[Bonjoy]

 One positive upshot of the frequent rain is that the Mushroom season is on us already. So far this season I’ve had Horse Mushrooms – had these with bacon in an omelette; Hedgehog Mushrooms – Venison Stroganoff;  Chanterelles – Chanterelle Gratin and Chicken of the Woods – with chicken in a garlicky, cream and white wine pasta sauce.
So what have the rest of you been finding and creating in the kitchen? I'm only interested in tales of edible mushrooms here, magic mushrooms are another (worthy) topic all together.

[slackline]

Only found a few Liberty caps last week and was rather surprised they were about so early in the year 

I'm actually pretty shit when it comes to identifying edible 'shrooms.  Have a few books, and know what waxy meadow caps look like, but just don't trust myself enough not to shut down (whats left of) my liver accidentally.  Would be keen for a fungal foray similar to the one a year or so ago if one could be organised?

[SA Chris]

Coming out in full force up here. Need to get a copy of the good book.

[Sloper]

I haven't had a chance to go for a good look yet (I hope the wheather is good enough Friday to go out with Hugo) but there gthe boletus crop looks good.

What about a foray followed by some pints in the Grouse, we could invite Mick Ryan.

[Houdini]

Mick loves panther caps   

[Bonjoy]

Last night’s collection. Chanterelles, one Cep, Saffron Milkcaps, Wood Mushrooms, Parasols, Shaggy Parasols and Hedgehog Mushrooms.



http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3245/2821175530_259a1ba0c9_o.jpg

Gratuitous Stinkhorn shot


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3222/2820335613_7efbd787f7_o.jpg

[slackline]

Good haul there.  Think I might try heading out tomorrow, those Chanterelles lookg well tasty.

Without giving away your honeypots is there anywhere else you can recommend beyond Longshaw?

[SA Chris]

Need to take some tupperware with me next time I'm biking. Out near aboyne on Sunday I could have gatered a couple of kilos.

[Bonjoy]

Good haul there.  Think I might try heading out tomorrow, those Chanterelles lookg well tasty.

Without giving away your honeypots is there anywhere else you can recommend beyond Longshaw?

Couldn't really say much without giving it away.
Generally speaking you want be looking in old woodland under Beech, Oak and Pine (in that order). The presence of Spruce and Sycamore often mean low quality woodland from a mushrooming point of view.The edges of the woods are usually the best areas. Damp mossy ground is good as are sunny slopes (south or west facing).
To be honest I've spent many years picking around the peak area and there aren't very many spots where you are likely to find Chanterelles and Hedgehog Mushrooms, but you do stand a good chance of finding Ceps dotted about all over the place, plus all the other mushrooms in that haul.
Things like Parasols and Giant Puffballs are hard to hunt out specifically as they seem to grow in fairly random locations, however they are easy to spot from a car window being big and pale. Just be careful not to vear off the road !

[SA Chris]

i've noticed dense pine to be pretty barren from an undergrowth point of view. Pity, as there is a hell of a lot of them round here. Open grassland seems to be good too. Good knowledge though.

[Bowie]

saw this new story today and thought of you folks - take care with those mushrooms! 

(from the times)

The author of the best-selling novel The Horse Whisperer is critically ill after eating poisonous mushrooms while on holiday in the Highlands.

Nicholas Evans, 58, his wife Charlotte, her brother Sir Alistair Gordon-Cumming, 54, and his wife Lady Louise, 46, consumed amanita virosa, a deadly basidiomycete fungus more commonly known as the destroying angel.

All four are now being treated in hospital. Mr Evans is on a dialysis machine and the other three are said to be seriously ill.

Mr Evans and his family ate the mushrooms after a woodland stroll through Sir Alistair’s 12,000-acre estate in Moray, where the writer and his wife were on holiday.

Destroying angels resemble several species of edible mushrooms but are among the most poisonous found in Europe. As little as half a mushroom can kill.

Symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhoea, cramps, delirium and convulsions, can take up to 24 hours to develop, potentially reducing the efficacy of medical intervention as the victims’ organs will already have absorbed the toxins. The poison has no known antidote but treating patients with huge doses of antibiotics can improve survival. In patients developing liver failure, only a liver transplant can avoid death.

Destroying angels are from the same family as the lethal death cap mushroom. They are similar in appearance to edible puff balls, and can also be mistaken for field mushrooms. Although the destroying angel can be distinguished by its brown gills, if picked while still immature its caps remain closed and the gills are not visible.

