All mushrooms are edible but some can only be eaten once. 🍄


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## bitsandbobs (10 Apr 2021)

Back in the day, I had fungal biology classes from the genial mycologist, Harry Hudson. They often veered off into recipes for the various species he touched on. He claimed to have been near to death only twice in his foraging career.

Later on, my housemate, now a Prof of Plant Science at a prestigious university, foraged some mushrooms, ate them and then convinced himself he was going to die. He puked soon after eating them and thought he'd had one of those species where you recover only to die a couple of days later of catastrophic organ failure. A most enjoyable couple of days for me whilst he sweated his bollocks off!

happy foraging peeps!!


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## Hover Fly (10 Apr 2021)

Just to add to the claud’s warning about Hogweed, be very careful about _Hemlock leaved Water Dropwort, _which in addition to being highly poisonous, is easily mistaken for edible plants such as parslley (leaves), wild carrots/parsnip (roots) and even celery by some.
https://www.hedgerow-harvest.com/20...entity-confusing-edible-and-poisonous-plants/


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## glasgowcyclist (10 Apr 2021)

Much as I am tempted by foraging for mushrooms, I’d rather do it under the guidance of an expert. The only one I have seen, which I would be comfortable eating, is the cep or penny bun. We came across some huge ones on a walk up at Laggan a couple of years ago. Here’s one with my size 9 boot for scale..




Another one we found was called something like Judge’s Wig, I think, and we later learned that it’s safe to eat too.


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## mudsticks (10 Apr 2021)

Nettle tops, chucked in with any of the seasonal brassica tribe who are currently available, and roasted with oil and salt is very good. 

Wild garlic pesto.. 
No cooking required, just blend it in a food processor with nice oil, and maybe nuts like cashews, then bung in a jar. 

Excellent stirred through pasta, dolloped on pizza or even spread on toast under fried eggs.. 

Hungry now..


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## mudsticks (10 Apr 2021)

theclaud said:


> I've got the Phillips, too. It's brilliant but with a few caveats. Cross reference it with the Wild Foods UK lads above and err on the side of caution and you can't go too far wrong.





oldworld said:


> At times there are masses of mushrooms about but I'm not sure if they edible or not.
> A friend here also likes the idea of picking some so we consulted 3 different reference books. It was a waste of time, the illustrations for a variety differed greatly between each book. We didn't feel confident to pick and eat any. I think the only way to safely learn is to go out with a experienced mushroom picker.
> Every time I see someone with a basket of wild mushrooms I think of all that food I'm passing by.


I'm not dead (!) confident on fungi id either,

Unless it's the obvious ones like field mushrooms, chanterelles, or puffballs, I prefer to eat fewer mushrooms, but have a longer life.

I have a friend who grew up in the Czech Republic, who really knows her stuff.
But am nervous about just id from a book.

There are too many that look 'almost but not quite' like the picture.

Particularly when you factor in the age of the mushroom too..


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## glasgowcyclist (10 Apr 2021)

mudsticks said:


> There are too many that look 'almost but not quite' like the picture.



And too many of their descriptions say,”... not to be confused with the similar, but deadly, _xyz_ mushroom.”


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## mudsticks (10 Apr 2021)

glasgowcyclist said:


> And too many of their descriptions say,”... not to be confused with the similar, but deadly, _xyz_ mushroom.”


Yup, 

I like mushrooms. 

But I like being alive, even more. 

It's not a scenario, where throwing caution to the wind, can be guaranteed to end well


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## glasgowcyclist (10 Apr 2021)

mudsticks said:


> Yup,
> 
> I like mushrooms.
> 
> ...



Indeed.

On the same day I took those photos, we saw a woman with a small basket collecting mushrooms with her young son, who’d have been about 5 or 6. The bit that shocked us was she was using a couple of A4 sheets of paper with descriptions and photos in black and white to identify the mushrooms. They weren’t even good quality images but more like those you’d get if you photocopied a photocopy of a photocopy. 😳


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## annedonnelly (10 Apr 2021)

I have three-cornered leek in my garden. It was rather well behaved for a while, but now thinks it owns the place & is spreading all over. In retaliation I'm eating it. Usually sauted with normal cultivated leeks.


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## LCpl Boiled Egg (10 Apr 2021)

mudsticks said:


> Yup,
> 
> I like mushrooms.
> 
> ...



I was going to try to recount this tale that I saw on a Ray Mears program once, but I've found the clip instead... It's put me off foraging for mushrooms anyway!


View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmmk3RCz6SI


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## uphillstruggler (10 Apr 2021)

I tend to stick to wild garlic, great as a starter in soups etc and as @mudsticks says, pesto for pizza/pasta etc

Nettle soup was good too

I did a fungi Saturday morning course with the parks trust in MK, can’t remember which ones were edible, magic or poisonous so keep well away.

Any images of stuff you forage would be good


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## gbb (10 Apr 2021)

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/anybody-know-about-shrooms.206034/post-4437927
Posted a few years ago, as kids we'd see loads of field mushrooms, wonderfully tasty and fleshy , also puffball which at the time I had no idea were edible.
As above, tried it, not pleasant, not terrible.


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## Tail End Charlie (10 Apr 2021)

I came across one of the mushrooms which look like a white football. There were three of them and I brought one home as I knew it was edible (it can't really be mistaken for anything else). I was eating it for ages and got sick of it to be honest.


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## Randomnerd (10 Apr 2021)

Please steer clear of foraging mushrooms unless you are with someone very knowledgeable.
I look after a few woodlands for estates, and foraging is becoming problematic in some spots. Trampling after free food often disturbs groundnesting birds and other flora and fauna. There’s plenty of hedgerow and verge plants, and open meadow herbs, but even then care must be taken. 
A favourite tonic for me is made from honey and cleavers. An excellent cordial as a cleansing drink.
Wild garlic in small amounts is lovely, and survives foraging. 
This outfit Link are pretty clued up and run excellent courses. Good advice on access too.


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## Fab Foodie (10 Apr 2021)

Salty seadog said:


> I used to forrage specific mushrooms but I was young and carefree then. Now I'm getting older and carefree I forrage in farm shops and M&S.


Pre-foraged sections are definately the way ahead IMO....


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## slowmotion (10 Apr 2021)

When I was young, we used to eat the pink berries on yew trees but were always careful to avoid eating the pips in the middle. I later read that this was not a good idea at all but it never did us any harm. Do any parishioners know what the truth is?
BTW, they were absolutely delicious.

EDIT: It looks like the schoolboys were right.......but sailing a bit close to the wind.

*Toxicity[edit]*
_

 
The structure of Taxine B, the cardiotoxic chemical in the yew plant
The entire yew bush, except the aril (the red flesh of the berry covering the seed), is poisonous. It is toxic due to a group of chemicals called taxine alkaloids. Their cardiotoxicity is well known and act via calcium and sodium channel antagonism, causing an increase in cytoplasmic calcium currents of the myocardial cells. The seeds contain the highest concentrations of these alkaloids.[25][26] If any leaves or seeds of the plant are ingested, urgent medical advice is recommended as well as observation for at least 6 hours after the point of ingestion.[27][28] The most cardiotoxic taxine is Taxine B followed by Taxine A – Taxine B also happens to be the most common alkaloid in the Taxus species.[2_


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## Salty seadog (10 Apr 2021)

Fab Foodie said:


> Pre-foraged sections are definately the way ahead IMO....



Saves on shoe leather. 👍


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## uphillstruggler (10 Apr 2021)

One thing I do remember is that the proven largest living thing on earth is a fungi, it was over 2 square miles


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## Ian H (10 Apr 2021)

I have a well-thumbed copy of Richard Mabey's Food for Free, amongst other plant books. 
When I lived near beech woods I would search for ceps. If I gathered enough I would slice them, and string them on cotton to dry. They and puffballs are difficult to get wrong. You have to gather puffballs before they mature and go hollow with the spores inside. Shaggy caps/lawyers' wigs are also easy to recognise, but they deliquesce quickly once picked, so you need to be near a cooker. Field mushrooms are pretty safe if you pick them in fields, not near woods, but they do have near-doppelgangers which are poisonous. 
Meanwhile, there's wild garlic up in the churchyard that's ready for picking...

Two or three years ago, walking with a friend near Pencelli, we realised that the edge of the field was lined with excellent wild cherries. It took a long time to traverse that field.

Should you be tempted to grow your own wild garlic or horseradish, beware: they are both highly invasive.


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## theclaud (10 Apr 2021)

slowmotion said:


> When I was young, we used to eat the pink berries on yew trees but were always careful to avoid eating the pips in the middle. I later read that this was not a good idea at all but it never did us any harm. Do any parishioners know what the truth is?
> BTW, they were absolutely delicious.
> 
> EDIT: It looks like the schoolboys were right.......but sailing a bit close to the wind.
> ...


I eat them, but one at a time. As far as I can tell there is no way of removing the seed without turning the berry to mush (yes I know it's not technically a berry but who cares?). They have a lovely flavour with a hint of lychee. Marlow from Wild Foods sticks seven or eight in his mouth at a time and counts the pips out. I guess if there's a discrepancy you induce vomiting and/or ring an ambulance. That's a bit too rock n roll for me.


