Musings on a Forage

We've finally had some rain here the last week or two, which is great - not only for the allotment but for shrooming.

We've had very few mushrooms this year so far - the St. Georges mushroom harvest failed entirely due to a really dry Spring, and the brackets that usually see us through Summer (dryads saddles, chicken of the woods) have been thin on the ground. Well, thin on the tree stumps. But we've had things a bit better for the last couple of weeks and finally we're getting a few shrooms.

Not a lot as yet though, but enough to be worthwhile. Last weekend was annoying, lots of cycling around for a small number of field mushrooms, horse mushrooms, wine caps and some dryads saddle - with the most prolific mushrooms being the yellow stainer. Thats not unusual in our part of Cambridge, its infuriatingly common (you can't eat it). But this weekend conditions were just right for horse mushrooms and, very pleasingly, the prince (Agaricus augustus), one of the finest wild species. Almond scented, richly flavoured, one I'll never tire of - great with pasta, wonderful with eggs, splendid accompaniment to meat. 

Princes, horse mushrooms, parasols...

We'd been out on Thurdsay for a ride around, and there were some horse mushrooms growing nicely near home. We left them to get a bit of size but when we went back on Sunday all we found was cut stumps - and a chap under some other trees plundering another of our regular patches. Fair enough, I suppose. We went over to see him but he didn't speak a word of English, and I'm left with the concern as to whether he'll pick responsibly. I'll always leave some, he didn't. I just hope he's light footed and doesn't trample things down too badly if he's going to become a regular. I'm also wondering whether in future leaving mushrooms to plump up on that patch is a good idea.

Among our quarry were some specimens of Boletus luridus - a new one for Cambridge (well, for ME in Cambridge). Common as muck some places I've lived but a first for my foraging here.

Also gathered just a few cherry plums for munching on, and noted there's loads of blackberries around already. Not a bad forage.

We had mushroom risotto last night. The dehydrator is running for some of the mushrooms, we've got a collander full in the fridge for the week ahead, and a pan cooked down for pasta sauce tonight. 

So not a bad forage. Not the best we've had at this time of year, but worth a trip out.