Mr Evans and his relatives are thought to have picked the mushrooms while strolling through Sir Alistair’s Altyre estate, between Forres and Grantown-on-Spey and ate them later. Sir Alistair is the chief of the Clan Cumming.

 

[Bonjoy]

It's amazing how stupid some people are! Anyone mistaking a Destroying Angel for anthing other than another poisonous Amanita is a blatant half-wit and should stay well clear of foraging altogether.

[Bonjoy]

Apparently it was Cortinarius rubella - The Deadly webcap not Destroying Angel, which is slightly more excusable but still half-witted in the extreme.

[Sloper]

I'm out for a foray in the peak this afternoon if anyone cares to join me, I can't claim to have the same level of expertise as Bonjoy but I can guarantee that I know the difference between a cep and a death cap.

PS that's a bloody fine haul!

[Bowie]

is it just me or are the short hand names for mushrooms absolutely fantastic? they are like richie patter names for boulder problems. 'huge pumping pistons of death' etc.

[Bonjoy]

Actually I've just thought of a Chanterelle patch I can give away if anyone is keen, as I don't think I'll be checking it for the foreseeable. I'd wager there will be Chanterelles there now. Park as for the majority of the Churnet bouldering and follow the path down the left side of the lake as if going to Wright's Rock. Keep looking behind fence, under the hedge on your right. There are several Chanterelle patches well hidden under bushes not too far either side of where the path turns left for Wright's. Let me know if anyone has any success. The woods round the lake are a pretty good place to look for Ceps also.

[slackline]

Cheers for that Bonjoy.

The race is now on, just got to get my arse out there.

[slackline]

Okay, I've decided I need to get a book to help avoid any dumb mistakes.  I've a pocket Collins Gem one with drawings, and a coffee table style large one with lots of pretty pictures, but feel I need something more accurate (in the former case, hand-drawings are nice but esaily mis-interpreted) and practical (in the later, don't want to ruin the book).

Sooo, can anyone recommend me a good field guide to edible 'shrooms?

Of course there are lots out there, and many seem to get good reviews, but was wondering if anyone here as any experience of these (pictures are hyper-linked to relevant Amazon page)...

(has a web-site to supplement it).  Perhaps a little large, but like the idea of it covering Europe in case I ever find myself on holiday in the right season.



  This one sound promising

This one doesn't

This ones winning at the moment based on amazon reviews.

Also sounds good, but perhaps a bit big for field use.

Another contender, but a bit big I think.

If anyone (and it doesn't have to be the resident expert Bonjoy) has used any of the above (or indeed has one not listed) I'd be grateful for thoughts/advice.

Cheers

slack---line

[Bonjoy]

Splash out and get THE classic text:



Nothing else comes close as far as field guides go.

The Carluccio one is very good for recipes though.

[Bonjoy]

Shot of a Cep from a few years back. Insitu at a popular grit bouldering spot

[Johnny Brown]

Perhaps a little large, but like the idea of it covering Europe in case I ever find myself on holiday in the right season.

Don't worry too much about getting anything other than a good UK guide, fungi are suprisingly widely distributed due to the spores being so easily dispersed. I found this out in Patagonia; there was barely a single animal or plant common with the Uk yet the fungi were mostly the same.

[slackline]

Splash out and get THE classic text:



Nothing else comes close as far as field guides go.

The Carluccio one is very good for recipes though.

Just got home and checked and I already have a copy of Phillips (the "larger one with lots or pretty pictures" couldn't remember what it was, although its cover differs from the one on amazon) and I'd rather not take it out with me.  No doubt fine for identifying post haul, but I'd rather not lug it around and ruin it (I'm a bit of a sad bibliophile).

Might plump for the Country Cottage one.

Good point on the Europe/abroad front JB, shame d'em Psilocybe cubensis et al. don't thrive on our shores.

[Bonjoy]

The UK's Psilocybe semiliceata is gram for gram stronger than Psilocybe cubensis, it's just a lot smaller. If you want a larger one like Cubensis the Psilocybe cyanocens is becoming common on mulched beds. I know a Tesco carpark where they come up every year.

[simes]

The UK's Psilocybe semiliceata is gram for gram stronger than Psilocybe cubensis, it's just a lot smaller. If you want a larger one like Cubensis the Psilocybe cyanocens is becoming common on mulched beds. I know a Tesco carpark where they come up every year.

REALLY? Any chance of a location?

[Bonjoy]

I'm hoping to collect the whole lot this year and dry, but will PM you if I do and arrange to send a sample.