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## DRM (10 Apr 2021)

LCpl Boiled Egg said:


> I was going to try to recount this tale that I saw on a Ray Mears program once, but I've found the clip instead... It's put me off foraging for mushrooms anyway!
> 
> 
> View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmmk3RCz6SI



Lofty Wiseman offers the best advice for fungi foraging in his SAS Survival Handbook, don’t it’s not worth the risk, for example chanterelles are delicious, false chanterelles are poisonous and they look very much like each other.


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## theclaud (10 Apr 2021)

LCpl Boiled Egg said:


> I was going to try to recount this tale that I saw on a Ray Mears program once, but I've found the clip instead... It's put me off foraging for mushrooms anyway!
> 
> 
> View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmmk3RCz6SI



Gordon is lush.

Risk is a weird thing. I don't know many people who are too scared to pick blackberries, and yet many mushrooms are no more difficult to identify safely than a berry, and there are several plants that are as dangerous as the scariest mushrooms, but for some reason they don't inspire the same fear. But a lot depends on how people process information. I mentioned upthread that I have roped some friends into mushroom hunting. I won't OK anything for someone else to eat unless I eat it myself, and it's a little bit scary that some people trust this - all it means, after all, is that both of us might end up dead if I get it wrong. But others are more independent, which is great but no less scary. I've got a friend who has been mildly poisoned three times trying mushrooms I wouldn't. She's a surgeon, and much brainer than I am. The convos go something like this:

Her: Ping! I found this mushroom. It looks like a St George's Mushroom
Me: It does, but it's December, and they appear in April/May. Hence the name.
Her: What is it then?
Me: I don't know. I will investigate further.
Her: Can I eat it?
Me: I wouldn't. 
Her, impatiently: What else can it be?
Me: I don't know. Can I get back to you on that?
Her: [describes mushroom features in detail, emphasising the St Georginess of it all]
Me: Yes but there are lots of mushrooms, and I don't know all of them, and this could be one of the ones I don't know.
Her: Could a St George's Mushroom appear in December?
Me: I can't say that it couldn't. No one knows precisely why they appear when they do. But their timing is reliable.
Her: So it _could _be a SGM?
Me:  Please don't eat it.


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## theclaud (10 Apr 2021)

The yew berry thing has reminded me... Chicken of the Woods often grows on yew. It seems to be the case that this doesn't make the mushroom itself toxic, but if you do pick one from a yew tree, get all the needles and bark off before putting it in your stew.


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## Randomnerd (10 Apr 2021)

I’m really struggling to understand why anyone would eat yew arils, when the chance of death would be imminent from just one mistake. Or promote the activity on a foraging thread. There’s just no need. The “oh, well, just ring 999” defence is incredibly selfish. Yeah, the ambulance will come if I cock up, so I’ll just go ahead. IMO it’s a pretty stupid example to set. Alright saying risk is a funny thing. Some less well educated third party comes along and follows your lead?


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## slowmotion (10 Apr 2021)

I've got a copy of Roger Phillips' mushroom guide. It was recommended to me by @theclaud a few years ago after I went mushroom hunting in Scotland with a friend who knew a bit about it, but I've never dared identify 'shrooms by myself, for the reasons given by @mudsticks. I'm just not rock and roll enough. Mentions of "multiple organ failure" make me nervous.


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## slowmotion (10 Apr 2021)

Randomnerd said:


> I’m really struggling to understand why anyone would eat yew arils, when the chance of death would be imminent from just one mistake. Or promote the activity on a foraging thread. There’s just no need. The “oh, well, just ring 999” defence is incredibly selfish. Yeah, the ambulance will come if I cock up, so I’ll just go ahead. IMO it’s a pretty stupid example to set. Alright saying risk is a funny thing. Some less well educated third party comes along and follows your lead?


I didn't "promote" it, did I? I said it was something that me and my school friends did when I was a child.

Edit: I think that most people who have posted on this thread have indicated that there are risks associated with obtaining food not smothered in plastic packaging.


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## bitsandbobs (11 Apr 2021)

theclaud said:


> I have long been a casual mushroom forager, but since there was not much else to do last autumn, I refreshed my memory, roped in some friends, and expanded my mushroom repertoire in a more determined way. Whilst waiting for the mushroom season to get going in earnest I've decided to take the same approach to plants, and venture beyond the obvious. I've already banged on at enormous length about Wild Garlic, which might be common as muck but is still one of the best and easiest free foods around, but so far the discovery of the new season for me is* Hogweed Shoots.** They need to be cooked - they are best steamed or blanched very quickly and them fried in butter, IMO. But then, what isn't? They keep their bright green colour when cooked.



is this purslane or something different?


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## Reynard (11 Apr 2021)

I always pick nettle tips at this time of year to dry for tea. Nettle makes a really good thirst-quenching tea. And it's a good way of taking revenge on the little blighters! 

Mushrooms. I generally avoid all of them, except the giant puffball. It's pretty well much the only one you can't mistake for anything else.

I do most of my foraging in the late summer and autumn, as I know where I can pick filberts, apples, quince pears and walnuts, all from the hedgerows. Never mind the ubiquitous blackberry. Last year I had three cases of apples, a case of quince pears and about 25 kg of walnuts. Was a crap year for filberts though, as there weren't that many, and the ones I did pick were all empty...


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## theclaud (11 Apr 2021)

bitsandbobs said:


> is this purslane or something different?


Nope - Common Hogweed. Heracleum sphondylium. I didn't know purslane was also called hogweed. These threads are always an education.


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## theclaud (11 Apr 2021)

Randomnerd said:


> I’m really struggling to understand why anyone would eat yew arils, when the chance of death would be imminent from just one mistake. Or promote the activity on a foraging thread. There’s just no need. The “oh, well, just ring 999” defence is incredibly selfish. Yeah, the ambulance will come if I cock up, so I’ll just go ahead. IMO it’s a pretty stupid example to set. Alright saying risk is a funny thing. Some less well educated third party comes along and follows your lead?


It wasn't my intention to 'promote' eating any part of the yew tree, which, if we need to reiterate, is extremely poisonous, including the seed of the aril/'berry'. Apologies if it came across that way. However everyone has the internet, and I could say 'don't even think about it', but someone might follow my link to Marlow's site above (which is excellent) and find that he happily juggles and spits out several seeds at once. I'm sure he doesn't let his toddler do the same though.


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## theclaud (11 Apr 2021)

theclaud said:


> The yew berry thing has reminded me... Chicken of the Woods often grows on yew. It seems to be the case that this doesn't make the mushroom itself toxic, but if you do pick one from a yew tree, get all the needles and bark off before putting it in your stew.


Seeing as we are adding an extra level of precaution, obviously the safest course of action altogether is not to collect this mushroom if you find it on yew. Which you probably will. There was a large specimen which used to grow on an ancient yew in Mumbles. It's been cut down and a Marks n Sparks built on the site, where you can now pay about four quid for a small handful of cultivated shiitake mushrooms in a plastic tray...


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## theclaud (11 Apr 2021)

DRM said:


> Lofty Wiseman offers the best advice for fungi foraging in his SAS Survival Handbook, don’t it’s not worth the risk, for example chanterelles are delicious, false chanterelles are poisonous and they look very much like each other.


Don't Eat Wild Food is a bit of an odd take for a prepper handbook, isn't it?


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## DRM (11 Apr 2021)

theclaud said:


> Don't Eat Wild Food is a bit of an odd take for a prepper handbook, isn't it?


Not really when you consider that in that kind of end of the world scenario, there will be no hospitals or doctors, it's very sensible advice, even in a staying alive in an emergency situation whilst awaiting rescue, the idea is to stay alive, not risk illness or even death.
He doesn't say don't eat wild food, just don't take stupid risks.


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## VelvetUnderpants (11 Apr 2021)

I have Wild Garlic growing under my hedge near my front door. I planted some three years ago and to says its prolific is an understatement. Every spring I use my hand fork to remove the seedlings who wish to colonise my flower border.

I still have some more to remove.


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## mudsticks (11 Apr 2021)

Fab Foodie said:


> Pre-foraged sections are definately the way ahead IMO....



I approve this message.

As I make most of my living from pre foraging for folks

(OK I slightly cheat by growing it all too)

A lot of the foragable stuff is 'technically' edible.

But eating very much of it makes you realise why they invented 'proper vegetables.
However there are definitely some worthwhile delicacies out there. 

And it's a reasonable proposition to suggest that even small amounts of wild food contain higher quantities of nutrients per gramme. 

Compared with the flaccid, chemically grown offerings that often pass for veg life in so many supermarkets. 



uphillstruggler said:


> One thing I do remember is that the proven largest living thing on earth is a fungi, it was over 2 square miles



And is vital in the soil to break down organic matter and make food available for green plants to make more food for us..Even if you only eat meat and dairy. 
Cows forage grass and turn it into food for us. 

Huzzah for fungi 🙏🏼

Mycellium are marvellous..



slowmotion said:


> I didn't "promote" it, did I? I said it was something that me and my school friends did when I was a child.
> 
> Edit: I think that most people who have posted on this thread have indicated that there are risks associated with obtaining food not smothered in plastic packaging.



There's plenty of the plastic smothered stuff, that probably shouldn't come under the heading 'food' either.

