We were scheduled to have mushroom risotto for dinner tomorrow so these were a pleasant surprise after last night's rain. The cep looks the business, the shaggy parasols are plentiful and scrummy but that little orange milkcap tastes divine. I've got about six types I can identify with confidence to eat from the garden. Last week, we had a giant puffball omelette and on Saturday night we had a cep and field mushroom pizza. Hopefully, by the end of the week the milkcaps will have started to appear in number - they are earmarked for a pasta dish. If we're really lucky some 'chicken of the woods' might appear on the old peach tree stump. I wish all gardening was this easy - mother nature doing her own thing.
Lovely Shrooms! Have been out hunting but nothing yet a few coulemelle, (shaggy parasols) one slug ridden cep. Never had the pleasure of finding a lactaire delicieux or Polypore soufré , my other half, reliably informs me he has never seen one in this area, you must be further south. Do you ever worry collecting your own? I am always paranoid thinking I am about to poison everyone!
ReplyDeleteThe lactaires are very hitty missy some years I get the odd one other years baskets full. I only pick from my garden which has a mass of conifers which I dislike but the fungi and long eared owls love. I've never gone further afield as to be honest once our shaggy parasols arrive we get a bit sick of mushrooms. I only pick the ones you see plus giant puffball, chicken of the woods (only on old peach tree stump in full sun!) and of course giant parasol - easy ones!. I will pick the red staining mushroom plus the boletes that bruise deep blue or black but the maggots usually beat me to them. I leave all the edible russules as I don't think they are worth the risk. I leave everything else and always double (make that triple) check in my books. I'm learning slowly but very very carefully - I have all the deadly ones in the garden too! Angel of Death under silver birch - I always think it starts out like the apple in snow white.
ReplyDeletePanthers - I could grow for the Creuse - lovely to look at but pretty nasty if eaten. They come up in their hundreds like clockwork some the size of saucers under the larch.