| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| bubble |
ceps at lastWent out today and got a nice lot of ceps and parasols
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| vegplot |
lovely photo | ||||
| bubble |
do you think so ;my wife took them as I was foraying ;plenty more
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| mihto |
Where is the emoticon for "green with envy?" We live under different climatic circumstances. Pictures like those posted could not be made here. They are absolutely gorgeous and my mouth waters with greed. Lucky you! Well done! |
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| bubble |
more
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| bubble |
[some of] todays haul plus spotty the LADYBIRD
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| mochyn |
mihto: if you find that emoticon, may I borrow it? | ||||
| mihto |
Suggestions:  
No emoticon can cover those mixed feelings of pure pleasure, greed, naked envy, deep, primeaval soul hunger and estetic delight. bubble, we need some receipes next 
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| wipka84 |
Those are some cracking pics and hauls.
I spotted some shaggy parasols and some Horse Mushrooms today in different places, when I went to take a closer look at the shaggies there were some small mushroom still with caps tight that looked ‘similar’ to ceps, very thick stems which were white, brow caps and the stem when cut turned orangey red, anyone know what these were? Didn’t pick any but they caught my eye when I saw the parasols. |
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| bubble |
0k they are forthcoming [the recipes],for the mushies not spotty, its getting late and I have to dry a lot of the mushrooms. | ||||
| bubble |
wipka ,they are probably baby shaggy parasols, got any pics? | ||||
| vegplot |
where abouts are you bubble? | ||||
| bubble |
I live in Suffolk | ||||
| maryf |
Wow - havn't found any as good as these in my bit of Suffolk - are you going to let me into your secret! | ||||
| mihto |
Mushroom places are secrets of ones heart
Welcome, maryf! |
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| wipka84 |
Of course Bubbles, that makes perfect sense. Me not thinking properly. Thanks. | ||||
| PeteS |
At last?! I've been picking them every week since July  While out today I meet a guy (Russian I think) that had a basket the size of Bingo's full of Ceps. I know that Bingo says he can get 10kg in his old basket. I would say that that was about how much he had!
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| bubble |
This info is in one of my earlier posts.The secret of succesful mushroom hunting is patience ,perseverance tenacity and a whopping big helping of optimism!!!Ceps are found in this country with five trees oak beech birch pine and sweet chestnut.They are found with individual trees ,warm wood edges and woods in block , if they are open enough they can be regarded as an edge!!!In thetford forest there is continuous cropping of the conifers which clears areas and creates edges often of the right trees ,these areas will produce for a few years and when the new conifers are about 10-15 yrs they stop producing .Allow me to say it again the secret to good mushroom hunting is'nt beeing put into good areas its knowing how and when and where to look.If some of you in suffolk norfolk cambs want to form a small group organise youselves and let me know.Adio for now. 
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| Stewy |
Here's my little "haul" from this morning.......
Nearly fell over this big fella!!! 
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| jp |
Nice haul & good pics Bubble. I have never had that much luck finding ceps - usually just one or two small ones infested with maggots - that is until yesterday....
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...when I hit the jackpot! Loads of ceps - some quite large - plus Orange Birch Boletes, some nice Oysters, Brown Birch Boletes & one or two others. Close to 3Kg in all. Thought I had done well, but decided to go for another look today... [img]  [/img]
Started finding Ceps everywhere - loads of them. Found a patch of 7 or 8. Everywhere I went, more ceps, & some where huge. [img]  [/img]
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Found so many they were overflowing my basket, & I was carrying the basket & armfuls of Ceps & more Orange Birch Boletes back to the car! [img]  [/img]
The final haul was about 5 Kg.
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| maryf |
I must go down to the woods tomorrow | ||||
| bubble |
sunday morn haul + spotty the ladybird [not the same as fridays!!!
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| bubble |
spotty [better pic]
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| bubble |
sure its turning out to be a brilliant year for some species these are the first haul from 7'oclock to 8'oclock today, there is aga. silvicola a few lepista nuda [wood blewits]and ceppies.Spotty is on holiday this is Smudge the ladybird.
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| bubble |
secrets of successful mushroom hunting ,got first lot above this morn and I set for home;on way I thought to myself lets stop at this block beech wood where i'd never picked anything good before.I walked about 600 yards thought of quitting but went just a little further ;I began to see a shaft of sunlight left to right going into an area of beech 30yards by perhaps 80;I went in beeing very careful with my size 10 feet and got 14 lovely ceps and I now have another area to myself.If i'd got nothing till then just these would have been enough for a brilliant day.These are all from that area.PS got these from 8.15 to 9'oclock this morn
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| wipka84 |
some of them are huge.
