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blowin · Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 4:54 pm Post subject:

Cool !
And others will certainly want to join in once they have tasted a few Wink

BTW I am going to try cultivating a few of the easier types if I can ever find the time . Has anyone already done this ?

bref · Joined: 16 Dec 2006 Posts: 136 Location: South Dublin

Not yet Blowin. Im determined to give the puff ball a go though. The fella I;m renting the paddock off for my pigs has given me a few tips and has all the horse manure I could ever want.

Now, is it time for Morels yet? Im goin mad to find some.

blowin · Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 1:47 am Post subject:

Do let us know if you find Morels . I have been looking for years but with no luck .
Apparently they can often be found in the rosebed if you use manure as a mulch !

admin · Site Admin Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 227

Hiya , I am just bringing this back to the top so we can talk about it now then completely forget it before the autumn comes . Rolling Eyes

. That will avoid the risk of anyone actually organising a fungi foray ! Laughing

There was an early flush of fungi around here about a month ago but no edibles that I could recognise . The smaller ones are now quite scarce again but some large white bracket fungi are getting even bigger by the day so something is happening . Are there many of any type of fungi to be seen around you ?
Any field mushrooms yet ?
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bref · Joined: 16 Dec 2006 Posts: 136 Location: South Dublin

I found a giant puffball yesterday. I was very happy to do so. I had a fantastic tea. It was only about one and a half times the size of a tennis ball and the slugs had been at it, but I got enough for a pan full. It was beautiful. Yummy.
I also found a shaggy ink cap, so maybe all this rain has an upside..

blowin · Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2007 10:45 am Post subject:

Nice one Bref !
I still haven't found puffball but did spot a couple of large Horse mushrooms yesterday . It will be a bit of a challenge to get to them but I feel an adventure coming on Cool

.
RE: puffballs -- did I mention that a lot of the large white blobs in the fields are actually footballs , as I have discovered to my embarasment on more than one occasion ( must get a new set of specs ) . This kept fooling me because you would not expect balls to be lying around in the middle of nowhere . It turns out that they are intentionally put there to keep lambs amused , not that I have ever seen a lamb anywhere near one .
Still nothing edible in the woods , tho' . I must get out a bit more !

wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1171 Location: Campile. Wexford

I also have noticed many types of fungi growing. Not that I am particulary great at their recognition though. Nice idea teaching the lambs to play foot ball. I must try it with me goats Very Happy

i have seen many types of fungi over here that I have not seen before. Can anyone recomend a good book to aid ident?
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blowin · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2007 2:47 am Post subject:

Just had dinner-plate sized mushrooms for our tea , simply fried in butter with a little salt , and absolutely delicious they were too . Several others in the field had already gone over so it is well worth having a good look around asap .
I have a load of books on fungi and some of them are seriously misleading IMHO . Not so much because they tell you something is "edible" when it might not agree with everyone , but more because they fail to point out instances in which there are poisonous species which look just like the one they are giving you the recipe for . ( This happens quite often on those chef / foraging tv programmes too ) .
I will look up the title of the one field guide which I do find to be very useful . Please SHOUT if I haven't posted it up in the next day or two because I have a memory like a sieve .
I heard a very useful tip . I can't remember the actual figures but it was something like :- you might come across up to 600 different fungi in Europe but of these only 15 are really worth worth eating and a similar number will kill or make very ill . So , get to know that 30 really well and only mess about with the others if you are really hungry / adventurous or bored ! Laughing

I guess I have confidently eaten about 15 , have identified but daren't risk possible confusion over another 1/2 dozen , and very definitely avoid another 6 . That serves me well for foraging purposes .
I will see if I can put a few notes and threads together for each of the most common edibles if that would be of interest to anybody . And if they promise not to sue me if I get it wrong ! Laughing

wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1171 Location: Campile. Wexford

Thanks for the advice Blowin. I was taught at an early age how to identify the field/horse mushroom and the death cap. and the giant puffball and a few others I am ok with but, The books that I have show prime examples of the differant species and not all growing examples are what we may call prime. It is funny how peoples perception differ. I was always told as a boy by local country people that horse mushrooms are not worth eating and puffballs were never taken. I only found out later that this was not the case.
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blowin · Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 2:18 am Post subject:

Finally found it ! The field guide I would recommend is " Field Guide To Mushrooms of Britain and Europe " , authors Helmut and Renate Grunert , publisher Crowood Press , ISBN 1-85223-592-6
The pictures are well composed and show most of the fungi from several different angles to aid i/d . Simple illustrations make sense of technical descriptions such as " narrowly attached , adnexed gills " ! There are very useful comments and cross-references where there is any danger of confusion between several look-alikes , and a generally reliable ( ie tends to be cautious ) guide as to edibilty and/or side-effects Shocked

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If in any doubt I double-check all the features in at least one other , heavyweight reference book . Finally I cook them . Then my very trusting OH completes the test by being the first to eat them Wink

Actually there is some logic behind that . I drive faster than she does so could get to the hospital quicker . And if I poisoned her she would kill me anyway so I have a vested interest in avoiding that ! Laughing