[cab]

Oh Hils! And you a lass up in Nottingham!

If there's one muushroom that defines Nottinhgham, it's the field blewit (or 'bluey', or 'bluebutton'). If there are two, the next one is the wood blweit.

Field blewits grow profusely around Nottingham in late autumn and through winter; I've had them from October through to February in the city. The wood blewit fruits sporadically in the same period, but it's less common.

Ask some of the old timers (if you've got any good old Nottinghamites down at your alltoment site) to tell you about blueys.

[cab]

I'll let you know when I see any Lepista.

[cab]

Good luck

I remember picking blewits in a field in the university one morning, I was down on my knees processing them (cutting the bases of the stems off with a small knife), when in the corner of my eye I could see movement... A copper had wandered over to see what I was doing. Bugger, I thought, here's me handling a knife, am I in for it? Turns out he wanted to tell me all about his grans recipe for blueys, which turned out to be the same recipe everyone elses gran used for blueys in Nottingham... This one:

http://cabd0.tripod.com/cabsmushroompage/id13.html

[cab]

Pictures of both on this page:

http://cabd0.tripod.com/cabsmushroompage/id20.html

The field blewit has a purple stem and a brown top, the wood blewit is more purple all over, going almost tan as it ages.

Both are very good to eat, the field blewit being meatier, the wood blewit being more aromatic.

[cab]

Yeah, somewhat more pale than the rest of the shroom. Beautiful things.

Do the spore print, it's really pretty.