But I'll grant, some is yumy too.. 



theclaud said:


> Nope - Common Hogweed. Heracleum sphondylium. I didn't know purslane was also called hogweed. These threads are always an education.


I don't think it is called purslane, or not commonly. 
There's a few sorts of forageable 'purslane' none of which are umbellifers. 



The winter one is also called claytonia, or miners lettuce, its something I do grow, for winter salad bags. I'll get a pic later, it's sp'osed to lower cholestoral or summat too. 



theclaud said:


> Seeing as we are adding an extra level of precaution, obviously the safest course of action altogether is not to collect this mushroom if you find it on yew. Which you probably will. There was a large specimen which used to grow on an ancient yew in Mumbles. It's been cut down and a Marks n Sparks built on the site, where you can now pay about four quid for a small handful of cultivated shiitake mushrooms in a plastic tray...


Criminals.. 

I hope you were sat up it, until the last possible moment..


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## VelvetUnderpants (11 Apr 2021)

The only mushrooms I foraged for were those with very poor culinary qualities


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## mudsticks (11 Apr 2021)

VelvetUnderpants said:


> The only mushrooms I foraged for were those with very poor culinary qualities



Them were the days huh?

Not sure my poor brainium would cope with all that anymore.






Winter purslane, miners lettuce or claytonia. In amongst going to seed pak choi.. 
Everything wants to have babies.. 

Self seeds itself in spring, goes dormant for the summer then pops up for crunchy winter saladings in early winter.

Technically a weed, but a very useful one.


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## VelvetUnderpants (11 Apr 2021)

mudsticks said:


> Them were the days huh?
> 
> Not sure my poor brainium would cope with all that anymore.




I have to agree.

The most adventurous I get nowadays is relaxing with slippers, a cup of Kava and my headphones with Miles Davis


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## Mr Celine (11 Apr 2021)

I found some velvet shanks growing from the horse chestnut tree at Celine Towers. 






Unfortunately my ladder wasn't long enough, so I enlisted the help of my LTS (local tree surgeon)...






The mushrooms were a bit far gone by then and covered in sawdust. 

The yew tree behind was the cause of a panicked phone call to A+E when Celinette #1 tried eating the berries - she didn't find them tasty as she spat them out again. The hospital confirmed the advice given above, ie the flesh of the berries is harmless but everything else yew is poisonous. 

I have a copy of the Roger Philips mushroom guide, purchased after Celinette #1 sampled some of the garden fungi. (not edible but not poisonous either). 
The only easily identifiable and edible fungi which appear in the garden are giant puffballs. I have tried eating them, but even fried in butter they aren't particularly tasty and even one slice is rather a lot!

Anyway, I discovered a rather more satisfying method of disposing of them. 


View: https://vimeo.com/228883680


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## theclaud (11 Apr 2021)

There's a brilliant Facebook group for emergency ID if you are concerned that you or someone you know (or a pet) has consumed a plant or mushroom that might be poisonous. It's a quick response experts' network. Do not attempt to pester them for casual non-emergency ID though, unless you want your arse handed to you on a plate by the mods. They take no prisoners.


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## theclaud (11 Apr 2021)

mudsticks said:


> I hope you were sat up it, until the last possible moment..


I can't say I did, TBH. I think there was a TPO on it, but usual developer calculation that it's easier and cheaper to seek forgiveness than permission. It all happened rather quickly.


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## robjh (11 Apr 2021)

theclaud said:


> Partly to stop me and @mudsticks diverting weightier threads with questions about our dinners, but also because it's spring and there's bounty in them thar hedgerows, forests and fields...
> 
> I have long been a casual mushroom forager, but since there was not much else to do last autumn, I refreshed my memory, roped in some friends, and expanded my mushroom repertoire in a more determined way. Whilst waiting for the mushroom season to get going in earnest I've decided to take the same approach to plants, and venture beyond the obvious. I've already banged on at enormous length about Wild Garlic, which might be common as muck but is still one of the best and easiest free foods around, but so far the discovery of the new season for me is Hogweed Shoots.* They need to be cooked - they are best steamed or blanched very quickly and them fried in butter, IMO. But then, what isn't? They keep their bright green colour when cooked.
> 
> ...


I've only read @theclaud's opening post so far, but this is going to be my kind of thread.
Although so far this year my foraging has gone no further than young dandelion leaves, but they have made some excellent spring salads.


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## theclaud (11 Apr 2021)

DRM said:


> Not really when you consider that in that kind of end of the world scenario, there will be no hospitals or doctors, it's very sensible advice, even in a staying alive in an emergency situation whilst awaiting rescue, the idea is to stay alive, not risk illness or even death.
> He doesn't say don't eat wild food, just don't take stupid risks.


Fair enough, but you don't need to take stupid risks to enjoy chanterelles. False chanterelles are not deadly poisonous, and although they are superfically similar you just need to be reasonably careful about ID and using your SAS Survival Penknife - you can distinguish between the two by cutting them in half.


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## slowmotion (11 Apr 2021)

I don't, but does anybody here eat seaweed that they have found.


----------



## uphillstruggler (11 Apr 2021)

VelvetUnderpants said:


> The only mushrooms I foraged for were those with very poor culinary qualities



Apparently, another fact from the MK parks trust talk is foraging those is actually illegal, the only way to legally consume them is to graze them, good luck with that 😂


----------



## Poacher (11 Apr 2021)

My fungi reference tome. Bargain at 99p from a local charity shop. Ideal if you're fluent in French and technically minded.
Unfortunately I'm neither, so I'll just stick to the ones I'm familiar with. Many years ago I gathered some fairy ring mushrooms for drying.
Local busybodies spotted me and alerted the council, who applied dog knows what to kill the colony. Idiots!


----------



## theclaud (11 Apr 2021)

Wild garlic pizza!


----------



## VelvetUnderpants (11 Apr 2021)

theclaud said:


> Wild garlic pizza!




Oooh that looks good. I might have a go at that.


----------



## Ian H (11 Apr 2021)

You can find food in the oddest places. I think this is some kind of sprouting brassica, though probably with a dog-pee marinade.


----------



## DRM (11 Apr 2021)

theclaud said:


> Fair enough, but you don't need to take stupid risks to enjoy chanterelles. False chanterelles are not deadly poisonous, and although they are superfically similar you just need to be reasonably careful about ID and using your SAS Survival Penknife - you can distinguish between the two by cutting them in half.


This is true, false Chanterelles aren’t deadly, but why make yourself ill, when your not foraging for fun with a guide book, but your stuck in an actual stay alive situation while awaiting rescue, your main concerns are PWLF, protection, water, location and food, along with the will to keep going.


----------



## theclaud (12 Apr 2021)

Not sure if it counts as foraging if all you do is step outside the door, but this is Hairy Bittercress. It's very common and you are probably not far away from it right now. It's got a nice flavour - you can just bung it in a sandwich in place of cress or rocket.


----------



## theclaud (12 Apr 2021)

DRM said:


> This is true, false Chanterelles aren’t deadly, but why make yourself ill, when your not foraging for fun with a guide book, but your stuck in an actual stay alive situation while awaiting rescue, your main concerns are PWLF, protection, water, location and food, along with the will to keep going.


LOL it's a foraging thread. Preparing for civil war or full isolation is probably a good idea under the current government, but I don't think a spring of Hairy Bittercress in your sarnies is going to cut it one way or the other TBH.


----------



## theclaud (12 Apr 2021)

At the risk of sounding a bit Alan Partridge...

_Jackpot!





_


----------



## glasgowcyclist (12 Apr 2021)

theclaud said:


> At the risk of sounding a bit Alan Partridge...
> 
> _Jackpot!
> 
> ...


What are those?


----------



## theclaud (12 Apr 2021)

glasgowcyclist said:


> What are those?


St George's Mushroom. Eleven days early!


----------



## Tail End Charlie (13 Apr 2021)

It's sort of foraging. Picked it up some time last year.


----------



## glasgowcyclist (13 Apr 2021)

Tail End Charlie said:


> View attachment 583814
> 
> 
> It's sort of foraging. Picked it up some time last year.


Have you eaten it yet?


----------



## Tail End Charlie (13 Apr 2021)

glasgowcyclist said:


> Have you eaten it yet?


Probably, I'm not sure as I put it in my freezer where there were already several pheasants. there's one left now (just checked) so it could be that one or maybe not! None of the others were roadkill though.


----------



## slowmotion (13 Apr 2021)

Tail End Charlie said:


> View attachment 583814
> 
> 
> It's sort of foraging. Picked it up some time last year.


How about badger?
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/sep/25/eating-badger-a-sett-menu


----------



## Tail End Charlie (13 Apr 2021)

slowmotion said:


> How about badger?
> https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/sep/25/eating-badger-a-sett-menu



I'm on it! Seen last week, but probably a bit smelly now. Will need to take panniers.


----------



## HMS_Dave (13 Apr 2021)

Tail End Charlie said:


> I'm on it! Seen last week, but probably a bit smelly now. Will need to take panniers.
> 
> View attachment 583849



At least you won't need to season it too much, will have plenty of tang to it...


----------



## theclaud (14 Apr 2021)

_A badger will make a meal for two, says Boyt, though his wife Sue is a vegetarian.


