Mushroom foraging

ha! Mushie hunting soundtrack

http://14tracks.com/selections/309-14_tracks_psilocybe_season

Went on a walk with the guy who is edible leedstoday. Nice bloke.

Found an orchard from Kirkstall Abbey times, some horseradish, yarrow, gelder rose and wild oregano. I also discovered that common hogweed seeds have a lovely spicy flavour to them!

Next time you see the plant crush some of the seeds in your fingers and take a smell. Going to gather and grind some then use as a cinnamon replacement.

i've read some hogweeds can cause nasty rashes via toxic sap ? maybe not the varieties here but be wary

Giant Hogweed is the dangerous one and you can't mistake it for Common Hogweed. Although a very small percentage of the population are allergic to Common Hogweed.

Satisfying fungus photo forage in the Chilterns today ...

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great pic- edible, ?

thanks. No sure, I think many of the Milk Caps are, but a couple are definitely not (Ugly Milk Cap and the Liquorice Milk Cap). I'd not trust myself pick and eat any mushrooms without someone who knows their stuff. There were plenty of common puff balls though.

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Found this poisonous earthball on the Heath last weekend.

Some St George's Mushrooms picked tonight. Looked for these for a while and the first ones I found were right outside my flats. Couple a bit old, but should be good dried.

Sven Cycles Forager: the only bike equipped with a mushroom knife and barbecue, £3900 | http://trib.al/6TE66D6 http://twitter.com/cyclingweekly/status/710168273187434496/photo/1

https://twitter.com/cyclingweekly/status/710168273187434496

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/mushroom-pickers-in-london-parks-face-police-warnings-and-prosecutions-a3234701.html

Interesting that it's three people with, respectively, Lithuanian, Polish, and Italian names who were found guilty of these offences. As far as I know, in all three cultures mushroom-picking is quite deeply ingrained and probably not prohibited by bye-laws.

Anyone knows what shrooms are these?

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In the Peak District these days and I gather it’s a good hunting ground for lots of types including liberty caps. Not really into getting mangled these days but could be a laugh.

What time of year is generally peak mushroom?

There are a few poking through on my usual dog walking route now including this. Anybody know what it is?

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Photo ID is near impossible but....could be psilocybe coprophilia? (Not edible or hallocigenic). Looks too dark to be a liberty cap.

Early autumn is usually the best time to find mushrooms, especially on warm days after some rain.

But you really need to find someone who knows a lot about mushrooms before you start eating them, I.e. go foraging with an expert. They’ll teach you what is safe and what must be avoided. Often the latter can look very like the former, which is where expertise comes in very very handy.

^ Very much this. I went on a mushroom walk a few years ago and the guy taking it was talking about someone who (like him) was a qualified mycologist. He misdiagnosed something he and his wife ate and they both ended up in hospital for a good while!

Cue Ray Mears' mate Gordon,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmmk3RCz6SI

Scary. If that bag had contained a destroying angel then...

Is that a grey cap or purple? The Amethyst Deceiver looks a bit like that but is unmistakably purple.

I've been out looking over the last few days. There are a few ceps around and plenty of other boletus. Also found a tawny grisette and a panther cap today. The former is worth finding, the latter is worth avoiding.

Grey.

Was chatting to a chap earlier who reckons it’s going to be a great year for all mushrooms. He said it was a bit early to be looking.

Could be a good year for fungi given the hot spell and then reasonable rain levels. I saw some lovely oyster fungus, chicken of the woods and ox tongue out on a walk a couple of weeks ago, although the chicken of the woods had been heavily foraged. Spotted volvariella bombycina in an old tree as well, which is a first for me. Had to get a mycologist to identify it, as I that it was one of the dodgy amanitas at first, as it was coming out of a sack.

Spotted a few more recently: chicken of the woods, parasol mushrooms, earthballs and puffballs, false chanterelles plus my first ever death cap. Russulas (brittlecaps) are worth looking out for just because they come in some gorgeous colours. There's too many of them that look too similar for me to be confident eating them though.

Some good finds in the Chilterns this afternoon. Best of all was this Phallus impudicus replete with a plethora of flies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phallus_impudicus

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Morrell?

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Looks like it.
Is there recently laid sand under the slate pieces?