Thats amazing and certainly show that persistence is well rewarded. Good luck for the rest of the season!! |
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| Stewy |
I see that you don't cut your mushrooms bubble, any reason for this? Obviously I'm not a mycologist so don't really know if any damage is done to the mycelium but personally I prefer to cut and clean as best as possible in the field (or woods!!) as it were, if nothing else it makes it a hell of a lot easier to clean them when you get home.......... | ||||
| bubble |
cut or not cut I don't think it makes any difference ,listen to your field experiences and learn and forget about theories from mycologists or books. Books are ok to start with or as a reference but none of them really tell you the real ways of finding mushrooms . | ||||
| jp |
Crickey bubble - another amazing collection!
I think you get a feel for where to look for different types of shroom - I'm only just starting to recognise where to look for Ceps for example. At the weekend I searched in the very heart of the New Forest - deep woodland - & only found one or two smallish Ceps. Whereas the main haul was from a more open, slightly scrubby, woodland not far from a path, but with the same trees around (oak & beech) as the depths of the forest. The really successful folk I'm sure have the knack of instinctively homing in on the right type of location for the type of shroom they are after. Comes from experience I guess. I not sure it makes any difference if you cut or pull whole from the ground. The mycelium must be resiliant enough to cope with either scenario, which it will encounter due to natural causes. It is quite possible for the fruit body to be knocked over (by an animal for example) - equivalent to picking whole from the ground. Similarly, if you cut at the base, you leave a portion of the fruit body stem to rot away - analagous to letting the whole thing rot away naturally once its shed its spores or an animal eating it. I usually cut a mushroom where I am confident in its identification & want it for the pot, & want to minimise the amount of dirt, leaves etc I collect too. Whereas I would pick it whole if I'm unsure & want to see all its features to ensure an accurate ID. |
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| mihto |
If you cut a mushroom you leave a trail for all to see. Even if you have cleared out the site others will know that this is a place to come back to.
As a mushroom gatherer I leave as little trail as possible. I study animal tracks and keep away from putting my foot into muddy areas. The least we are spotted the better. Green clad ghosts in the forest. |
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| jp |
Indeed you do Mihto - however, I simply cover up the cut stump with a handfull of leaves so to the casual observer there would be no sign that there was ever a tasty shroom there 
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| Stewy |
Me too or a dirty boot does the job........
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| bubble |
I used to cover my tracks at very hot locations in the past but I have so many spots now I always have somewhere ,as built in insurance, to pick,and in a lot of these areas my only competition is squirrels and deer!!!The reason I have so many spots is mainly because a long lost cousin of mine taught me who was brought on by Italians and also because I go out a lot casing and memorising likely spots. .Enough said .Read my instructions carefully and try and get a feel for nature and countryside using experience and instinct.Adio for now. | ||||
| bubble |
some pics from this morning typical cep ground beech oak and sweet chestnut.Little ollie[ the dog he is Norfolk terrier cross] is helping!!He has a bit of a taste for deer poo but it has to be fresh!!!
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| bubble |
more pics
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| Tasters |
Thank youJust wanted to say thank you to Bubbles for the lovely mushrooms when we meet you in the Forest today. Nice to see you again. G and T |
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| bubble |
they just keep coming up!!!!
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| bingo |
I found a lot of Ceps today.
2 of them where 1kilo each and still in good order. |
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| Jamanda |
Wow! I've still never ever found one 
Just as an aside. Surely clearing a site completely isn't a very good idea? |
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| bingo |
No it's not, should always try and leave some, in a lot of cases with Ceps though you will find a couple of over blown full grown jobbies that has done there job among a troop of nice little ones. | ||||
| jp |
I was out again yesterday lunchtime & found huge numbers of Ceps, Orange Birch Boletes & Scarletina Boletes again. Like Bingo, a couple were 1Kg in weight & in good condition apart from a few slug nibbles (no maggots). Found about 15 kg in all. Also noticed the lack of Hedghogs this year too - the few I found were also poor. Found plenty that were overblown & beyond edible - also plenty of small ones coming up...
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| Stewy |
Had a nice walk up the woods this morning........
