East Sussex Fungi

[Baerbel]

Fungi everywhere this morning. Ones I managed to identify were: Parasols, Shaggy Inkaps, Amethyst Deceivers, various Boletus, Fly Agarics, False Death Caps, Blushers, Beef Steak, Milk Caps (exuded bright yellow milk so help with ID would be good), Horn of Plenty (right under a tree with a hornets nest in it !), various Russulas etc....

I am particularly interested in cooking wild fungi and this morning I had Parasols and Shaggy Inkcaps cooked in butter and on toast.

I do have a couple of questions, though. There are a lot of Boletus near me and I want to try them cooked. However, are there any "nasties" as generally books seem to say they are mostly edible with the odd one with merely a peppery taste but no danger to anyone ? I s this right and am I safe with Boletus ?

Also, what should I do with Horn of Plenty ? Also, any help with info on how to dry fungi would be useful and can all fungi be dried for future use eg. do I cut up Boletus first or dry them whole ?

Thanks for any help.

[Bish]

Hello Baerbel,

I'm an ex east Suth Seaxa man exiled in France.
Concerning your question about boletes.
No boletes are really poisonous but some can give u an "upset tummy" and others are very bitter.
In my opinion the best, apart fron B. Edulis (and similar), are B. Erythropus and the Bay Bloete.

Chris Lyon,France

[NickCantle]

I agree with Chris. Bay Bloetes and Ceps are excellent. But i would also like to point out that Boletus Satanas ( Devils Bolete ) is poisonous possibly deadly.Thankfully, it is pretty rare. Still, Be careful

Nick

[Bish]

The Devils Bolete is certainly not deadly and some people even eat it after long cooking (French sources).
The one to be careful of is the bitter bolete because it can look so much like a Cèpe but it's soOOOOOOOOOOOO bitter. One small one in a dish will spoil the whole lot.
I know I've been caught out

Tubed mushies are probably the only type where you can't go seriously wrong.

Another tip: Only ever eat mushies (fungus) in perfect condition.
Even good edibles can upset you if they're past it


Chris, Lyon

[Bish]

Originally Posted by Baerbel

Fungi everywhere this morning. Ones I managed to identify were: Parasols, Shaggy Inkaps, Amethyst Deceivers, various Boletus, Fly Agarics, False Death Caps, Blushers, Beef Steak, Milk Caps (exuded bright yellow milk so help with ID would be good), Horn of Plenty (right under a tree with a hornets nest in it !), various Russulas etc....

I am particularly interested in cooking wild fungi and this morning I had Parasols and Shaggy Inkcaps cooked in butter and on toast.

I do have a couple of questions, though. There are a lot of Boletus near me and I want to try them cooked. However, are there any "nasties" as generally books seem to say they are mostly edible with the odd one with merely a peppery taste but no danger to anyone ? I s this right and am I safe with Boletus ?

Also, what should I do with Horn of Plenty ? Also, any help with info on how to dry fungi would be useful and can all fungi be dried for future use eg. do I cut up Boletus first or dry them whole ?

Thanks for any help.

Just reread your questions.
Dried Cèpes (B. Edulis) are heavenly in soups, sauces and stews. I've seen them on sale in the UK at more than £100/kg!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They're a bit cheaper here.
I dried some last year and it's dead easy.
Cut lengthways into 2/3 mm slices. Put them on some plastic coated chicken wire or similar.
Some people dry them on newspaper but I'm not happy with that as they absorb the ink
Dry them close to a gentle heat source e.g. radiator. turning them over from time to time. They should nearly dry in 48h to avoid them going mouldy or being eaten by maggots or other nasty beasties.
You can finish drying them in a warm oven i.e. around 60°C.
The slices should be brittle once completely dried.
Put them in an airtight jat and they'll keep for...................years?
Soak them in warm water before using and decant the juice, and use it, to remove any possible grit contamination.
I've tried dying other mushies but the results are not as good.
I think boletes lend themselves well to drying as they contain relatively little water and therefore dry quickly.


Hope that answered your Q

East Sussex man in France
Chris

[Baerbel]

Thanks for this. I'll give it a try. However, I now need to know how to dry Horn of Plenty as I have found absolutely loads (if you haven't eaten them then you are really missing out as they are delicious) and want to store some for the "lean times".

[arvensis]

If you have a bit of money to spare, you can buy one of those food dehydrators though they aren't that cheap(80 quid and up)

Mark

[Bish]

Originally Posted by Baerbel

Thanks for this. I'll give it a try. However, I now need to know how to dry Horn of Plenty as I have found absolutely loads (if you haven't eaten them then you are really missing out as they are delicious) and want to store some for the "lean times".

I'm not sure that they are a good drying mushie. Maybe freezing or pickling would be better.

Chris