[fried]

Cheers! I'll try them tonight.

In the third picture the mushroom in the bottom left corner is different and have egg yolk yellow pores.

[Bonjoy]

Wintermute is right on the top two. The next lot down are Brown Birch Boletus Leccinum scabrum, a bit too squashy and tasteless to be worth eating. The bottom one is hard to tell from the pic and is way too old and spongy to eat anyway, possibly an aged bay boletus.

[fried]

Cheers for the confirmation. The first two made a couple of fantastic omelettes. I'd thought the same for the third photo so chucked them. The last one had turned into a pile of slime by yesterday.

[Eddies]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29465883@N07/5075974587/#
Edible Parasol?

[slackline]

Dunno, can't see it 

[Bonjoy]

Yes, deffo an edible Parasol, though I couldn't say which of the two common types without a closer look.

[fried]

Morel season is in full swing, and despite there being no rain in the north of France for the past week still managed to pick 1/2 kilo near Soissons. Sadly we ate them before I had the chance to take a photo. Fantastic omelette for 3 people.

Anyone picking these back in the U.K? Bastards to spot.

[Bonjoy]

I checked my usual spot last week. Bumper crop but some were a bit past their best, should have checked a week earlier. Dried the good ones for later use (usually I eat them fresh either in omelette, stuffed with brie and smoked ham or in a cream sauce on top of a steak). I totally love morels and am hoping to get out hunting for them again this week.
Also spotted some small and very early St George’s mushrooms last week.

[wintermute]

Judging by the amount of trumpet chanterelles currently residing in my fridge it seems the season has begun! Anyone else had any early success?

[Bonjoy]

Some small yellow chanterelles last week. Earlier in the year I got some chicken of the woods and horse mushrooms. There's definitely stuff about. Worth getting them now as they'll mostly disappear again if it stays dry for a few more days.

[Andy Harris]

Just picked a Kg of jumbo chanterelles in my secret spot in Ireland. Looking forward to eating them with scrambled eggs for lunch.

[Joepicalli]

Little haul of the very un-PC named "Jew's Ear". Great dried and added to chineesy soups.

[wintermute]

Tried some jew's ears for the first time recently but couldn't get past the texture.... does drying them improve it at all?

[Bonjoy]

The texture IS the appeal, they have precious little flavour. In the right context they are great (I think). Brilliant in crispy spring rolls.
They are bullet hard when dry and if re-hydrated become almost identical in texture to a fresh specimen.

[wintermute]

Hmmm. Maybe i'll give it another go with a bit more forethought. To be fair i did just blanch them briefly and eat one on it's own to satisfy my curiosity, so perhaps not the best opportunity for them to excel.

If any Sheffieldians are interested (and as i was only there doing fieldwork so don't mind divulging a spot!) the aforementioned trumpet chanterelles were from the woods around the Moss brook just south of Mossborough. Floor was literally carpeted with them a few days ago. Also a ridiculously good place to get signal crayfish (assuming you have the relevant license of course).

[fried]

A little present from the brother-in-law and very late, but this year's been a bit strange, the JPS packet is just for scale as is the glass of pastis. I'm saving them for a 'blanquette de veau'.

[Bonjoy]

  Very nice. I've still never found any M esculenta. The M elata patch came good again though, also quite late in the season. I put the lateness down to dryness and late cold conditions. Haven't seen any St George's yet mind.

[fried]

What's the difference between the M esculentaan  the M elata, I know that there are different colurs and normally these are considered the tastiest. These come from Soissons in the north east of France and It was brutally cold in April. St. Georges is something I've never searched for, any tips?

[Bonjoy]

I haven't tasted esculenta so I couldn't say which is tastier, but elata are the best mushrooms I've tasted I reckon.
St George's are pretty common in the UK (not sure about france). Look for them late April through till the end of May, in unimproved grassland, parks and gardens. Often grow in rings. They have a distinct mealy/cucumbery smell. Very good eating. I like them best in cream sauces. They are one of the safest mushrooms to ID/eat as there are virtually no other large mushrooms out in this habitat at this time of year.

[fried]

Cheers,I'll keep my eye out.

[wintermute]

I've always been a bit dissapointed with morels..... maybe it's just my lack of culinary skill not doing them justice?.

On the bright side though, found a humble puffball yesterday. Psyched to find a good patch of giant ones in the near future.

[SA Chris]

Cottage we stayed in last week had dozens of inky caps growing in the garden, I'm too much of a wimp and didn't eat any though. For future reference is there any dangerous ones they can be confused with?

[fried]

They are good for adding flavour to soup, if I remember correctly there is something that looks similiar that reacts badly with alcohol....

Usual disclaimer:- Check with an expert before eating.

[Bonjoy]

Common Inkcaps should not be eaten with alcohol. Shaggy Inkcaps (actually much more common than Common Inkcaps) on the other hand are fine to eat with booze.

[Andy Harris]

Had a great haul of shaggy inkcaps, ceps, hedgehog fungus and a few chanterelles at the weekend that made a lovely linguine with mixed mushrooms in a  white wine sauce. one of the best meals I've had in a long while.

Shaggy inkcaps are indeed delicious and one of my faves. Fortunately they are common and tend to grow in large numbers, you just need to cook them before they deliquesce. Often found in recently turned ground and roadsides.