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05/11/2008


my photo

EDIBLE FUNGI?

Friend or foe, does anyone know? I spotted a large clump of these whilst cycling through beautiful woodland in Surrey.

It reminded me of when I was a child. My dad would every so often come across field mushrooms whilst out and about on his tractor, he'd pick them and bring them home for my mum to fry up. They would enjoy mushrooms on toast, but not me, I wouldn't touch them. These days I really quite like eating them, the edible variety that is!

23 comments:

Sal said...

It must be a good time for fungi as I saw a load in my sisters garden the other day...many different types too,including puffballs ;-)

Suburbia said...

Such a lovely photo as always!
We often find fungi in the woods here and even bought a book to try to identify them but we still haven't had the courage of our convictions and eaten any yet!!

Suzanne said...

Mushrooming is so much fun, I have fond memories of getting them out in the paddocks my parents would eat them but not me. Now I love them too.

Little Blue Violet said...

Go nline to find photos of edible 'shrooms in your rea. Wish I could help but Im not familiar with anything other than the native ones here in the states. I love fresh mushrooms!
smiles
DarLy_~

Marie said...

Be careful!

I also love foraging for mushrooms but am only familiar with some South African ones and a few American ones, easily identifiable. Mushrooms with white gills scare me as so many are similar, and several are very poisonous.

Did you know that shaggy ink caps are edible and delicious? And hard to mistake for anything else. Tall, narrow and cigar shaped when young, dripping ink along their ragged gills when too old. They taste a litle like marrow when eaten on toast.

Maybe you could trasck down a local forager and have them id'd?

Kat Mortensen said...

I'd be careful. Do you have a local expert with whom you could consult? I'm sure you're sensible and wouldn't eat them without checking.

Lovely photo all the same.

Kat

Simone said...

There have been loads of mushrooms around the garden this year. I could smell a mushroomy smell in the air long before they appeared. I would only ever eat cultivated ones from a shop.

Amanda and Tim said...

I have no idea but would never pick mushrooms just 'cos I know what I'm like ;o)

When I was in Russia our teacher told us about picking mushrooms and how she knew all the Russian varieties but would never dare pick anywhere elsewhere in the world. My aunt is the same - she picks them when home in Sweden but never here in England.

Lovely photo - perhaps a local expert could be found to shed light on the subject?

Gina said...

They don't look edible to me..we have similar looking ones here which are poisonous..but you may well have different and edible ones over there!

Anonymous said...

Sorry I don't know! I eat the small button ones, but I'm not that fussed.
Thanks to damp, and relatively mild, weather, there's lots all over the plot. xx

Bumpkin Hill said...

I don't know if they are edible or not, but it's a great photo. I saw some great red and white ones in The New Forest a while back which was wonderful to see. I loved your butterfly photo too. Hugs, Catherine x

Anonymous said...

hi Louise, I'm not the expert you need but I just love clicking your photos. Even if humans can't eat them...something will. =) So I say Friend!!!

Anonymous said...

They love the wet weather don't they? Would never feel confident about eating one of our finds though.

sheila said...

Did you remember, remember?

(couldn't resist)

Lynn said...

I love mushrooms, but haven't a clue how to identify them. I stick to the grocery store varieties ;)

Anniebead said...

Beautiful pictures as always. Thanks for your kind comments on my latest blog. It really has helped.

Tim Atkinson said...

In France you can take them to the local Pharmacy, where they'll identify them for you. Isn't that useful?

Anonymous said...

Hi Louise,
I often wonder about the fungi growing around the farm but would be too nervous even if I identified it as edible. i have a book but as soon as you think you've identified an edible mushroom then you see a picture which says that it is poisonous!
I think I'll stick to buying mushrooms.
I think we have some of those growing on the farm.
Sara from farmingfriends

Selfsewn said...

Hello you have been awarded!!
Clare

Crafty Green Poet said...

Its been a brilliant year for fungi in Scotland, we saw some amazing ones in the forests around Oban earlier this year. I sometimes go on fungi forays but I'm only confident about id of a couple of species

VP said...

Hi Louise - it's been a good fungi year around here too! If you want lots more fungi info, there's a site called Rogers Mushrooms I found this week which is really good. I see other bloggers use it too when thy've posted about mushrooms. Sorry I don't have the link to hand but googling should get you there. Hope you're having a good weekendxxx

Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax! said...

I think the worse thing I've ever had on toast was pigeon breast.

Lucy

shadows and clouds said...

hello there! to be honest i really don't know whether they'd be edible or not. here in italy local environmental centres run short courses on recognsing mushrooms. why don't you try looking for something similar there, it's best to know for sure with mushrooms! :)