total newbie,, needs advice

[spiritualwarrior]

hiya all,,
i am a south african living in the new forest, i have no knowledge as yet of what mushrooms i should or should not pick and were to find them. but i would like to learn.

why??
well i used to be a professional chef working in restaurants with very high ratings, when i came to work in the UK from south africa i was blown away by the variety of mushrooms you have here and not in south africa. my last job as a chef a few years ago introduced me to a gentleman in Lymington Hampshire who would go pick mushrooms and bring them to me to make him fantastic dish's such as wild mushroom pasta, wild mushroom quiche (still get asked for that one). his deal was very simple "i bring em you cook em" but dont ask me to show you were i got them, i think his special picking places will go with him to the grave, (i believe his ex wife runs a wild musroom business in the forest, and his knowledge is extremely vast)

but here i am a few years later, still wondering how should i get started, what is the safe way to start learning what mushrooms and when and why and everything,,

please any advice, on books i should get or courses i could go on,, any thing would be appreciated,,,

wayne lee

[clare]

Hi Wayne,

I went on a Fungi Course recently through my local Adult Education college. It involved mainly cooking as it was too wet to go out for the identification but there was a wide selection for us to look at of edible and poisonous.

I was listening to a programme on Radio 4 yesterday about a woman in the New Forest who picks regularly for hotels and restaurants (maybe it's this person's ex-wife). There are a few good mushroom identification books around - Mushrooms by Roger Phillips is a good one and I think the small Collins field guide is meant to be good.

The best way is to go out with someone that knows their mushrooms, although they are reluctant to show you where they find them. Alternatively stick with obvious (can't be mistaken for anything else) mushrooms when you get started. The New Forest is meant to be a great place for them.

Clare

Sussex Nature Notes Blog

[Stewy]

Welcome to WAB Wayne,

As Clare say's your best bet is to go on an organised fungi foray with an expert to show you the ropes but if not then the Phillips book is excellent although I would suggest getting more than 1 book so you can cross reference.

Also Roger Phillips website is very helpful: Rogers Mushrooms | Mushroom Pictures & Mushroom Reference

[nightshade]

I do not hold with this site aiding and abetting the commercial collection and use
of wild fungi the areas where these occur will soon give in to these sorts of harvesting pressures as more and more people are assisted in plundering them

[Deer Stalker]

Hi Wayne
It is against the Forest's by-laws to pick mushrooms for comercial use, but you can pick them for your own use so long as its not over 1.5kg per person, per day (which is alot of mushrooms).
This persons ex-wife sounds like the person who, after a long drawn out legal battle with the Forestry Commission, has won a special liscence recently (on the grounds that she'd been doing it for many years already) for her & her alone, to pick fungi in the New Forest to sell.
To me, although only she has this liscence & what she does is small scale for her Tea rooms, this will open the floodgates for other commercial pickers to try it on.

The Forestry Commission runs a few Fungi Forays each year & there is also the Hampshire Fungi Recording Group.

[chunkychambers]

DS....I think this lady supplies more than her Tea Rooms......I heard on Radio 4 early this morning that she supplies at least 4 top kitchens in London also

Paul

[cherrybee]

Hi Wayne and clare and a very warm welcome to WAB

[FungiJohn]

Hi Clare and Wayne. Welcome to WAB.

As others have said, Find out whats happening in you area. A simple google for fungi foray in your area should bring up useful information. Also check out the Fungi Resource Centre on WAB (From the Home Page or Forum Sticky thread). Here you will find information on books and links to other fungi related sites.

Happy hunting
John

[Deer Stalker]

Originally Posted by chunkychambers

DS....I think this lady supplies more than her Tea Rooms......I heard on Radio 4 early this morning that she supplies at least 4 top kitchens in London also

Paul

Yes. I've heard about this but don't know if its true.

[spiritualwarrior]

hiya,, thank you for the replies,,

i just want to let you know that i dont intend to use the mushrooms for anything but personal use,,
i havent worked in a commercial kitchen in a good 2 years and dont ever expect to,,

i am unsure who the friends ex wife is, she may be the lady who is picking commercially or she may not be,,

my intention is totally for my personal use,, and becuase i find it very interesting,

wayne