Gone Foraging - Edible Mushrooms
We are so lucky to live near to Exmoor and the Quantocks for many reasons; one being the opportunity to forage for edible mushrooms.
I'm no expert, but I can recognise a few of the best-tasting varieties such as chanterelles and ceps, so I'm pretty happy. It can take a few hours to find a small bagful and you won't always be successful. It takes patience and a keen eye! We cook our wild mushrooms in garlic butter and eat them on toast as soon as we get home for a rare treat.
You will need a sharp knife and a basket or soft cloth bag to put your mushrooms in. Pick carefully and try to disturb the area as little as possible to avoid damage to the mycelium below. As always with foraging, don't take all the mushrooms from one patch. Leave the small ones to grow and spore and you will ensure there will be more for next year. Pick clean, fresh mushrooms and wipe any dirt off before putting them in your bag.
It's a good idea to go out with someone knowledgeable to start with - a foraging course is a good idea. Be very careful with identification before picking and then double and triple-check your hoard before cooking them. If in any doubt don't eat it!
I'm no expert, but I can recognise a few of the best-tasting varieties such as chanterelles and ceps, so I'm pretty happy. It can take a few hours to find a small bagful and you won't always be successful. It takes patience and a keen eye! We cook our wild mushrooms in garlic butter and eat them on toast as soon as we get home for a rare treat.
You will need a sharp knife and a basket or soft cloth bag to put your mushrooms in. Pick carefully and try to disturb the area as little as possible to avoid damage to the mycelium below. As always with foraging, don't take all the mushrooms from one patch. Leave the small ones to grow and spore and you will ensure there will be more for next year. Pick clean, fresh mushrooms and wipe any dirt off before putting them in your bag.
It's a good idea to go out with someone knowledgeable to start with - a foraging course is a good idea. Be very careful with identification before picking and then double and triple-check your hoard before cooking them. If in any doubt don't eat it!
Submitted by Jane, plot 9
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