Any foragers on here?
Discussion
I like a bit of foraging every now and then and high on the list are Ceps / Porchini when I can find them. They are quite common in certain parts of Scotland, which is where we live.
I had convinced myself that this season was a wash out after finding only a few here and there over the last 6 weeks.
How wrong can you be? Went for a walk last Friday and where there had been hardly anything in the previous weeks there were Ceps everywhere!
Went back with a bag and this was the result.
We have been out every day since and each time we find more. Today's haul must have been over 10kg - of good ones too. The dehydrator that had been gathering dust pretty much since we bought it is now working overtime.
To be honest the excitement is wearing off now and I'm getting a bit bored cleaning and drying the things!
Anyone else on here like a good forage every now and then? If so what do you go hunting for?
Our list includes Ceps, Gooseberries, Wood sorrel, watercress (incredible secret spot!) wild Garlic and of course rasberries etc. I have grand plans to expand in to fish but frankly I know nothing about fishing. Have a coupe of cheap spinning rods bought for a coastal camping trip but only caught a few small ones.
Any other suggestions?
TD
I had convinced myself that this season was a wash out after finding only a few here and there over the last 6 weeks.
How wrong can you be? Went for a walk last Friday and where there had been hardly anything in the previous weeks there were Ceps everywhere!
Went back with a bag and this was the result.
We have been out every day since and each time we find more. Today's haul must have been over 10kg - of good ones too. The dehydrator that had been gathering dust pretty much since we bought it is now working overtime.
To be honest the excitement is wearing off now and I'm getting a bit bored cleaning and drying the things!
Anyone else on here like a good forage every now and then? If so what do you go hunting for?
Our list includes Ceps, Gooseberries, Wood sorrel, watercress (incredible secret spot!) wild Garlic and of course rasberries etc. I have grand plans to expand in to fish but frankly I know nothing about fishing. Have a coupe of cheap spinning rods bought for a coastal camping trip but only caught a few small ones.
Any other suggestions?
TD
Just the usual stuff really, blackberries and sloes. The mushrooms look yummy. I've had them before, from the supermarket, if you were picking them out in the wild are there any similar looking mushrooms that will make you ill / kill you? Always quite wary of picking any mushrooms as if you get the wrong one even a little bit of it is deadly.
C0ffin D0dger said:
I've had them before, from the supermarket, if you were picking them out in the wild are there any similar looking mushrooms that will make you ill / kill you? Always quite wary of picking any mushrooms as if you get the wrong one even a little bit of it is deadly.
Boletus species are relatively safe. There's only one UK species likely to make you ill, it won't kill you, and it's rare. A few of them that are unpleasant/worthless to eat, but nothing properly dangerous. If you take the trouble to identify them correctly and also stick to species which cannot be reasonably confused with anything dangerous, it's pretty safe. Having said that, the party that nearly died and needed kidney transplants a few years back thought they were picking ceps and were picking deadly web caps. Ceps, like all boletes, have pores under the cap rather than gills. Like this;
This is what they ate;
That is such an elementary mistake. If you can't spot that, you've no business eating wild mushrooms!
I'm interested in foraging, I've done it since I was young and as far as I know, it's been passed down the generations in my family since the beginning of time. Mushrooms, nuts, fruit for jam, fish, shellfish, snaring rabbits (not any more) etc.
Having recently bought a few acres of Scottish Borders hillside and looking for something different to do with the land, we're seriously thinking of trying to establish an 'edible forest'. Large pond,stocked with fish and edible marginals in the shallows, a plantation of fruit and nut trees interspersed with other useful trees such as silver birch, and underplanted with brambles, raspberries etc. We already have good numbers of raspberies, blaeberries, field mushrooms, pignuts etc. We might even consider introducing pigs and semi wild game birds to live wild in the woods.
Initially this would be for our own use , but as it establishes, we might consider running courses on living wild or build a few rudementary shelters to allow 'survival' breaks.
Having recently bought a few acres of Scottish Borders hillside and looking for something different to do with the land, we're seriously thinking of trying to establish an 'edible forest'. Large pond,stocked with fish and edible marginals in the shallows, a plantation of fruit and nut trees interspersed with other useful trees such as silver birch, and underplanted with brambles, raspberries etc. We already have good numbers of raspberies, blaeberries, field mushrooms, pignuts etc. We might even consider introducing pigs and semi wild game birds to live wild in the woods.
Initially this would be for our own use , but as it establishes, we might consider running courses on living wild or build a few rudementary shelters to allow 'survival' breaks.
C0ffin D0dger said:
Just the usual stuff really, blackberries and sloes. The mushrooms look yummy. I've had them before, from the supermarket, if you were picking them out in the wild are there any similar looking mushrooms that will make you ill / kill you? Always quite wary of picking any mushrooms as if you get the wrong one even a little bit of it is deadly.
Yes, excellent point. It is why I only go for the Boletus family. As said above they are very easy to identify (sponge like underside instead of gills),and none of the other members of the family are really nasty - unless you eat Beletus Satanas (the clue is in the name!). However this smells nasty, looks very different and the flesh turns blue when exposed to air so unless you are really careless you are not going to confuse this with a Cep.There is a Bitter Bolete that looks a bit similar to a Cep but is is not poisonous, just very bitter. One of these in your omelette would ruin your breakfast that's for sure.