_


----------



## slowmotion (16 Apr 2021)

theclaud said:


> _A badger will make a meal for two, says Boyt, though his wife Sue is a vegetarian.
> 
> _


The next sentence is good too......

_So he often shares the animal with his son and daughter-in-law, who comes from Papua and is used to eating "maggots and grubs."_


----------



## theclaud (16 Apr 2021)

I know a guy who works on badger tapeworms. He's delighted when he finds a bloated badger corpse at the roadside. I'd sooner eat andouilettes.

In better eating news, I had a Chicken, St George's Mushroom and Wild Garlic pie for dinner last night.


----------



## Julia9054 (16 Apr 2021)

theclaud said:


> I know a guy who works on badger tapeworms. He's delighted when he finds a bloated badger corpse at the roadside.


A large part of my degree was parasitology. One particularly unpleasant lab afternoon was spent sifting through dog poo to locate Toxocara canis eggs. (Sorry if anyone was eating)
I do rather like a spectacular tapeworm though.


----------



## theclaud (16 Apr 2021)

Julia9054 said:


> A large part of my degree was parasitology. One particularly unpleasant lab afternoon was spent sifting through dog poo to locate Toxocara canis eggs. (Sorry if anyone was eating)
> I do rather like a spectacular tapeworm though.


Nice. The one he was after was called Mesocestoides.


----------



## Randomnerd (16 Apr 2021)

At this time of year I collect bramble leaves, just as they’re emerging in bright green bud form. Makes a lovely fruity tea. Also dry some in a low oven, and ca be kept all summer. Very refreshing.

oh, and cow parsley or wild chervil is lovely, if you are careful and know which is which. Otherwise you have picked hemlock and are in trouble.


----------



## theclaud (16 Apr 2021)

Randomnerd said:


> I collect bramble leaves, just as they’re emerging in bright green bud form. Makes a lovely fruity tea. Also dry some in a low oven, and ca be kept all summer.


I've not tried that. Will give it a go. I have a silver fir tree and tea made from the new spring needles of that is nice.


----------



## theclaud (16 Apr 2021)

Randomnerd said:


> cow parsley or wild chervil is lovely, if you are careful and know which is which. Otherwise you have picked hemlock and are in trouble


There's lots of cow parsley round here, and I don't recall seeing much hemlock, but I've avoided picking CP anyway and am keen to steer my newbie foraging companions away from all those feathery umbellifers and onto safer ground, especially as there's tons of hemlock water dropwort around. I might swot up on it properly though and take the cow parsley plunge.


----------



## theclaud (16 Apr 2021)

Hedge Garlic. Sometimes called Garlic Mustard. I love this stuff - it's very common, easy to ID, and is nice in salads and sarnies. Doesn't keep very well so pick a small amount and eat the same day if possible.


----------



## Tail End Charlie (2 Sep 2021)

Does anyone know if this is edible, growing at the base of a beech tree?


----------



## slowmotion (2 Sep 2021)

Tail End Charlie said:


> Does anyone know if this is edible, growing at the base of a beech tree?
> 
> View attachment 607286
> 
> ...


I think it might be _Meripilus giganteus _but I am in no way certain.


----------



## theclaud (2 Sep 2021)

slowmotion said:


> I think it might be _Meripilus giganteus _but I am in no way certain.


Yup looks good for it. Edible, apparently, but not necessarily worth the bother.


----------



## slowmotion (2 Sep 2021)

theclaud said:


> Yup looks good for it. Edible, apparently, but not necessarily worth the bother.


They taste bitter according to my 'shroom bible.


----------



## theclaud (2 Sep 2021)

slowmotion said:


> They taste bitter according to my 'shroom bible.


Another one for the post-apocalypse, then.


----------



## slowmotion (2 Sep 2021)

theclaud said:


> Another one for the post-apocalypse, then.


You could always dry some and stash them in your prepper's crash bag.


----------



## Tail End Charlie (2 Sep 2021)

slowmotion said:


> I think it might be _Meripilus giganteus _but I am in no way certain.


Thanks for that. Like most big fungi, probably not worth the bother of eating though. I'm more interested in the tree, it's in the local village hall car park and if it's to come down, I want the wood!


----------



## slowmotion (3 Sep 2021)

I've read that Meripilus attacks the roots of beeches and eventually the tree becomes unstable. BTW, some people eat the fungus deep fried in batter.  Even they admit that it's pretty chewy and uninteresting but I admire their dedication.


----------



## Tail End Charlie (3 Sep 2021)

slowmotion said:


> I've read that Meripilus attacks the roots of beeches and eventually the tree becomes unstable. BTW, some people eat the fungus deep fried in batter.  Even they admit that it's pretty chewy and uninteresting but I admire their dedication.


Yes, I read that aswell. Looking at the tree (which is huge),there are signs that it is suffering - lack of vigour, the crown looks a bit sparse - so I think its days may be numbered. I'll get my tree expert friend to take a look for a final answer.


----------



## Tail End Charlie (3 Sep 2021)

I'm off to pick some damsons today from a derelict cottage. There are ten trees groaning with fruit, I've been making space in my freezer and getting containers ready. I think we can all agree damsons are delish.


----------



## Reynard (3 Sep 2021)

Tail End Charlie said:


> I'm off to pick some damsons today from a derelict cottage. There are ten trees groaning with fruit, I've been making space in my freezer and getting containers ready. I think we can all agree damsons are delish.



Oooh, damson jam! 

I snaffled a pannier full of apples from a tree in a nearby hedgerow. They're some kind of russet variety (not Egremont, I have those in my garden) and a bit on the sharp side, but they'll make a good crumble.


----------



## theclaud (5 Sep 2021)

Parasols!


----------



## slowmotion (5 Sep 2021)

@theclaud, where did you gain your knowledge of mushrooms? Was it from books or did you have a guru who taught you? I've went foraging in Scotland with a friend who knew their way around. Next day he invited an acquaintance to supper. I was briefed not to mention our mushroom hunting. The acquaintance's brother had been fatally poisoned a few years earlier. I've been a bit reluctant to go solo ever since.


----------



## theclaud (5 Sep 2021)

slowmotion said:


> @theclaud, where did you gain your knowledge of mushrooms? Was it from books or did you have a guru who taught you? I've went foraging in Scotland with a friend who knew their way around. Next day he invited an acquaintance to supper. I was briefed not to mention our mushroom hunting. The acquaintance's brother had been fatally poisoned a few years earlier. I've been a bit reluctant to go solo ever since.


A bit of everything. You need to practice IDing stuff, and it helps to cross reference and to talk to people who know more than you do. Parasols are relatively easy to ID, good to eat, and sometimes in huge numbers, so they would be a good place to start around now. Mushrooms are no more difficult to ID than plants, and there are some very common deadly poisonous plants, so if you can pick blackberries, sloes or wild garlic, you can pick mushrooms with the same sort of know-how and precautions. Even deadly poisonous mushrooms can't hurt you unless you eat them, so start looking closely at every mushroom you find. Dig one up, look at it from all sides, cut it, give it a sniff!


----------



## nickyboy (5 Sep 2021)

I love the idea of foraging wild mushrooms (hell, I get enough just sprouting up through the lawn in the Autumn). I bet they taste way better than the ones I buy from Tesco

However I know nothing about ID. I could google it but it sounds like a fair bit of upside in terms of delicious mushrooms, countered by an horrific bit of downside in terms of dying from poisoning. Apart from some weird ones, they all look so...well.....similar

Wild garlic though....yum yum


----------



## theclaud (5 Sep 2021)

Whilst there are a handful of mushrooms species that are very dangerous, and quite a few that might make you ill, a single species is responsible for almost all the fatalities (in the UK at least). Learn to recognise Death Caps, whether you do it in the field or in a book, and you've eliminated the biggest risk at a stroke (spotted on a recent bike ride):






After that, just try and ID each mushroom you find, without eating it unless confirmed by an expert, until you are confident about recognising a few good edibles and understanding enough to make judgements about what group of mushrooms something belongs to and what you might expect to find where. Once you've got the gist with Parasols, you can spot them from upwards of 50m.


----------



## slowmotion (5 Sep 2021)

theclaud said:


> Whilst there are a handful of mushrooms species that are very dangerous, and quite a few that might make you ill, a single species is responsible for almost all the fatalities (in the UK at least). Learn to recognise Death Caps, whether you do it in the field or in a book, and you've eliminated the biggest risk at a stroke (spotted on a recent bike ride):
> 
> View attachment 607818
> 
> ...


There are quite a few clips on YouTube about _Amanita Phalloides _(Deathcap). It's almost certainly worth watching each and every one of them. Here's one of them...

[media]
]View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uey7ohDORvI[/media]

( Filming that clip in a graveyard shows a certain gallows humour. )


----------



## theclaud (5 Sep 2021)

slowmotion said:


> There are quite a few clips on YouTube about _Amanita Phalloides _(Deathcap). It's almost certainly worth watching each and every one of them. Here's one of them...
> 
> [media]
> ]View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uey7ohDORvI[/media]
> ...



Marlow's videos are superb, in my view. A beginner mushroom collector could do a lot worse than consult one of them to check on every new find. I've been collecting mushrooms for years but have added a couple of new ones to my repertoire thanks to his stuff. Poplar Field Caps FTW.