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| mihto |
I went for a walk through some of my favourite mushroom places today. Not a stich: absolutely nothing. Maybe the weather is too cold or maybe there is too little light.
Our mushroom season is definitely over. One somewhat rude question: what the H..ll are you people doing with all these ceps? You cannot possibly eat them all? 
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| Stewy |
I'll mostly be drying mine although I am having some for dinner tonight and have given my girlfriends dad a couple.
My goal this season is to fill this jar to last me to next year but I'm not sure that I'll get there........... 
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| RichardW |
Some nice finds there. Two questions
1, What do you do with such large hauls? 2, Why pick all those ones that look, well half eaten already by some thing slugish? |
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| mihto |
The slugs are our friends! They eat the little worms which totally ruin our lovely ceps. Cutting off the slug-eaten bits is nothing! |
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| bubble |
todays photos
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| Jamanda |
Now those ones I can find plenty of. Mario mushrooms
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| sean |
Indeed. If those, Clouded Funnels and Earthballs were valuable I'd own my own small country by now. | ||||
| bubble |
now then mandy ,if you can find plenty of those you should be able to find ceps!!!They usually grow in the same areas.
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| jp |
I am drying most of my Boletes - should have my jars filled for the mushroom free months. Don't forget mushrooms are 95% water so they shrink hugely in the drying process. Having some with various meals. Also done a large batch of soup which is frozen.
A little slug nibbling is not a problem - maggots are much worse & a bad infestation means throwing the shroom away. Fortunately this late in the year the maggots are few if at all. I like your pictures of the Amanitas Bubble. I saw plenty while on my recent foraging trips & they are spectacularly beautiful - & sometimes found near Ceps too as you say. |
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| bubble |
todays photos of where' the deer and the antelope play'
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| bubble |
more pics
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| bubble |
todays haul,first lot bay boletes is breakfast today,second is dinner today and third are for drying.Bit cold in the forest today fog and a 'touch of frost'.
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| Minamoo |
STOP POSTING PICS OF CEPS! It's not fair.I haven't found even one yet. 
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| bubble |
those bays were lovely ,just sauteed in good olive oil ,salt and pepper and three teaspoons of my homemade chilli sauce[chilli garlic, tomatoes little wine vinegar] and fresh toast ,no herbs ,no eggs.A little parmesan or halloumi would have made it a royal dish.I love their slimy texture ,my wife hates it!!!
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| bingo |
Nice mushrooms Bubble.......horrible slice of bread. 
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| bubble |
why is it horrible bingo ,it tasted nice ,is it because it has 'nt got any butter on it?
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| bingo |
A mushroom of such quality deserves something a little more worthy than the white slice IMO.
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| bubble |
its from my local bakers not tes..s,but you are right I make much better than that in the breadmaker.Next time I make Cypriot olive bread i'll post pics and recipe!
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| bubble |
this is to PeterS, jp , bingo ;are you finding that ceps in their cropping are a bit like runner beans;in other words new areas I discover where the ceps are old-well gone over- when I find them ,they subsequently produce very few ceps;but areas I catch at the beginning of the flush and crop time and time again produce the most ceps.Are you finding this as well? | ||||
| cab |
Usually true for most Boletus, I find. |
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| bubble |
thanks cab,here is stuff found today,big daddy first and second then tricholoma terreum,in with slippery jacks
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| bubble |
these are' Verdigris agaric' ,Stropharia aeruginosa,close up of Tric. terreum and Pluteus petasitus?
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| cab |
Lyophyllum decastes? |
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| bubble |
no cab I know well and have eaten lyophyllum decastes many times ,this a very large mushroom,its definately pluteus ....get the experts opinion and i'll let you know.Heres another pic
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| cab |
Oh, I didn't have the sense of scale from that first pic.
Spore print is always very useful for Pluteus of course. |
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| Stewy |
Found a few more today, hopefully if the weather holds we might get a couple more weeks of fruiting...........
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| bubble |
probably pluteus cervinus | ||||
| cab |
I've never found P. cervinus growing in such clumps like that. Smaller clumps of a couple often enough, most often on dead wood. Is it woodchips they're on there? | ||||
| bubble |
yes a big heap of them,loads of sulphyr tufts as well | ||||
| cab |
One of the great injustices of foraging is that you can't eat sulphur tufts
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| jp |
Hear hear - even on a bad year there are loads around! |
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| bubble |
three of todays stars are[one pic has two]
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| bubble |
what about this Bingo,tonights tea,bay boletes ,ceps, red onion ,good olive oil ,parsley with spaghetti and garnish with fresh cep,parsley ,parmesan and a little[more than a drizzle]of olive oil.
