If you want to pick mountain porcini, you best keep your ear to the wall. No one casually gives up their patches of porcini. It's hard enough to predict where and when the buggers will fruit as it is.
Here in the Cascades we get two, possibly three distinct fruitings of porcini: the spring variety, which is now officially known as Boletus rex-veris; and the summer/fall varieties, which might be distinct from each other but get lumped in together as a single species with the famous porcini of Italy, Boletus edulis. All varieties are deserving of their nickname "king bolete." With their firm flesh and nutty flavor, they might be my favorite wild mushrooms of all.
A couple weeks ago while picking huckleberries I got a tip from some hikers that a lot of mushrooms were fruiting to the south. The next day I hopped in the car and made an educated guess about where to go. Mountain porcini like high elevations, and they're picky about tree composition. True firs and spruce are the ticket. After a three-mile hike I started to see them—first some blown-out flags in the sunny areas and then fetching number one buttons emerging out of the duff in more shaded spots.
When picking porcini, always make sure to field dress them right away. I trim the end to check for worm holes, then cut the mushroom in half. Often a pristine looking bolete will show signs of bugs once you slice it open, but the infestations will just as often be local to a small area of the cap or stem that can be trimmed away. Whatever you do, don't simply put a porcino in your basket to trim later at home. I've learned the hard way that a basketful of beautiful buttons can be a worm-ridden mess by the time you get home if you don't deal with the bugs immediately.
By the end of the day I had nearly 10 pounds of mostly perfect porcini buttons (having thrown away twice that amount as too far gone). What a dilemma! I had more porcini than I could use. Some I cooked, some I gave away, and the rest got pickled.
Pia's Pickled Porcini
My friend Cora, who stars in the morel hunting chapter of Fat of the Land the book, passed this recipe along to me from his father's cousin, who lives in Cortemiglia, Italy. She gathers 20 to 50 pounds of porcini annually, so putting up some is a must.
2 cups white vinegar
2 oz water
2 tsp salt
extra light olive oil
1/2 tsp peppercorns per jar
Clean and quarter porcini buttons. Bring vinegar, water, and salt to boil. Cook porcini in batches, no more than 3 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels and set aside to dry for at least 8 hours. Pack sterilized jars with porcini and peppercorns, then fill with extra light olive oil (use safflower oil if keeping more than 6 months).If you go down to the woods today ...
... you could pick lots of delicious, edible wild mushrooms. They are perfect for risottos and just as wonderful on their own. Mark Hix gets picking and mixing.
Saturday, 21 September 2002
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Since I got into picking fungi in Epping Forest I don't think I've bought a button mushroom. It only takes a couple of forays to become hooked on the thrill of wild mushroom hunting, and buying mushrooms from shops seems far too tame by comparison. Like joining an undergrowth cult, you'll want to get out there with the outdoors types scouring the woodland for hidden treasure, and if you go down to the woods you'll come across foragers of all nationalities, each hunting for different varieties.
Since I got into picking fungi in Epping Forest I don't think I've bought a button mushroom. It only takes a couple of forays to become hooked on the thrill of wild mushroom hunting, and buying mushrooms from shops seems far too tame by comparison. Like joining an undergrowth cult, you'll want to get out there with the outdoors types scouring the woodland for hidden treasure, and if you go down to the woods you'll come across foragers of all nationalities, each hunting for different varieties.
In most other European countries, mushrooms, like berries and herbs, are an obvious source of wild food and the custom of picking them is part of the way of life. Here we've only recently come to realise that there is meaty vegetarian food in the forest for free. But competition is hotting up. If you want to join us, now is the time to give it a go, though I'm not sure seasoned mushroom gatherers welcome newcomers to their territory. And some forests like Epping are demanding that mushroom gatherers have a licence.
Beginners should go with someone who knows what they are doing, or consider joining an organised expedition. In France you can take any wild mushrooms you're not sure about to the chemist to be identified, but it won't work in the nearest branch of Boots. Mushrooms by Roger Phillips is the best book I've come across and comes in a pocket-sized version for on-the-spot identifications when you're out in the woods.
Of the many that are edible – and beware, some varieties have lookalikes that aren't good for you – oyster mushrooms, or pleurotes, are among the most easily recognisable. They're plentiful on dead trees and if you hit paydirt you could soon have a carrier bag full for free.