----------



## oldwheels (6 Sep 2021)

I have been on a few guided mushroom foraging walks but am still a bit wary. Ones by the roadside used to be contaminated by lead from petrol but I suppose may be better now.
I always remember that all mushrooms are edible. Some are edible only once.
So far as brambles are concerned I never pick any lower than a large dog could lift it's leg over.


----------



## Oldhippy (6 Sep 2021)

I am going on a foraging course soon.


----------



## oldwheels (6 Sep 2021)

Took this pic beside the Moss Road near Oban on my last foray off island.


----------



## theclaud (6 Sep 2021)

Chicken of the Woods!


----------



## Chief Broom (6 Sep 2021)

Can anyone ID this one please, found on the Black Isle, Highlands


----------



## roubaixtuesday (6 Sep 2021)

theclaud said:


> Chicken of the Woods!
> 
> View attachment 607967



From last year, largest tuesdaylet came home with this.

Quite delicious.






IIRC the only tasty bracket fungus


----------



## theclaud (6 Sep 2021)

Chief Broom said:


> Can anyone ID this one please, found on the Black Isle, Highlands
> View attachment 607980


Scale? Usual disclaimers, but if it's a chunky item and it's in the woods I'd say Shaggy Parasol, given the look of the ring on the stem. Stains red when cut, especially at the base of the stem? It's one to be a bit cautious of for a couple of reasons.


----------



## Chief Broom (7 Sep 2021)

Thanks theclaud, theyre quite large 6" or so across and seem to grow well in the dark shade of conifer plantations.I havent cut one to see if it stains- will do next time i see them. Im very cautious about eating mushrooms, the only one i know for certain is the shaggy ink cap which makes a very nice soup.


----------



## theclaud (7 Sep 2021)

Chief Broom said:


> Thanks theclaud, theyre quite large 6" or so across and seem to grow well in the dark shade of conifer plantations.I havent cut one to see if it stains- will do next time i see them. Im very cautious about eating mushrooms, the only one i know for certain is the shaggy ink cap which makes a very nice soup.
> View attachment 608016



Nice pics. I still think it's a Shaggy P. The light in your photo makes it look quite a clean white but I am guessing the shaggy bits on the cap look more brown in reality - similar to my ordinary parasol above? The ring on the stem of both is sort of double and it can be detached from the stem and moved freely up and down it - this is a useful shorthand way of distinguishing the parasols from other superficially similar things. I have eaten it, and it is good, but it's known for upsetting a small but significant proportion of people. As ever, don't rely on a random online mushrooming cyclist's opinion of your pics, and cross-reference with a better source like this:

https://www.wildfooduk.com/mushroom-guide/shaggy-parasol/


----------



## Svendo (7 Sep 2021)

I found and then ate a couple of Bay Boletes last week. Usually regarded as a poorer version of ceps although Antonio Carluccio thought they were better.
.


Are fried with butter and garlic.


----------



## Ian H (7 Sep 2021)

Reynard said:


> I always pick nettle tips at this time of year to dry for tea. Nettle makes a really good thirst-quenching tea. And it's a good way of taking revenge on the little blighters!


Pre-foraged _(the Bottle is a good pub, but I haven't been there when this is on)._
https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/world-nettle-eating-championships


----------



## Reynard (7 Sep 2021)

Ian H said:


> Pre-foraged _(the Bottle is a good pub, but I haven't been there when this is on)._
> https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/world-nettle-eating-championships





I think I'll pass...


----------



## FishFright (7 Sep 2021)

Tail End Charlie said:


> I'm off to pick some damsons today from a derelict cottage. There are ten trees groaning with fruit, I've been making space in my freezer and getting containers ready. I think we can all agree damsons are delish.



Way back when my father and I used to the exact same thing , sadly the cottage and garden were lost to a new road.


----------



## glasgowcyclist (8 Sep 2021)

We had a week away last week, up in Lochaber, and ventured over to the Cairngorms for a walk up to the lochan at Creag Meagaidh. Loads of interesting stuff along the route, including these buggers. Everything about them screams keep away. I know some people have been known to eat them but it's a firm no from me.


----------



## Hover Fly (20 Sep 2021)

Fly agarics. /\


----------



## Hover Fly (20 Sep 2021)

We found a fair number of chanterelles this morning.


----------



## theclaud (12 Oct 2021)

I was mainly collecting exhibits on Saturday for a Fungi Event on Sunday, but in the face of such abundance I couldn't stop myself collecting something for dinner too.


----------



## theclaud (12 Oct 2021)

Found a few of these lately - they are popping up in a line over about half a mile where the council have been installing lighting posts along the prom. A confusing find for newbie foragers. Until this year I'd only seen it once before. Leucoagaricus leucothites - the White Dapperling. Looks like an Agaricus species from above, but has pure white gills. The stem ring is a bit like that of the Parasols. Allegedly edible, but probably best avoided in case of possible confusion with the Destroying Angel!


----------



## HMS_Dave (12 Oct 2021)

theclaud said:


> Found a few of these lately - they are popping up in a line over about half a mile where the council have been installing lighting posts along the prom. A confusing find for newbie foragers. Until this year I'd only seen it once before. Leucoagaricus leucothites - the White Dapperling. Looks like an Agaricus species from above, but has pure white gills. The stem ring is a bit like that of the Parasols. Allegedly edible, but probably best avoided in case of possible confusion with the Destroying Angel!
> 
> View attachment 613373
> 
> ...


I vaguely remember watching a Ray Mears TV show, Wild Britain or was it Wild Food? Anyway, is the Destroying Angel one that makes you feel ok after illness but then kills you swiftly after from liver failure?


----------



## theclaud (12 Oct 2021)

HMS_Dave said:


> I vaguely remember watching a Ray Mears TV show, Wild Britain or was it Wild Food? Anyway, is the Destroying Angel one that makes you feel ok after illness but then kills you swiftly after from liver failure?


Yep it's pretty much the same as the Death Cap from a toxicology POV. Apparently there's a dude in Florida who's had success with a treatment involving an intravenous drug derived from milk thistle combined with an aggressive hydration regime. And he'll ship the drug anywhere in the world very quickly. The snag is you've only got so long to confirm that amatoxin poisoning is the culprit...


----------



## HMS_Dave (12 Oct 2021)

theclaud said:


> Yep it's pretty much the same as the Death Cap from a toxicology POV. Apparently there's a dude in Florida who's had success with a treatment involving an intravenous drug derived from milk thistle combined with an aggressive hydration regime. And he'll ship the drug anywhere in the world very quickly. The snag is you've only got so long to confirm that amatoxin poisoning is the culprit...


Thanks, I think i'll leave mushrooms to the experts...


----------



## slowmotion (12 Oct 2021)

theclaud said:


> View attachment 613365
> 
> 
> View attachment 613364
> ...


That soup looks fantastic! I'm sure it tasted just as good.


----------



## theclaud (12 Oct 2021)

slowmotion said:


> That soup looks fantastic! I'm sure it tasted just as good.


It was very mushroomy!


----------



## slowmotion (12 Oct 2021)

theclaud said:


> It was very mushroomy!


Blimey!


----------



## theclaud (12 Oct 2021)

HMS_Dave said:


> Thanks, I think i'll leave mushrooms to the experts...


There's lots of things you can eat that _don't_ have deadly lookalikes.

This, for example.


----------



## slowmotion (12 Oct 2021)

For the moment, my mushroom efforts are geared towards a soup with the ingredients foraged at Tescos, Shepherds Bush Road and some homemade chicken stock in the freezer.


----------



## HMS_Dave (13 Oct 2021)

theclaud said:


> There's lots of things you can eat that _don't_ have deadly lookalikes.
> 
> This, for example.


Thanks for the link to that website, some excellent information.


----------



## Chief Broom (13 Oct 2021)

I would like to try more seaweeds, there arent any that you cant eat other than near a polluted water source. I did try some of the commonest seaweed growing around the highlands [a wrack?] i cut some of the freshest new shoots and quickly boiled them in a minimum of water. They were insipid tasting though i suppose in a survivalist/starving situation they would do.


----------



## Blue Hills (13 Oct 2021)

HMS_Dave said:


> Thanks, I think i'll leave mushrooms to the experts...


been hovering on the edge of foraging mushrooms for years and of course as cyclists we are well placed to spot stuff, but keep backing off. 

Saw some spectacular looking things the other day.

And right at the end of august in a lightly wooded northern area these:







but thought "best not"
no idea what they are.

On and off am slowly reading this at the moment.


View: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Foragers-Calendar-Seasonal-Natures-Harvests/dp/1781256225/ref=sr_1_1?crid=207RL1JWWBAYM&dchild=1&keywords=the+foragers+calendar+john+wright&qid=1634112571&sprefix=the+foragers%2Caps%2C248&sr=8-1


----------



## bitsandbobs (13 Oct 2021)

slowmotion said:


> For the moment, my mushroom efforts are geared towards a soup with the ingredients foraged at Tescos, Shepherds Bush Road and some homemade chicken stock in the freezer.



Knorr chicken stockpot, obvs. Mushrooms optional, but it's your choice.


