A most successful hunt (and a toad)

End of July is the time when the forest starts displaying significant edible fungus diversity. I was counting on seeing many different kinds of mushrooms, but certainly not filling the basket. This is normally for August, the high mushroom season. But the recent warm weather, coupled with ample rain has urged fungi to fruit in greater numbers than usual.

The first encounter was a family of humble russulas -

A bit useless in the pot, but always an indication that better goods are nearby

Then some giant chanterelles hiding under heather -

Many more to come this trip!

 A sudden movement in the undergrowth -

Not a deer. Thank goodness for that!

Right next to it, a beautiful cep -

Good enough for a desktop background, not to mention my basket

A lone Amanita, probably rubescens (edible), but the first rule of mushroom hunter who wishes to die of natural causes is as follows: NEVER put an amanita into your basket.

Best left alone

A little bit further into the woods there was a large clearing, partly overgrown with heather, with lots and lots of chanterelles -

These, and about a thousand more nearby - all ripe for picking

These chanterelles were growing under birch trees, so the next encounter was not unexpected -

Brown birch bolete, in perfect condition

As well as the one after that -

Orange birch bolete. Highly unusual to see one in July.

Further on the forest path, a lurid bolete -

Not only beautiful, but also edible after a bit of boiling

And another perfect cep specimen -

Delightful!

Not far from it, some common deceivers. My basket was already full at that point (all those chanterelles!), and in any case they are hardly worth taking due to their small size and lack of taste. Still, they are certainly good enough for a photo -

Lovely colours!

And so the foraging trip ended. The final result is in the photo below. It took me the whole of the next day to process all those chanterelles, and my family has been complaining that the fungal component of their diet has become somewhat overwhelming. But they needn't suffer any more: I got a solution for that. More about it later!

Clockwise from mid-left: slippery jack, bay bolete, four brown birch boletes, six ceps (and a cap), two saffron milk caps, orange birch bolete, lurid bolete and many, many, many chanterelles. A great haul, especially considering the time of year.

Some internet trolls

Do trolls like mushrooms? Anyway - breakfast is served!

Milky tea and chanterelle mushroom pie

After this, I had a most productive day in the forest - here is the teaser. Detailed report to follow!

Mostly frogs

I started off to the forest last Saturday hoping to get some first ceps, thinking that even though there hasn't been much rain lately, it should still be wet enough deep in the forest for some fungal goodness to emerge.

Just on the edge, I found this fungus -

Grey-spotted amanita

These fungi are apparently edible, but rules are rules: no amanitas in my basket! Ever. Its mere presence however was a most encouraging sign, meaning that my hopes for ceps were not unfounded.

But for the next hour or so, all I saw was this little critter, and hundreds and possibly thousands of its brothers and sisters, all hadly bigger than my little fingernail, hopping across paths and clearings to their promised ponds, or whatever counts as amphibian paradise:

So adorable!

So only much later, when I went right into the very heart of the forest, did I set my eyes on this magnificent sight -

What can I say - magnificent.

Not much to tell afterwards. There was a giant chanterelle -

Didn't know they could grow this huge

And then I got lost. Yes, that's right. In my home forest, which I know like the back of my palm. It was all because of logging. It's claimed to be "good forest management", but I really fail to see how it can be useful. Forests have been around for much longer than humans, and they somehow managed to manage themselves. Anyway, I mixed up paths because they no longer looked the same as they were last year, and took a wrong turn. After 15 minutes, I had my first doubts. This marshy patch looks familiar... Then even more doubts. This rabbit net looks just like the one I passed two hours ago... And then, finally - Those three rotten mushrooms on a log - oh dear, I'm about two miles away from the spot I thought I would be.

And that was it. The haul wasn't great, but the season hasn't really started yet, so I shouldn't complain. It has been raining more this week, so from here things can only get better!

Three ceps, one bay bolete, chanterelles, and wild raspberries and strawberries.

Spring archive - Part II

It has been very warm and dry recently, so much in fact that I had to start watering my garden plants. Not very typical Scottish weather!

There seemed to be little point to venture to the forest in these conditions, so I was sorting through some pictures, and found a couple in my mailbox, sent from Moscow region, which are worth sharing. Meet Gyromitra esculenta, the false morel:

In its natural habitat...

And in the basket, ready for processing

These mushrooms were subsequently parboiled and eaten. Now, if you look up reference on these, there would be warnings that these can be fatal when eaten raw, and even when properly cooked, may cause liver and kidney failure through the effects of cumulative poison.

They also, apparently, tasted more or less like slices of rubber.

Hmm, I'm not at all conservative with my food, but if I ever choose to risk serious poisoning, it would be for something that at least tastes good... Fugu fish, anyone?