Mushroom question

[ekinoderminator]

Blewitts are delicioso. I have read the mycelium of a blewitt can fruit as much as 16 times per year. Also, they are transplantable.

 

[foxfish]

The Wood Blewitts I collect appear every year around now & dont stop fruiting until January.
They are very abundant in isolated areas.
Field Blewitts should also be appearing but I haven't found any yet...(very common in the English midlands or so I read)

 

[ekinoderminator]

I went up in the hills yesterday and collected a nice assortment of Fall fungi - butter boletes, queen boletes and coccora.

 

[ekinoderminator]

I have been pounding the chanterelles!
recent mushroom hunts...

 

[ReefTroll]

I possibly know less about mushrooms than I know about anything, but I DO love swiss brown mushrooms from our local markets cooked up in butter and rolled in a salt and pepper mix!

 

[foxfish]

ekinoderminator, you must have some great hunting ground around your way!!

I am still collecting blewitts in fact there were field blewitts on my lawn yesterday.

Troll. I am afraid I dont know Swiss brown mushrooms, there must be a alternative name, do you think they are collected from the wild?

 

[ReefTroll]

I honestly can't guarantee that is what they are called! But they ARE sold by a couple of rather cute swiss girls. So that part is technically important.
They're just rather generic mushrooms actually. I will be getting some this Saturday hopefully to cook for my dad, so I can post a photo up and have them actually identified.

 

[Lazuli]

Interesting to see the foraging pastimes we freedivers and spearos share. My good lady is really into mushroom hunting and this year we have managed to eat parasols, beefsteak fungus (Amazing!), Chanterelles and wood blewits. Blewits in a beef bourgignon are just sublime. Here are some images of our finds this year:

"Hen of the Woods" fungus:

HUGE Oyster mushroom and some Blewits:

 

[Lazuli]

Today we were driving down a country lane and spotted these beautiful (if not a bit frozen) Blewits :friday

Yum!

 

[ekinoderminator]

Nice Blewitts Lazuli! Here are some chanterelles I picked on Saturday. I think between myself and the two other guys I was with we collected about 100 pounds. It was a fabulous day. The highlight was the remarkable discovery of a grouping of dwarf oaks that, only 18 inches tall and 3 feet in diameter, were so packed with chanterelles. I estimate one of them had nearly 10 pounds under it! Keying scrub oaks can be difficult but I must key those and collect seeds.

Here are the Chanterelles....

 

[foxfish]

I would love to see a pic of those oaks!!!?
In fact a pic of your hunting ground would be great.

 

[ReefTroll]

Good grief, what a haul!!!

My mushroom stall wasn't open.

 

[ekinoderminator]

I would love to see a pic of those oaks!!!?
In fact a pic of your hunting ground would be great.

I will be going back wed. to take complete notes and get pics. I have some botanist friends that specialize in California Flora that will help in the identity. It was the epitomy of mycorrhizal saymbiosus - A beautifully bonzai'ed very old oak tree/shrub, 3 feet in diameter with 10 pounds of fresh chanterelles nestled at it's feet. It may be Quercus dumosa but actually the leaves are so much like Q. agrifolia. In retrospect I wish I had maintained my wits and video taped the entire harvest from that tree because in 30+ years of hunting chanterelles I have never seen such a display. I'll post photos of the oaks on Wed. and while I'm there I hope to find more just like it.

 

[foxfish]

That would be great - chanterelles for Christmas too!

 

[ekinoderminator]

I went back and found that the dwarfed oaks I spoke of were well represented throughout that area. I sent samples to an expert on California Oaks and he is convinced it is either a variation of Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifoilia) or there is some environmental influence making them small. That will be followed up on. I continued my assault upon Cantharellus cibarius where I left off and ended up with an epic harvest. I'll be going back Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to continue with this great season of chanterelle hunting. The area is just north of the Golden Gate in Marin County.

 

[SurfnSpear]

Foxfish....these ones are all over that headland I took you for a walk along....any ideas what they are?
Merry Mushrooms!

 

[foxfish]

Yes mate, field Blewits.
I would hate to give you a false ID but a good book would confirm that is what they are, very good eating too.

 

[ekinoderminator]

SF BAy Area chanterelle season continues to be strong and early - typically it peaks in Feb. I also loaded up on some queen boletes at a spot that is a bit of an anomaly. Candy Caps have been coming on strong as well.

 

[HEDS]

Interesting , the chantrelle is familiar to me - there are a few places where it grew on the island here , but i havent seen one for years now.

 

[foxfish]

I think Scotland is the only real strong hold of the chantrelle in the UK although it can be found all over Britain.
I have never even seen pictures like ekinoderminators amazing catches!
Locale chantrelle sell for £8.50 lb