----------



## mudsticks (16 Oct 2021)

These whitebaity type things , that had thrown themselves upon our local beach. 

Foraged by a vegan friend, who couldn't bear to see them go to waste. 

Suspect they are baby mackerel, shall be tossed in flour and fried up whole..







Plus not quite foraged , cos they're the leaves of a cultivated plant, but trialling green pepper leaves, in a stir fry, before the frosts get to them..

Apparently they are an everyday ingredient in South East Asian cookery. 

Didn't know that...


----------



## Reynard (16 Oct 2021)

mudsticks said:


> These whitebaity type things , that had thrown themselves upon our local beach.
> 
> Foraged by a vegan friend, who couldn't bear to see them go to waste.
> 
> ...



Ooooo, whitebait! 

Especially good with a generous squeeze of lemon, and some home made aioli


----------



## mudsticks (16 Oct 2021)

Chief Broom said:


> I would like to try more seaweeds, there arent any that you cant eat other than near a polluted water source. I did try some of the commonest seaweed growing around the highlands [a wrack?] i cut some of the freshest new shoots and quickly boiled them in a minimum of water. They were insipid tasting though i suppose in a survivalist/starving situation they would do.



Yes they're all edible, but some nicer than others. 

I prefer the thinner ones. 

Full of micronutrients, you don't need too much. 

I also take them in dried form for adding to dehydrated bikepacking / backpacking meals. 

I miss the abundant greenery to eat when off of the farm, and in the hills. 

If I find a patch of nettles they get snaffled up for same purpose 😊🌱


----------



## Reynard (16 Oct 2021)

mudsticks said:


> If I find a patch of nettles they get snaffled up for same purpose 😊🌱



It's the perfect revenge - eat the b*ggers 

I also dry the early leaf tips for tea.


----------



## mudsticks (16 Oct 2021)

Reynard said:


> Ooooo, whitebait!
> 
> Especially good with a generous squeeze of lemon, and some home made aioli



Yes and the last of the padron peppers, and Italian tomatoes fried up too. 

On sourdough, that comes via the lady from the village** who bakes for us..


** I know its _unfeasibly_
"Overheard in Waitrose" darling


----------



## Reynard (16 Oct 2021)

mudsticks said:


> Yes and the last of the padron peppers, and Italian tomatoes fried up too.
> 
> On sourdough, that comes via the lady from the village** who bakes for us..
> 
> ...



*SNORK*

Bon appetit, btw


----------



## mudsticks (16 Oct 2021)

Reynard said:


> It's the perfect revenge - eat the b*ggers
> 
> I also dry the early leaf tips for tea.


Full of goodness too.
Very high in iron _and_ calcium.
💪


----------



## theclaud (16 Oct 2021)

Poplar Fieldcaps! 












A really worthwhile shroom - easy to ID (as long as you can also ID Poplar trees), subtle but nutty flavour and a nice firm texture. They are pretty good just fried in butter and eaten on toast, but I have Horse Mushrooms for that tomorrow so mine went into linguine this evening.


----------



## Rusty Nails (16 Oct 2021)

theclaud said:


> Poplar Fieldcaps!
> 
> View attachment 613921
> 
> ...


Is that along the cycle path from Swansea to Mumbles?


----------



## theclaud (16 Oct 2021)

Rusty Nails said:


> Is that along the cycle path from Swansea to Mumbles?


It is. One of the lovely Black Poplars that was damaged in a big storm a couple of years back and cut down for fear of another bit of it falling off. 
















[pics by Prof M Gagen of Swansea Uni]


----------



## theclaud (17 Oct 2021)

The Parasol situation is getting a bit out of control...


----------



## mudsticks (17 Oct 2021)

theclaud said:


> The Parasol situation is getting a bit out of control...
> 
> View attachment 614097
> 
> ...



You think you've got problems with 'abundance'

Four, _now_ mahoosive Spanish chestnuts. Hybrids planted here, about fourteen years ago..

Absolutely _groaning_ with crop.

I'm feeling slightly intimidated at the thought of trying to harvest them all...

Spread out crop netting underneath, then whack the heck out of them with a long pole ??

Might have to call in reserve troops..

Wish me luck, I could be _some_ time.. 










..


----------



## Reynard (17 Oct 2021)

mudsticks said:


> You think you've got problems with 'abundance'
> 
> Four, _now_ mahoosive Spanish chestnuts. Hybrids planted here, about fourteen years ago..
> 
> ...



I have two sweet chestnut trees, but I'm too far north for them to give me anything worth having. I remember foraging for chestnuts during my undergrad days at Brunel, as there were several trees alongside the River Pinn that always cropped well.

Ever tried making candied chestnuts? Marrons Glacees are the food of the gods. Well, of this little cyclist, anyways. I adore them.


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## mudsticks (17 Oct 2021)

Reynard said:


> I have two sweet chestnut trees, but I'm too far north for them to give me anything worth having. I remember foraging for chestnuts during my undergrad days at Brunel, as there were several trees alongside the River Pinn that always cropped well.
> 
> Ever tried making candied chestnuts? Marrons Glacees are the food of the gods. Well, of this little cyclist, anyways. I adore them.



These are huuge..
Like the vacuum packed ones you get.. 

Yes I tried making them once, in my 'knit your own knickers, weave your own yoghurt' days..

Took for ever, as you had to keep reboiling them in the sugar syrup iirc. 

Would probs cost about four million pounds just in gas nowadays..

Had some in a very nice chestnut and mushroom pie for tea though.. 

Will probs harvest most of these and then pass them on for lots of lovely money instead.. 

Craven capitalist, that I am nowadays..

So then I can afford to buy more bottles of gas for baking yummy pies 😊


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## Reynard (17 Oct 2021)

mudsticks said:


> These are huuge..
> Like the vacuum packed ones you get..
> 
> Yes I tried making them once, in my 'knit your own knickers, weave your own yoghurt' days..
> ...



There's also good things to do that combine chestnuts and chocolate... 

I do agree, they are a faff to make, and I tend to buy candied chestnuts these days.  Although I do make my own candied ginger, which is definitely worthwhile. The process is the same (I use Marguerite Patten's method), but then the ginger syrup that's left over is wonderful for making apple crumbles or apple sauce. Apple and ginger is such a lovely combination.


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## mudsticks (17 Oct 2021)

Reynard said:


> There's also good things to do that combine chestnuts and chocolate...
> 
> I do agree, they are a faff to make, and I tend to buy candied chestnuts these days.  Although I do make my own candied ginger, which is definitely worthwhile. The process is the same (I use Marguerite Patten's method), but then the ginger syrup that's left over is wonderful for making apple crumbles or apple sauce. Apple and ginger is such a lovely combination.



My mum used to make multiple discs of hazelnut meringue , and layer them up with cooked chestnut purée, and a kind of dark chocolate squidge to make a fancy dessert . 

I might recreate that, next time it's someone's birthday..

Mmm candied ginger, and syrup..
Very nice .

First _proper_ apple crumble of the season this evening too .

You'll have to excuse me now, whilst I sleep off this 'carb' coma'


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## Reynard (17 Oct 2021)

mudsticks said:


> My mum used to make multiple discs of hazelnut meringue , and layer them up with cooked chestnut purée, and a kind of dark chocolate squidge to make a fancy dessert .
> 
> I might recreate that, next time it's someone's birthday..
> 
> ...



There's always the classic Mont Blanc as well... 

Been making some lovely crumbles with bramleys from my garden and the russet apples I foraged from a nearby hedge. It's funny, how something so simple as an apple crumble and custard can be so damn satisfying.


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## Rusty Nails (17 Oct 2021)

I ride through a park where some sweet chestnuts grow. Every year I see people, mostly Chinese origin, collecting them.

I must admit my experience of these chestnuts is limited to my childhood when they were popular in the shops and we used to have them roasted over the open fire.


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## theclaud (27 Oct 2021)

Rusty Nails said:


> I ride through a park where some sweet chestnuts grow.


Quite o'er-canopied with luscious woodbine?


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## theclaud (27 Oct 2021)

I got shrooms...





... they're multiplyin'.


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## bitsandbobs (27 Oct 2021)

And you're losing control.


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## theclaud (27 Oct 2021)

bitsandbobs said:


> And you're losing control.


I can't really argue with that. The big Horse Mushroom was the result of a hunch that had me snuffling around a pine copse on the edge of the golf course in pitch darkness on my way home from work. I say golf course, but it's actually now Footgolf, which is far superior. All golf courses should be converted without delay.


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## Rusty Nails (27 Oct 2021)

theclaud said:


> Quite o'er-canopied with luscious woodbine?


I didn't know people still smoked those.

My post was quite poetic really. Hidden depths.


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## Rusty Nails (27 Oct 2021)

theclaud said:


> I can't really argue with that. The big Horse Mushroom was the result of a hunch that had me snuffling around a pine copse on the edge of the golf course in pitch darkness on my way home from work. I say golf course, but it's actually now Footgolf, which is far superior. All golf courses should be converted without delay.


Careful. Isn't that just up the road from that notorious Sketty Lane car park?


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## theclaud (27 Oct 2021)

Rusty Nails said:


> Careful. Isn't that just up the road from that notorious Sketty Lane car park?