The folks who happily go out picking what they think are field mushroom are the ones in real danger.
Golden rule - if it has gills underneath leave it alone unless you really know what you are doing!
brrapp said:
I'm interested in foraging, I've done it since I was young and as far as I know, it's been passed down the generations in my family since the beginning of time. Mushrooms, nuts, fruit for jam, fish, shellfish, snaring rabbits (not any more) etc.
Having recently bought a few acres of Scottish Borders hillside and looking for something different to do with the land, we're seriously thinking of trying to establish an 'edible forest'. Large pond,stocked with fish and edible marginals in the shallows, a plantation of fruit and nut trees interspersed with other useful trees such as silver birch, and underplanted with brambles, raspberries etc. We already have good numbers of raspberies, blaeberries, field mushrooms, pignuts etc. We might even consider introducing pigs and semi wild game birds to live wild in the woods.
Initially this would be for our own use , but as it establishes, we might consider running courses on living wild or build a few rudementary shelters to allow 'survival' breaks.
Brilliant! That sounds incredibly rewarding. Good luck.Having recently bought a few acres of Scottish Borders hillside and looking for something different to do with the land, we're seriously thinking of trying to establish an 'edible forest'. Large pond,stocked with fish and edible marginals in the shallows, a plantation of fruit and nut trees interspersed with other useful trees such as silver birch, and underplanted with brambles, raspberries etc. We already have good numbers of raspberies, blaeberries, field mushrooms, pignuts etc. We might even consider introducing pigs and semi wild game birds to live wild in the woods.
Initially this would be for our own use , but as it establishes, we might consider running courses on living wild or build a few rudementary shelters to allow 'survival' breaks.
otolith said:
Hedgehog mushrooms and giant puffballs are also pretty much unmistakeable.
Parasols aren't foolproof, but they're easy. So are ink caps.
Am I right in saying that both the Common Ink cap and the Shaggy Parasol mushroom can't be eaten with alcohol - as opposed to the Shaggy Ink cap (lawyers wig) and the common Parasol which are OK!Parasols aren't foolproof, but they're easy. So are ink caps.
I'm a little rusty these days having decided just to go with Ceps a few years ago for the sake of relative abundance, great flavour and safety.
TorqueDirty said:
Am I right in saying that both the Common Ink cap and the Shaggy Parasol mushroom can't be eaten with alcohol - as opposed to the Shaggy Ink cap (lawyers wig) and the common Parasol which are OK!
I'm a little rusty these days having decided just to go with Ceps a few years ago for the sake of relative abundance, great flavour and safety.
Common inkcaps will certainly make you ill with alcohol - I wasn't aware of any issue with shaggy parasols and booze, but I've only eaten common ones.I'm a little rusty these days having decided just to go with Ceps a few years ago for the sake of relative abundance, great flavour and safety.
I don't trust my mushroom identification enough to try foraging for them.
Tend to pick a lot of Blackberries, plus sloes every so often for gin, and thinking of giving elderberries a try. Plus crabs, lobsters and scollops when diving.
I was well and truly out foraged a couple of years back though, loading up on Blackberries along the path behind our house when a bloke walked past with a hawk (Harris I think) on his arm, presumably foraging for rabbits
Tend to pick a lot of Blackberries, plus sloes every so often for gin, and thinking of giving elderberries a try. Plus crabs, lobsters and scollops when diving.
I was well and truly out foraged a couple of years back though, loading up on Blackberries along the path behind our house when a bloke walked past with a hawk (Harris I think) on his arm, presumably foraging for rabbits
Wild garlic, Sorel, Raspberries, Blueberries, nettles, Yellow Raspberries, Wild tomatoes, Apples, Plums, Pears then we have Crab, Mackerel, Pollock, Sea Urchin and scallops during the summer and Lobster from October to November.
I really would love to start foraging for shrooms but I'm not confident enough, does anyone have any good links for information for beginners?
I really would love to start foraging for shrooms but I'm not confident enough, does anyone have any good links for information for beginners?
NordicCrankShaft said:
Wild garlic, Sorel, Raspberries, Blueberries, nettles, Yellow Raspberries, Wild tomatoes, Apples, Plums, Pears then we have Crab, Mackerel, Pollock, Sea Urchin and scallops during the summer and Lobster from October to November.
I think we have a winner! Would love to catch my own seafood - maybe that can become a goal for the next few years.NordicCrankShaft said:
I really would love to start foraging for shrooms but I'm not confident enough, does anyone have any good links for information for beginners?
There are lots of good books and links on the subject but the ones I have are probably specific to the UK. I have a friend in Finland who told me about how she gathers and cooks Morels, stating that they are very poisonous until they have been cooked in a special way for hours! Turns out she was talking about the False Morel, which is considered a delicacy in Finland but is lethal if eaten raw! The Morels we have here in the UK are safe to eat without special preparation - I steer clear of them as I am not an expert.As said before, Ceps are easy to identify and there is low risk. Chanterelle are also good to eat and common in Scotland, and whilst there is a false Chanterelle which will make you ill, it is not too hard to tell the difference with a bit of care and a good guide.
I guess the best way to learn is to find an expert who is willing to let you tag along when he / she is collecting. Mind you, most folks are pretty sectretive about where they find the best mushrooms - I know I am!
TD
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