For the restaurants, our best source of top quality fungi is Scotland where teams of locals pick them to be sent straight to London. We get through ceps, girolles and morels like they are going out of fashion. The season is shortish, and they are best eaten fresh with very little done to them, so we can't resist.
In the States you rarely see wild mushrooms for sale and diners are somewhat suspicious of them. On a trip to Boston, I noticed some porcini growing in one front garden on a posh housing estate as we drove back after lunch. I got the driver to screech to a halt and we nipped out and gathered a couple of kilos in a few minutes, like kids scrumping apples. But that night's dinner guests didn't know what to make of my discovery and just pushed the fungi round their plates. They only know the cultivated varieties like shiitake, oyster and Portobello. But these can never match the delicate flavour of true forest mushrooms, and are best used for Oriental cookery. Nor is there the same thrill buying them as there is getting up at dawn (or raiding someone's lawn) to pick them yourself.
Preparing Wild Mushrooms
As far as possible try not to wash wild mushrooms as this can make them boil when you sauté them, destroying their delicate flavour. Either brush off any soil or wipe them with a damp cloth. Mushrooms such as ceps can be scraped clean with a small knife as can pied de mouton. Chanterelles and girolles really just need a brief trim.
Fried duck's egg with ceps
Serves 4
Along with eggs laid by quail and specialist breeds of chicken, duck eggs seem to be becoming more popular. They have a large, pale yolk and they're great for frying or scrambling.
400g ceps, cleaned and sliced
60g unsalted butter
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
1tbsp chopped parsley
4 duck eggs
Olive oil for frying
Melt half the butter in a frying pan and gently cook the ceps for 2-3 minutes until they begin to colour and soften. Add the garlic and the rest of the butter and season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile gently fry the duck eggs in a non-stick frying pan until just set and season the white with a little salt. Turn the eggs out on to plates, add the parsley to the mushrooms and spoon over the eggs.
Porcini salad with shaved Parmesan
Serves 4
When you have perfect fresh, firm ceps (porcini) this is a delicious and simple light starter to show them off. I've had this a few times but the best was at the Old Manor House in Romsey, probably because I knew that Mauro the owner had picked the mushrooms within the last 24 hours. If you like, add a few leaves of rocket.
400g firm, fresh ceps (allow 80-100g ceps per person)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
50-60g Reggiano Parmesan
Clean the ceps by wiping them with a damp cloth and trimming any soil from the stalks with a small knife. Slice them thinly and lay flat on to four plates. Mix the lemon juice with the olive oil and season with sea salt and black pepper. Drizzle over the ceps and leave for about 5 minutes.
Shave the Parmesan with a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife and scatter over the ceps.
Wild mushrooms with creamed polenta
Serves 4
Polenta can be rather bland made the traditional way just with water. If you are serving it with a meaty stew it's fine, but when it's accompanying more delicate ingredients like mushrooms it needs a bit of body, so make it richer and more interesting with milk, garlic, herbs and Parmesan. Either a mixture of seasonal wild mushrooms or just one variety works for this dish.
2tbsp olive oil
450-500g wild mushrooms, cleaned and prepared
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
60g butter
1tbsp chopped parsley
For the polenta 400ml milk
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 bay leaf
40g quick cooking polenta
40g freshly grated Parmesan
40ml double cream
To make the polenta, bring the milk to the boil in a thick-bottomed pan then add the garlic, bay leaf and seasoning. Simmer for another 5 minutes then whisk in the polenta. Turn the heat down as low as it will go and cook slowly for 10 minutes, whisking f every so often so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Add the cream and Parmesan and cook for a further 5 minutes. Take off the heat, cover, and put to one side until required.
Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan and gently cook the mushrooms for about 5 minutes until lightly coloured. Add the garlic and butter, season with salt and pepper and stir well. Cook for a few more minutes on a lower heat until the mushrooms are soft. Add the parsley. To serve, spoon the polenta on to four plates and scatter the mushrooms and butter over the top of each.
Wild mushroom risotto
Serves 4
Except in a few very specialist delis, arborio used to be the only risotto rice you could find in this country. Now vialone nano and carnaroli are available in supermarkets, too. Use any of these for risotto, because they allow the stock to be absorbed without the grains falling apart and releasing too much starch. Result: firm, creamy risotto, not starchy and soggy, which is what you'll get with pudding rice. The basis of any risotto is good stock. You can't get away with any old cube, but you can now find mushroom stock cubes and porcini powder in specialist shops and Italian delis.