I don't think I'm the target demographic.


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## Rusty Nails (27 Oct 2021)

theclaud said:


> I don't think I'm the target demographic.


Mistakes can happen snuffling around a pine copse in pitch darkness.


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## theclaud (27 Oct 2021)

Rusty Nails said:


> Mistakes can happen snuffling around a pine copse in pitch darkness.


People say you can find a fungi in the dunes, if that's your bag.


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## mudsticks (27 Oct 2021)

Rusty Nails said:


> Mistakes can happen snuffling around a pine copse in pitch darkness.





theclaud said:


> People say you can find a fungi in the dunes, if that's your bag.



It did sound a bit like an excuse that had been trotted out a few times before.. 

Still, as we always say.

"Gotta make your own fun in.the country" 👍🏼 

Found a nice Savoy, cabbage out in the fields earlier..







Which _was_ a relief, as I seem to remember planting several hundred of them, earlier this year


There were some weird brown topped mushrooms alongside too . 

Didn't look very appetising..

Must find out what they were 🤔


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## theclaud (27 Oct 2021)

mudsticks said:


> It did sound a bit like an excuse that had been trotted out a few times before..
> 
> Still, as we always say.
> 
> ...


Reminds me of the one about the man in the pumpkin field, of which the punchline is "Christ! Is it midnight already!"


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## mudsticks (27 Oct 2021)

theclaud said:


> Reminds me of the one about the man in the pumpkin field, of which the punchline is "Christ! Is it midnight already!"


Oh come on..

You can't leave us without the middle bit..


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## Reynard (28 Oct 2021)

mudsticks said:


> It did sound a bit like an excuse that had been trotted out a few times before..
> 
> Still, as we always say.
> 
> ...



Can you lob one of those Savoys in my direction @mudsticks ?

That'll make a very nice minestrone soup and a dish of gołąbki (spicy pork mince and rice rolled in the cabbage leaves, and then drowned in a creamy tomato sauce)


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## mudsticks (28 Oct 2021)

Reynard said:


> Can you lob one of those Savoys in my direction @mudsticks ?
> 
> That'll make a very nice minestrone soup and a dish of gołąbki (spicy pork mince and rice rolled in the cabbage leaves, and then drowned in a creamy tomato sauce)



Trebuchet loaded..

Launch countdown commencing.

Dix, neuf, huit..etc

(I always _assumed_ trebuchets are Frenchified things )


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## Rusty Nails (28 Oct 2021)

mudsticks said:


> Oh come on..
> 
> You can't leave us without the middle bit..



Just think Cinderella.


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## Reynard (28 Oct 2021)

mudsticks said:


> Trebuchet loaded..
> 
> Launch countdown commencing.
> 
> ...



Umm, you may have missed...

Norman French was pretty well much the lingua franca of the Medieval military.

Anyways, I'm off to the community orchard this afternoon to pick some One Bite apples and some Medlars. And maybe a few Green Harveys if there's any left.


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## theclaud (1 Nov 2021)

Field Blewit!


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## Svendo (1 Nov 2021)

In Todmorden park last week I found some common inkcaps. I got as far as frying them in butter before a niggle at the back of my mind prompted me to check. And I rediscovered they can make you very ill if you’ve drunk alcohol for 2 days or will do, apparently they interfere with the metabolism of alcohol in the liver. Obviously 4 days on the wagon is unlikely so that became a symbolic rather than actual forage.


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## theclaud (1 Nov 2021)

Svendo said:


> In Todmorden park last week I found some common inkcaps. I got as far as frying them in butter before a niggle at the back of my mind prompted me to check. And I rediscovered they can make you very ill if you’ve drunk alcohol for 2 days or will do, apparently they interfere with the metabolism of alcohol in the liver. Obviously 4 days on the wagon is unlikely so that became a symbolic rather than actual forage.


You made the right call. I've never eaten them for the same reason. Shaggy Ink Caps are fine, though, and underrated in my view.


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## theclaud (4 Nov 2021)

Shroomer's breakfast. With _Marasmius oreades_, aka the Fairy Ring Champignon. One of my favourite shrooms.


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## theclaud (16 Nov 2021)

Wood Blewits! At last. Was beginning to think they would never appear...


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## theclaud (20 Nov 2021)

Mushrooms on toast. Blewits and Princes. Blewits are a great mushroom to start with if you're new to collecting wild mushrooms. Easy to ID and pretty common. If you're not eating Blewits right now you are probably walking past an abundance of free food every day...


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## theclaud (20 Nov 2021)

theclaud said:


> you are probably walking past an abundance of free food every day


Literally. Impromptu municipal Blewiting on the way to work just now. Keep an eye on those mulches, peeps!


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## theclaud (21 Nov 2021)

Loadsa Blewits, some Saffron Milk Caps and a couple of Poplar Field Caps. 






And a friend looking very pleased about her first encounter with Trooping Funnels...


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## Reynard (21 Nov 2021)

Mmmmmmm, mushroom stroganoff...


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## theclaud (21 Nov 2021)

Reynard said:


> Mmmmmmm, mushroom stroganoff...


That is exactly the plan for the Blewits. The Troopers will go into a soup.


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## glasgowcyclist (21 Nov 2021)

theclaud said:


> The Troopers will go into a soup.



Souper Troopers!


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## Reynard (21 Nov 2021)

glasgowcyclist said:


> Souper Troopers!



You do realize this is an open invitation to indulge in ABBA puns... 

Mamma Mia! How can I resist you!


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## theclaud (4 Apr 2022)

Not actually foraging at all, but I thought a thread entitled Show Us Your Mushrooms Cultivated by a Friend Up the Road might not have legs.

Lion's Mane!


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## theclaud (25 Jul 2022)

Pale Oysters, growing on an old rowan in the cemetery.


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## Ian H (25 Jul 2022)

theclaud said:


> Not actually foraging at all, but I thought a thread entitled Show Us Your Mushrooms Cultivated by a Friend Up the Road might not have legs.
> 
> Lion's Mane!
> 
> View attachment 638599


Something I didn't even know existed.


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## theclaud (25 Jul 2022)

Ian H said:


> Something I didn't even know existed.



They are very good to eat - they keep their shape when cooked, have a nice meaty texture, and go golden and crispy at the edges. Reputed to have all sorts of health benefits.


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## glasgowcyclist (25 Jul 2022)

Those lion’s manes look and sound fab. I had a quick search online for them but they don’t seem to be sold (other than as a powder or tablet supplement) so I guess they’re not produced in enough quantities for market.

I did find this DIY kit though:

https://www.fatfoxmushrooms.com/product-page/where-to-buy-lions-mane-mushroom


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## Mr Celine (26 Jul 2022)

There is a row of trees in the field behind Celine Towers which are a mixture of birch, rowan and gean (wild cherry). 
Celinette hopped over the wall to pick some cherries.




2.2 kg from one tree. And she's only 5'1" and wasn't using a ladder.


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## theclaud (27 Aug 2022)

Fairy Ring Champignons / Mousserons / Marasmius with brekkie. One of the best shrooms - delicious, easy to ID (with a caveat for beginners), other shroomers ignore them, and you can dry them out completely and they will rehydrate as if new.


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## Reynard (27 Aug 2022)

Foraged some apples from one of my usual spots yesterday, but they're still not quite ready despite coming off the tree fairly easily. Will spread them out on newspaper in a tray and leave them for a bit.

Will revisit the spot in a week or so to check on progress.


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## Poacher (28 Aug 2022)

theclaud said:


> Fairy Ring Champignons / Mousserons / Marasmius with brekkie. One of the best shrooms - delicious, easy to ID (with a caveat for beginners), other shroomers ignore them, and you can dry them out completely and they will rehydrate as if new.
> 
> View attachment 658855



Many years ago I gathered some from the lawn in front of some low-rise flats in North Hykeham. Some ignorant fecker in the flats got the council round to destroy the rest of the colony! Don't know what nasty fungicide they used, but I've never seen any again there.
After drying, they can be ground to use as a mystery ingredient.


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## Reynard (1 Oct 2022)

Good job I like walnuts.

I've about 16 kilos spread out to dry. 

All the trees around here that are on public land or in hedgerows are known about by other people, but I'm willing to wager that I'm possibly the only person that knows about all of them...  It's made for some very wibbly wobbly bike rides*, as they're all on my various cycling routes. 

* I bring them home with the husks on. It's easier to clean nuts sitting at a table and wearing rubber gloves.


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## Reynard (2 Oct 2022)

Another six kilos today, furkling on hands and knees under what is probably my favourite tree. The blustery conditions yesterday and today brought them down from the uppermost branches, all largely free of husks.

My knees aren't thanking me...


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## Stephenite (3 Oct 2022)

I was foraging in the mother-in-laws undergrowth t'other week.

As she is getting on in years and her chap is ready for the knackers yard (both of them are very dear to me) she asked if me and the kids would help with the harvesting of the gardens redcurrant bush and cherry tree. They were absolutely bursting with fruit we saw when we turned up. I døn't know how she does it.

