Autumn is a truly magical time, with the leaves turning golden, red and brown, acorns falling and - my favourite - mushrooms popping up everywhere. Mushrooms have always been a huge inspiration to me, they have complex systems underground connecting and making way for all life on earth. Some you can eat, some will kill you, some you can use for many other things - its a really magical kingdom of nature. This poem by Neil Gaiman is one of my all time favourites and the animation to go with it is just beautiful. It helps me remember that we all started with a much simpler life and it is important for us to get back in touch with that, and take slow walks in the woods, hunting for mushrooms and autumn berries.
We have already had a surprisingly large amount of mushrooms popping up at the garden and I felt particularly lucky to discover this beautiful example of the life cycle of the shaggy ink cap last weekend. Shaggy ink caps are edible when they first come up - delicious fried with garlic and butter - but can also be used to make ink when they start to turn.
Shaggy ink caps are a great first mushroom to forage as there is only one other mushroom which looks similar - Magpie Fungus- but is quite distinguishable as the ink cap has white scales on white whereas the magpie has white scales on black. However, always remember when foraging that if you're not 100% sure what it is don't eat it! Shaggy ink caps can be found growing in grass verges next to roads and paths and in lawns and fields. Be sure to eat them the day you pick them to avoid them turning and creating ink, although if you want to use them to make ink simply allow them to dissolve into the black ink and boil will a little water and some cloves then use for painting, drawing and even staining wood!
Another beautiful and easy to find edible mushroom is the amethyst deciever, commonly found in sandy soil around beech and oak trees, if you find a good spot for them you'll be sure to find a bunch! Easily identifiable by the fact that their cap, gills and stem are all an amazing purple colour. They can become a little more difficult to identify as they get older as they turn a more brown/grey colour so if you're uncertain only pick the brightly coloured ones. These can absorb a small amount of arsenic from the ground which can give some people a funny tummy so if it is your first time eating them just start with a few - as you should with all wild mushrooms! These have quite a mellow taste and rubbery texture and also unfortunately lose their colour when cooked, nevertheless they are an exciting forage!
Foraging can become an exciting and useful skill in addition to growing your own food however you do have to be careful as there are plenty of mushrooms and other foragables which can cause stomach upsets (and worse!) so please if you are not certain on identification DO NOT EAT. The best way to build confidence is to go on a foraging course so you can see experienced and knowledgable people show you what is edible and which things could easily decieve you!
And remember even if you don't feel ready for an edible forage there are lots of exciting things you can do, from taking photos and building fairy houses around mushrooms to making spore prints and ink! Happy foraging!