For the mushroom stock
1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
Half a leek, roughly chopped and washed
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1tbsp vegetable oil
200g button mushrooms, washed and roughly chopped
10g dried ceps, soaked for 2 hours in a little warm water
A few sprigs of thyme
5 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
For the risotto
200g carnaroli rice
70g butter
Mushroom stock
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1tbsp double cream
200g seasonal wild mushrooms, prepared, cleaned and chopped into pieces of similar size
1tbsp parsley, finely chopped
20g grated Parmesan
First make the stock. Gently cook the onion, leek and garlic in the vegetable oil without colouring until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients, cover with about 11/2 litres of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour, skimming occasionally. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve and keep hot if using straightaway. The stock should be strongly flavoured; if it's not, reduce it until the flavour is concentrated.
To make the risotto take a thick-bottomed pan and melt 30g of the butter, add the rice and stir for a minute on a low heat with a wooden spoon. Gradually add the stock a little at a time, stirring constantly and ensuring that each addition of liquid has been fully absorbed by the rice before adding the next. Season with salt and pepper.
When the rice is almost cooked add 40g of the butter and the cream, check the seasoning and correct if necessary. The risotto should be a moist consistency, not too stodgy.
Meanwhile cook the mushrooms in a little olive oil for a minute or so. Stir the mushrooms into the risotto with the parsley and Parmesan and serve it immediately.Simply learn how to identify at least a few edible species and pick only them. You will also need to recognise any poisonous species with which they might be confused. For a start, you'll need a good field guide – perhaps the one mentioned above, or Mushrooms, by Roger Phillips, or Mushrooms: River Cottage Handbook No 1, by John Wright. This will tell you not only what particular species look like, but at what time of year you are most likely to find them, and in what surroundings. Some prefer grassland, others woods. Some wood-lovers prefer deciduous trees, others conifers. Some conifer-lovers prefer pines, others larches. Some conifer-lovers grow on the tree itself, others near it. Some edible varieties, such as the beefsteak fungus, grow so high among the branches you may need a ladder to pick them . . .
Book learning is not enough, however. You should also get some personal tuition, either by enrolling on a course or by going on forays with a more experienced neighbour. Unless you're positive they know what they're talking about (be very nervous if anyone tells you "I'm sure that's safe to eat, but I'm not sure what it's called" or "They don't normally look like that but that's where I found them last year"), check everything you're told against your guide. And if you have the slightest doubt about what you're looking at, leave it alone. This, in fact, is the golden rule once you feel confident enough to go picking on your own: unless you're 100% sure you have identified your mushroom as edible – ie, you can put a name to it – leave it. Cap the wrong colour? Leave it. Growing at the wrong time of year? Leave it. In the wrong place? Leave it. Better to sacrifice a thousand meals than your health.
When you get home, take another hard look at what you've picked. If anything causes you even a flicker of concern, into the bin with it.
If you want to make life easy for yourself (and why wouldn't you?), begin by searching for boletes, a family that includes some of the tastiest mushrooms there are, from the ceps that are so delicious in risotto to orange birch boletes with their bright caps and grey-flecked stalks. You'll mostly find them in or just outside woods, often beside paths or in clearings where they get a mix of sunshine and shade. Once you know what to look for, you need never confuse a bolete with a member of any other family. They have caps and stalks, like most of their peers, but the resemblance ends there. While most mushrooms have "gills" beneath their caps, radiating horizontally from the stalk like spokes on a wheel, boletes have tiny vertical "tubes", packed so closely that they seem to form a solid or slightly spongy mass. Look at your field guide if you're not sure what I mean. In fact, look at your field guide anyway. As you should have realised by now, only someone with a death wish would pick mushrooms based on a description in a newspaper.
Not only are boletes common; there aren't many varieties, so identification shouldn't be too difficult. Best of all, of all the boletes you will encounter in Britain, none is likely to kill you. Barring some freak reaction, only a handful will even make you sick, such as the devil's bolete, with its red tubes and pale cap, or the lurid bolete, with its handsome red and yellow stalk and yellow tubes. If ever there was a beginner's mushroom, the fungal equivalent of the bike with training wheels, it's the bolete.
Mind you, some people will find a way to turn anything into a dangerous sport. In Italy, at least 18 people have died gathering mushrooms this year. They weren't poisoned; they fell down mountains. Some of them had gone picking in the dark.
