Fantastic organised foraging day

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Fantastic organised foraging day

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nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Sun Oct 09, 05 10:20 pm Post subject: Fantastic organised foraging day

At last, I got to meet up with people as mad as me!

Have been on "Find and feast on fungi" today - where the basics of foraging for, and identifying, mushrooms was explained, followed by a rootle around in the woods, and cooking our lovely haul, all done at the Visitor Centre at Thorndon Countryside Park.

An excellent day - aimed at beginners but with something there for more experienced folks too. I learned about symbiosis with certain trees, to always forage with a stick to look under brambles and bracken, and to clean and trim the identified mushrooms before popping them cap side down in your bracken-lined basket. Any unidentified ones were left intact and put in a separate basket before i.d-ing.

We found shaggy parasols, amethyst deceivers, a huge amount of bay boletes, slippery jacks, field mushrooms, wood blewits, yellow russulas, and of course the ever present blushers, red-cracking boletes, brown roll-rims and lots of different mycenae and clitocybes.

I found my first ever boletus edulis (wow!!) and tried common puffballs for the first time, although I don't think I'll bother with them again! All the edibles were lovingly cooked up with a variety of herbs and spices (the lady that ran it, Pat, even made a bay bolete risotto!) and we were allowed to take the unused shrooms home with us.

A very satisfying day, which resulted in me going back to my own "patch" and really getting my eye in, finding loads more bay and peppery boletes as a result.

If you can find an organised forage or similar near you, then do give it a try. It's much nicer foraging in company (says she who was on the course with three off duty police officers!!)

2steps

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 5349
Location: Surrey

Posted: Mon Oct 10, 05 8:51 am Post subject:
sounds excellent. How did you find out about that? Would love to go on something like that near me

Lozzie

Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 2595

Posted: Mon Oct 10, 05 10:06 am Post subject:
Sounds like you had a wonderful day. I am rifling thourgh the phone book now for the telephone numbers for our local country parks, to see if they do the same sort of thing (I have never seen them advertised ) and if not, why not???

RoryD

Joined: 02 Jun 2005
Posts: 692
Location: West Yorkshire

Posted: Mon Oct 10, 05 10:30 am Post subject:
Sounds fantastic. Does anyone know of something similar in the yorkshire/lancs area?

Lozzie

Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 2595

Posted: Mon Oct 10, 05 10:33 am Post subject:

2steps wrote:

sounds excellent. How did you find out about that? Would love to go on something like that near me

2steps - I have just been exploring the Forestry Commission's website here:

https://www.forestry.gov.uk/england

I have found two fungi walks near me THIS MONTH ALONE!

2steps

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 5349
Location: Surrey

Posted: Mon Oct 10, 05 12:57 pm Post subject:
Great! thanks

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Mon Oct 10, 05 5:31 pm Post subject:
It was organised as one of the Essex Wildlife Trust's many courses, if you have a similar organisation in your area then it may be worth asking. This particular one was mentioned in the editorial of the what's on guide in the local paper.

Res

Joined: 07 Apr 2005
Posts: 1172
Location: Allotment Shed, Harlow

Posted: Mon Oct 10, 05 5:32 pm Post subject:
It doesnt list anything at all for east anglia!!!! Would like to have gone to the one nettie went to, but had conflict of interests Not having much luck

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Mon Oct 10, 05 5:45 pm Post subject:
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/living_environment/open_spaces/epping_forest.htm Take a look at their newsletter Res, there's a fungi walk coming up on the 23rd.

Mat S

Joined: 07 Nov 2004
Posts: 282
Location: Leicester

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 05 4:19 pm Post subject:

2steps wrote:

sounds excellent. How did you find out about that? Would love to go on something like that near me

I'm booked in for the fungus foray at clumber park on the 21st. Clumber is near Retford and Worksop so not that far from you. Cost? £2.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-events/w-events-find_event.htm?propertyID=86

Pilsbury

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 5645
Location: East london/Essex

Posted: Sat Oct 15, 05 2:12 pm Post subject:
I am book on to the forage for tomorrow at Thorndon. thanks for the tip and hopefully I will have as good a day as you did.

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