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jp

Joined: 09 Nov 2006
Posts: 302
Location: Salisbury, Wiltshire

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 13 6:01 pm Post subject:
Shan if you are in South Wales there should be plenty of great places to forage out mushrooms. A decent forested area should see you right.

Nell Merionwen

Joined: 02 Jun 2008
Posts: 16300
Location: Beautiful Derbyshire

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 13 6:03 pm Post subject:
i wish I had the confidence to id fungi.

jp

Joined: 09 Nov 2006
Posts: 302
Location: Salisbury, Wiltshire

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 13 6:13 pm Post subject:
Nell see if you can find someone in your area who has foraging experience & ask if they would take you out a few times - you will soon gain the knowledge to get you started. A few good books will help too. Derbyshire should have some great places to forage

Nell Merionwen

Joined: 02 Jun 2008
Posts: 16300
Location: Beautiful Derbyshire

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 13 6:16 pm Post subject:

jp wrote:

Nell see if you can find someone in your area who has foraging experience & ask if they would take you out a few times - you will soon gain the knowledge to get you started. A few good books will help too. Derbyshire should have some great places to forage

I've got a few and I'm confident with plants. Fungi scares me...with names like Death cap who can blame me

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 13 8:08 pm Post subject:

Nell Merionwen wrote:

I've got a few and I'm confident with plants. Fungi scares me...with names like Death cap who can blame me

But you'd eat a tomato even though it's closely related to deadly nightshade!

Nell Merionwen

Joined: 02 Jun 2008
Posts: 16300
Location: Beautiful Derbyshire

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 13 8:46 pm Post subject:

Jamanda wrote:

Nell Merionwen wrote:

I've got a few and I'm confident with plants. Fungi scares me...with names like Death cap who can blame me

But you'd eat a tomato even though it's closely related to deadly nightshade!

But I am sure of the difference in those. I may mistakenly eat a shaggy death stink cap or some such thing

DorsetScott

Joined: 23 Oct 2011
Posts: 500
Location: Bournemouth

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 13 9:12 pm Post subject:

Remember though the most poisonous fungi take 10 days to kill you. The most poisonous plants take 3 hours.
I said in another post I took a good couple of years doing nothing but IDing fungi, no eating full stop.
And even if not going to extremes like that, there are certain fungi that are unmistakable. Take the hedgehog for example, you'll KNOW you've found that if you do.
Or Bolettes. Im sure the guys will correct me if I'm wrong (I'm not an expert and am getting this off the top of my head), but there is 1 nasty one (devil's bolette) which is pretty damn hard to confuse with the good edible ones. Anything you would confuse a cep for is also edible.

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Fri Oct 11, 13 7:49 am Post subject:

jp wrote:

Shan if you are in South Wales there should be plenty of great places to forage out mushrooms. A decent forested area should see you right.

We have loads of forested areas around us but the pickings have been almost non existent over the last few years.

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Fri Oct 11, 13 7:50 am Post subject:

Nell Merionwen wrote:

i wish I had the confidence to id fungi.

Start with the ones that it is impossible to confuse with others.... making certain you always do a thorough ID.

Nell Merionwen

Joined: 02 Jun 2008
Posts: 16300
Location: Beautiful Derbyshire

Posted: Fri Oct 11, 13 10:48 am Post subject:

Shan wrote:

Nell Merionwen wrote:

i wish I had the confidence to id fungi.

Start with the ones that it is impossible to confuse with others.... making certain you always do a thorough ID.

a sensible plan

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Fri Oct 11, 13 10:50 am Post subject:
If you go down to Kew Gardens you'll need a really big basket.

VM

Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 1748
Location: Lincolnshire

Posted: Fri Oct 11, 13 11:11 am Post subject:

I too like the idea of foraging mushrooms but it makes me nervous so I don't. Partner picked some the other day which he was sure about but I think they might have been too old as really didn't taste nice when I cooked them.

When still back in Manchester we went out for a day with Jesper Launder who picked mushrooms and made it look so easy - and they tasted delicious when fried.

Link to his site: https://www.jesperlaunder.com/

Ho hum. On the bright side we have foraged kilos and kilos of berries this year - see other post.

jp

Joined: 09 Nov 2006
Posts: 302
Location: Salisbury, Wiltshire

Posted: Fri Oct 11, 13 5:58 pm Post subject:

Quote:

Or Bolettes. Im sure the guys will correct me if I'm wrong (I'm not an expert and am getting this off the top of my head), but there is 1 nasty one (devil's bolette) which is pretty damn hard to confuse with the good edible ones. Anything you would confuse a cep for is also edible.

The devils bolete is rare & not easily confused withe edible boletes like the Cep. However the Cep can be confused with inedible boletes - check out Tylopilus felleus the Bitter Bolete. Can be easily mistaken for a Cep - it's not dangerous but it is incredibly bitter & will totally ruin your Pan full of tasty chanterelles. Believe me I've done it during my early days hunting Ceps

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2573
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Fri Oct 11, 13 6:42 pm Post subject:

I belong to a New Jersey mushroom society. They love ALL mushrooms. Me, I only adore the easily identified, absolutely delicious ones.

A friend taught me a few: I forage for both golden and black chanterelles, chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus), hen of the woods (Grifola frondosa), and oyster mushrooms.

Morels would be nice but anyone who knows where they grow might share the mushrooms but not the location. Puffballs don't impress me, ditto dryad's saddle.

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Fri Oct 11, 13 9:03 pm Post subject:
I don't think much of puffballs either. Can't stand the texture and I wouldn't say they are particularly flavourful.

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