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PeteS

Joined: 06 Dec 2006
Posts: 874
Location: Hampshire

Posted: Sun Nov 01, 09 9:56 am Post subject: Weekends Mushrooms
Parasol Mushrooms, Chanterelles, Slippery Jacks, basket full of Ceps (yawwwn...), Field Mushrooms, a huge Cauliflower Fungus, Fairy Rings and a few Amethyst Deceivers. The Cauliflower Fungus is the best I've found since 2006. What a great season!

jp

Joined: 09 Nov 2006
Posts: 302
Location: Salisbury, Wiltshire

Posted: Sun Nov 01, 09 3:54 pm Post subject:
Fantastic haul Pete the mushroom seasons seems to be ending with a bang - all this mild wet weather I guess after a dry few weeks.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Sun Nov 01, 09 5:56 pm Post subject:
Checked several of my regular paraol spots, agaricus spots, blewit spots, puffball spots... Found nothing. Worst season. Ever.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35056
Location: Devon

Posted: Sun Nov 01, 09 6:01 pm Post subject:
Not much here either. Certainly worse than the last two years.

ros

Joined: 19 Jul 2005
Posts: 2469
Location: Beds

Posted: Sun Nov 01, 09 6:42 pm Post subject:
the only 'shrooms I've seen locally have been of the magic variety and I think I've got a bit too old and sensible for those

jp

Joined: 09 Nov 2006
Posts: 302
Location: Salisbury, Wiltshire

Posted: Mon Nov 02, 09 8:07 pm Post subject:

It is strange how this season has seen such very varied mushroom foraging fortunes depending on where you are located. I guess that that is always the case from country to country, where gross weather differences will play a part. But I'm surprised at the huge variation within the UK - even in regions not that far apart. Cab near Cambridge has had an awful season but PeteS in the New Forest seems to have had (continuing to have!) a bumper season. Is this normal do you suppose?

PeteS

Joined: 06 Dec 2006
Posts: 874
Location: Hampshire

Posted: Tue Nov 03, 09 8:54 am Post subject:

My trusty basket got so packed with Ceps that the handle snapped!

I have noticed that even around here (where it's been good since July) certain normally good areas have been poor whereas a normally average spot, sometimes just 1km so away, has been excellent. As for Ceps (which many people seem to go barmy over) - to have them fruit for almost 4 months, like they did down in the New Forest, is exceptional.

The other thing with this is how fast things have come up. The latest fruiting of Ceps wasn't there last week and yet some are massive. In fact Ceps are the most common mushroom at the moment. I am finding them whenever I go out and in places I haven't seen them before. Generally this has been typical. Cauliflower fungus did this too - they were up, out and past it before you could blink.

JP - I have some Chicken of the Woods in my freezer. Let me know if you want it but no rush.

bubble

Joined: 13 Apr 2008
Posts: 960

Posted: Tue Nov 03, 09 9:18 am Post subject:
the same here in Thetford forest its choc -a -block with ceps but only in the last week,with beech and oak and now with sweet chestnut.Also lots of slipperys ,clouded agaric ,false chanties ame. deceivers just popping up.I gave the season up Peter but you were right its brilliant.We picked nothing for about 8-10weeks.

jp

Joined: 09 Nov 2006
Posts: 302
Location: Salisbury, Wiltshire

Posted: Tue Nov 03, 09 8:18 pm Post subject:

Quote:

JP - I have some Chicken of the Woods in my freezer. Let me know if you want it but no rush.

Thanks Pete - I had not forgotten, its just that having recently got back from Canada & then the Lake District I've been rushed of my feet catching up! I much appreciate you hanging on to the CoW & will PM you as soon as I know when I can get away.

I like Ceps - & other Boletes like the Orange Birch Bolete & Scarletina Bolete - partly because they taste good, but also because they seem to dry so well for storage. Virtually all my dry shrooms are boletes of one sort or another. I love Cauliflower fungus on the rare occasions I've found them, but as you say they are there & gone before you know it. Giant Puffballs I like too but they don't seem to dry at all well so you eat loads for 2 or 3 days when you find a patch & that's it for another year!

mihto

Joined: 03 Feb 2008
Posts: 3273
Location: West coast of Norway

Posted: Tue Nov 03, 09 8:23 pm Post subject:
I have dried hedgehogs for the first time this year but they are a huge letdown. What do you people do with hedgehogs?

PeteS

Joined: 06 Dec 2006
Posts: 874
Location: Hampshire

Posted: Tue Nov 03, 09 11:50 pm Post subject:

bubble wrote:

the same here in Thetford forest its choc -a -block with ceps but only in the last week,with beech and oak and now with sweet chestnut.Also lots of slipperys ,clouded agaric ,false chanties ame. deceivers just popping up.I gave the season up Peter but you were right its brilliant.We picked nothing for about 8-10weeks.

I think that the very, very slight frost we had about two weeks ago followed by rain brought them up. Today I also found Wood Blewits and quite a nuumber of Bay Boletes. For lunch I had Blewits plus Ceps - you don't often get these together fresh! However, the real disappointment this season has been hedgehog fungus. Last season there was loads but hardly any this year. Mind you, there is still time!

PeteS

Joined: 06 Dec 2006
Posts: 874
Location: Hampshire

Posted: Tue Nov 03, 09 11:54 pm Post subject:

jp wrote:

Quote:

JP - I have some Chicken of the Woods in my freezer. Let me know if you want it but no rush.

No problem JP, just let me know.

Horn of Plenty dries really well. In my view It's one of the best mushrooms to dry. However, this season I only found a small amount and had them fresh.

PeteS

Joined: 06 Dec 2006
Posts: 874
Location: Hampshire

Posted: Tue Nov 03, 09 11:57 pm Post subject:

mihto wrote:

I have dried hedgehogs for the first time this year but they are a huge letdown. What do you people do with hedgehogs?

Yes, it doesn't really dry well at all. I preserve mine by freezung in butter (works great) or I make a duxelle and freeze that. In my experience hedgehog fungus makes an excellent duxelle.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Wed Nov 04, 09 8:34 am Post subject:
Finally shrooms appearing here!

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Thu Nov 05, 09 11:06 am Post subject:
Field blewits, Agaricus, Agrocybe cylindracea, and shaggy parasols (Macrolepiota rhacodes var. procera) from yesterdays lunch time cycle ride.

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