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| bingo |
Very nice.
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| bubble |
looks like a 'Blue Riband 'year in the forest,we should name it the year of the CEP.Listen very carefully little mushie hunters ,I shall only say this once;two of us between 3 and 4 o' clock,picked some[filled up baskets, cap, hood ]stopped picking and we estimated there must have been between 300 and 500 ceps at diff. stages of growth in an area about 100 by 500 yards,about 10 acres.Coul'nt do a proper count because of the light!!!I'll keep you posted, the number might be more.
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| jp |
Good lord - er, do you need some help picking them
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| fatboy |
Well Bubble, that was some foray! Never before have I had so many ceps that the only way to carry them was to 'wear' the excess in my hood. As I recall you had to fill your hat, too. I had to chuck a couple of soggy legs when I got them in the light, but most of them were good and are being dried, frozen, eaten..... Cracking spot! The blewits are destined for a game casserole tomorrow. Hmmm, blewits
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| bubble |
the final number was, together with yesterdays and todays pickings, about 340, most of which were 'shot',deer leftovers!!!heres a few piccies
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| bubble |
more pics,aga. placomyces ,the wood yellow stainer,notice the yellow and the little roots
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| fatboy |
Bubble, Were there any more there this morning in the light? And don't tell me you you didn't go back. | ||||
| bubble |
I did go back there today fatboy, got about 10 , theres a lot of damage . | ||||
| jp |
Got any pics of the haul - must look impressive? | ||||
| bubble |
did'nt get a large haul from the 340 mentioned only about 40 were any good,others were shot [see pics and read post carefully],we found them a bit late!!!!
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| cab |
Staggering number of suillus growing locally at the moment. I usually find very few of them in Cambridge, but the drier is going to be running on todays haul for days. | ||||
| bubble |
if you are still after them cab I can tell you where you can go and fill your car[sorry it sould be bike ] full, as many kilos as you like!!!! | ||||
| cab |
Gahh! Don't tempt me. I haven't got time to get out of town any distance till next weekend... THEN I've got my eye on a regular spot I know up near Thetford
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| bubble |
todays foray,one man, his mushrooms and his dog
 these were used for sundays meal aga. silvicola,blewits,bays and ceps
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| slippery Jack |
I have been tramping the woods of South Wales, deciduous and conifer, for the last month without a signe of a Cep, or indeed bolete of any description: Perhaps it's down to former industrial air pollution as habitats look OK.
Have howver found huge quantities of Clouded Agarics which I thought were dodgy for eating, but have seen a comment somewhere on this site that they are OK. Can anyone enlighten me |
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| cab |
Some older guides list clouded agarics as okay, but modern texts usually warn against eating them. As such, I wouldn't recommend that you eat them. I do very occasionally eat them, as does my partner, because we've been eating them since before we discovered they were toxic and, thus far, we're still doing okay. I've seen them for sale as an edible mushroom once or twice. |
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| bubble |
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| PeteS |
Down here in the New Forest I have been finding Ceps almost daily from the 27th July. I was amazed that other parts of the country had nothing (or very little) during August, September and much of October. This year, for some reason, it's obvious that there's been a huge variation across the country in numbers and timing of fruiting fungi. I am sure it's nothing to do with industrial air pollution etc but more down to bad luck in your part of the world. It could also be that you had Ceps in July - my patches that fruited in July have long since burnt out. However, I am lucky in that other spots that did NOT fruit then have been showing themselves recently. Most of my recent finds have been in pine and birch! I believe that in South Wales you had another wet summer - wetter than in Hampshire. Ceps hate a wet summer. |
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| slippery Jack |
Thanks for advice re Clouded Agarics, cab. Don't think I'll try them though they do look beautiful.
Re lack of Ceps, as mentioned by PeteS, July and August were indeed very wet (though it did not bring salmon into the rivers in any quantity which is very worrying), but September pretty warm and dry. As for now - webbed feet are the order of the day, we will see what happens when and if it dries up.! |
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| bubble |
afternoon walk with doggie and came across tomorrows dinner plus a few to dry
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