Spring and the beginning of summer as awfully dry, but that has been followed first by a short wet spell that allowed all the plants to grow, another dry patch so lots of new growth died back, and then a deluge of rain that seems to have been going on for weeks. That means the soil is topped by plenty of fresh organic matter for fungi to degrade, and from a foraging perspective that has been great.
I've been out most weekends but otherwise I've been gathering what I've seen on various detours to and from work. I'm seeing lots of species that always do well here (parasols, horse mushrooms, fairy ring mushrooms and inedible mushrooms like yellow stainers and roll rims) but also species like lurid and pink cracking boletes that rarely thrive here. And loads of russulas too. Here's my basket from the weekend gone...
But of course alongside all the tasties are many that you maybe oughtn't be eating. Death caps and other amanitas have been around in surprising numbers, for example. And the profusion of yellow stainers could almost be infuriating...
Years line this aren't frequent here in Cambridge so I've filled up my dried mushroom stocks, and we'll make the most of this while it lasts. If you ARE going to have a go at mushrooming and you haven't done so before please find someone locally who's enthusiastic about the subject, someone who knows their stuff, and see if they'll take you on a walk. Its well worth it.
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