I've begun to suffer some kind of constant dizziness in recent months and managed to fall and break my ankle. Nevertheless, I was tasked with going up the ladder to the higher echelons of the cherry tree whilst the kids (11 and 7) were plucking the redcurrant. There were buckets of cherries. When i called down and asked how things with the young un's the eldest answered back the youngest said it didnt taste so good (!) So, I came down and had a look. It turned out she'd been nibbling on the berries of the Woody Nightshade that was growing through the Redcurrant bush. 

The past couple of weeks we've had plenty of desserts of redcurrant and custard. The cherries have been soaked, and one jar has been eaten with pancakes. In past years, when we've eaten our fill, we've added alcohol to make cherry liqour. We will see though. Breaking out the cherry liquor doesn’t seem to have the same impact it might have done before.


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## Reynard (3 Oct 2022)

Stephenite said:


> I was foraging in the mother-in-laws undergrowth t'other week.
> 
> As she is getting on in years and her chap is ready for the knackers yard (both of them are very dear to me) she asked if me and the kids would help with the harvesting of the gardens redcurrant bush and cherry tree. They were absolutely bursting with fruit we saw when we turned up. I døn't know how she does it.
> 
> ...



Ooops... No harm done, I hope. Beyond an upset stomach, that is... 

Cherry jam is good too - especially if they are morello cherries. The jam's got more flavour than that from dessert cherries.


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## Stephenite (3 Oct 2022)

Reynard said:


> Ooops... No harm done, I hope. Beyond an upset stomach, that is...
> 
> Cherry jam is good too - especially if they are morello cherries. The jam's got more flavour than that from dessert cherries.



Not even an upset stomach. You probably have to eat a good couple of handfuls for that, I reckon.

The girl’s an eager plukker, and normally has a good eye, but the red woody nightshade berries are very similar to redcurrant when they’re mixed up in the same foliage.


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## slowmotion (9 Oct 2022)

A corner of our lawn has been invaded by lots of small shrooms. They have finely-fluted brownish caps. Can any of the fungi fiends on here tell me what they are? They seen to be edible for some creatures because they are being nibbled. Here are some piccies.
Thank-you.


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## FishFright (10 Oct 2022)

slowmotion said:


> A corner of our lawn has been invaded by lots of small shrooms. They have finely-fluted brownish caps. Can any of the fungi fiends on here tell me what they are? They seen to be edible for some creatures because they are being nibbled. Here are some piccies.
> Thank-you.



Magic !


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## slowmotion (10 Oct 2022)

More of them popped up overnight. I think they might be some of the _Coprinellus _family. They are probably feasting on the roots of a cherry tree that died nearby about two years ago.


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## FishFright (10 Oct 2022)

slowmotion said:


> More of them popped up overnight. I think they might be some of the _Coprinellus _family. They are probably feasting on the roots of a cherry tree that died nearby about two years ago.



They are Liberty Caps, aka magic mushrooms.


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## slowmotion (10 Oct 2022)

FishFright said:


> They are Liberty Caps, aka magic mushrooms.



I think I'll leave them. I've got stuff to do this afternoon.


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## Reynard (10 Oct 2022)

That's the walnutting season done and dusted for this year. Picked up another five kilos this week just gone, but it's got to the point that the effort expended is more than the nuts picked. But it's been worth my time though, as they are £8.58 per kilo in Tesco - £3 for a 350g net. I've nine trays, each with three kilos in a tray. 

Had a lovely morning in the community orchard picking quince pears, medlars, apples and pears.


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## Svendo (11 Oct 2022)

slowmotion said:


> A corner of our lawn has been invaded by lots of small shrooms. They have finely-fluted brownish caps. Can any of the fungi fiends on here tell me what they are? They seen to be edible for some creatures because they are being nibbled. Here are some piccies.
> Thank-you.



Despite other replies they are definitely not liberty caps. The striations, proportions and proximity are wrong. My random guess is common ink caps, edible unless you drink alcohol!


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## slowmotion (11 Oct 2022)

Svendo said:


> Despite other replies they are definitely not liberty caps. The striations, proportions and proximity are wrong. My random guess is common ink caps, edible unless you drink alcohol!



I've never really tried to identify a mushroom but I've been fascinated by our lawn visitors. It seems to be quite a complex business. If they are Liberty Caps, I'm already in possession of some Class A drugs and I've broken the law just by breaking one off and photographing it.

Here's rather a good clip about how to identify them. 


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt_vjXiDoxs


The presenter spends the last ten minutes or so showing random mushrooms and patiently explaining why they are or are not Liberty Caps. I imagine you need to go through a similar process with a reasonably large number of other types in order to gain confidence as a forager. An online description of how you die by Death Cap poisoning made a strong impression on me. I don't fancy having a liver that is auto-digesting so I think I'll stick to Tesco and Lidl.


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## Reynard (11 Oct 2022)

slowmotion said:


> The presenter spends the last ten minutes or so showing random mushrooms and patiently explaining why they are or are not Liberty Caps. I imagine you need to go through a similar process with a reasonably large number of other types in order to gain confidence as a forager. An online description of how you die by Death Cap poisoning made a strong impression on me. I don't fancy having a liver that is auto-digesting so I think I'll stick to Tesco and Lidl.



I'm much the same when it comes to mushrooms i.e. I leave them well enough alone and buy mine in Tesco.

Having said that, I will occasionally pick a Giant Puffball to slice and fry up with garlic. But that's because you genuinely can't mistake one of those for anything else.


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## theclaud (21 Oct 2022)

slowmotion said:


> I've never really tried to identify a mushroom but I've been fascinated by our lawn visitors. It seems to be quite a complex business. If they are Liberty Caps, I'm already in possession of some Class A drugs and I've broken the law just by breaking one off and photographing it.
> 
> Here's rather a good clip about how to identify them.
> 
> ...



Svendo beat me to it. Common ink caps don't mix with the fizzy yellow Europish you are fond of. However, Shaggy Ink Caps are very easy to ID and are one of the tastiest mushrooms. It's essential to be aware of deadly mushrooms, but it's a bit silly to pretend it's some kind of lottery. This is the haul from a long stroll last Sunday, and it has kept about four people in very tasty dinners for days.







That said, Death Caps are, in my observation, becoming significantly more common. I collected four very handsome specimens a couple of weeks ago to include in a display at a mushroom festival. The idea is to let people get up close and (with the appropriate prior warnings) touch and sniff things! It was very busy and I must admit I found it a bit stressful having one eye on Death Cap whereabouts for a whole day with children and dogs buzzing about everywhere. I definitely would not eat a mushroom pie made by anyone whose shrooming credentials I had the slightest question about.


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## theclaud (21 Oct 2022)

slowmotion said:


> I've never really tried to identify a mushroom



Oh yes you have, and this isn't a bad shout.



slowmotion said:


> I think they might be some of the _Coprinellus _family. They are probably feasting on the roots of a cherry tree


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## theclaud (24 Oct 2022)

Mahoosive Macro Mushroom.


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## Reynard (24 Oct 2022)

That'll be a good candidate for stuffing with cream cheese, garlic and parsley and topped with a parmesan crumb...


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## Poacher (18 Nov 2022)

Cheat alert! Someone gathered these, but I bought them from the Viccy centre in Nottingham.
"Bluebutton bits" - 600gm for £3, a quarter the price of the intact specimens also on sale. Sometimes I shell out full price, but today I decided to take a chance on these. They're Blewitts (_Lepista sordida_) or just possibly Wood Blewitts (_Lepista nuda_) which are very similar.
Either way, they're delicious, but not just to humans. Small white maggots are very quick to take advantage of the feast, and I found a few while inspecting my haul. Luckily, bluebuttons freeze very successfully, which also takes care of the wriggly protein content.
Stewed in butter and served on toast, some of these are destined for Christmas breakfast.


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## Reynard (18 Nov 2022)

I've been availing myself of the late season apples in the community orchard. Picked two baskets of New Rock Pippins this morning - such lovely apples, and if stored well, will keep till May. It's amazing to think this variety was developed shortly after Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo... They're light years better than anything on the supermarket shelves.

On Sunday I picked a basket of Lord Burghley apples - was hoping for more, but the rain had gotten into them, which was a shame. I also picked a basket of medlars. I'm not so keen on the latter, but the parental unit likes them.

It's so odd that hardly anyone picks fruit in the orchard - well, outside of the plums and cherries. I'm not turning my nose up at a good source of free fruit... But I guess these traditional varieties generally aren't sweet enough for most people.

And the walnuts I picked last month? They've finally finished drying, and I ended up almost filling a hessian sack with them.


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## gbb (18 Nov 2022)

As mushrooms are posted above, just reminds me of times as a kid on old RAF bases, exploring the grasslands around the runways, marvelous dinner plate sized mushrooms. The white flesh was probably 20mm thick, like eating steak, the black undersides would have the most heavenly taste. Smaller ones often found around the married quarters doing a paper round at 6 or 7am

Despite that, I've never had any desire to try anything more exotic, barring puffball, which tbf, I found woody in taste, nothing I'd go back for particually.

I see blackthorn 'sloe' berries are appearing. We get lots round here, It irks me to see all that fruit but don't really see how they can be used in your diet.


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## Reynard (18 Nov 2022)

There's a bumper crop of sloes this year - the hedges in this neck of the woods are still covered in a blue-purple haze.

I did make sloe jelly once. The result was awfully astringent.

Never repeated the exercise.


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