Morels (Morchella) are edible mushrooms that are prized by gourmet cooks, particularly for French cuisine. These distinctive fungi have honeycombed caps composed of a network of ridges with pits between them, a hollow interior, and an intense earthly flavour. Morels, abundant in Europe are often called pinecones, sponges and brains in North America, where the official state mushroom of Minnesota is the morel.
Morels are typically found in moist areas. Trees commonly associated with morels include ash, sycamore, tuliptree, dead and dying elms, and old apple trees (remnants of orchards). Morels appear to like areas that have been burnt, and will grow abundantly in the two and sometimes three years immediately following a forest fire. However, where fire suppression is practiced, they may grow regularly in small amounts in the same spot year after year.
The Common Morel (Morchella esculenta) grows in spring, often in woodland clearings. They have a distinctive appearance, their caps criss-crossed with irregular, pale brown ridges between which are darker brown hollows in which the spores are produced. The stalk is whitish becoming yellowish or reddish when old. There are several other British
species of Morchella, all edible.
The best known morels are the Yellow Morel or Common Morel (Morchella esculenta), the White Morel (M. deliciosa), and the Black Morel (M. elata). Discriminating between the various species is complicated by uncertainty regarding which species are truly biologically distinct. Mushroom hunters refer to them by their colour (e.g., grey, yellow,
black) as the species are very similar in appearance and vary considerably within species and age of individual.
You will typically find the morel begin to darken along the stems as well as the cap as it ages. With cooperative weather conditions the morel can survive for up to two weeks before the natural decay process is likely to set in and begin to take place. Morels with some damage to the cap can still be good to eat, as you cut the bad bits off when you
prepare them for cooking.
When gathering morels, care must be taken to distinguish them from the poisonous false morel (Gyromitra esculenta and others). The false morels are a group of fungi related to the true morels which fruit in the same places at about the same time. In false morels the fruitbodies are wrinkled rather than honeycombed.
The most deadly of the false morels is Gyromitra esculenta. The head of this species has a brain-like appearance and the support stalk is short and stout. Over the years hundreds of people have died after eating this fungus. Some people can eat it with no ill effect because they have a high threshold for the toxin it contains. Symptoms are delayed and
nothing untoward may be experienced for 4-8 hours after ingestion. Early symptoms are stomach cramps accompanied by vomiting, watery and/or bloody diarrhea, weakness, lassitude and severe headaches. This is followed by loss of balance, jaundice (as the liver deteriorates), and then in some cases, convulsions, with the victims eventually becoming
comatose and dying.
One of the easiest ways of determining the false morel is by slicing it lengthwise as false morels are not hollow. The false morel is also quite heavy as it is almost solid in the stem and meaty, and often referred to as "cottony".
Morels are delicious and can be eaten stuffed, broiled, sautéed, or incorporated into meat, egg recipes and casseroles. Morels freeze and dry well, but are at their best when firm and fresh. The white morel is considered to be superior in taste and texture to black morels. Specimens that can be cleaned with a brush are preferable to those that have to be washed since washing tends to reduce the intensity of the morel flavour. If you haven't tried morels before, cook them simply the first time - sauteed slowly in butter with a little cream added at the end and served on toast will allow you to experience the essence of the nutty, refined morel flavour.
Morels Stuffed with Lamb recipe (serves 4)
500g minced lamb
large fresh morels (quantity depends on size)
4T fresh tarragon, chopped
1/4 t ground cardamon
3 clove garlic, crushed
1 egg
3 T cracker crumbs
Try to select morels that are about the same size so this dish will cook evenly. Clean the morels and slice lengthwise (the number of morels required varies from 6-20 depending on size). Put the remaining ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly. Stuff each half morel with the lamb mixture. Place the morels in a glass baking dish and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-35 minutes or until the meat mixture is barely done.
Stuffed in smaller morels this dish is a delicious appetizer, larger stuffed morels make an excellent main dish served with a rice and wild rice pilaf and a green vegetable. Accompany the meal with a good red wine.My first ever trip down there was really by chance, I was visiting a farm to purchase some chickens (I keep a few at home for fresh eggs, you simply cannot beat a fresh free range egg from a well fed chicken that has had a diverse diet) anyway I digress.... I was early so stopped near Beaulieu, about 2 miles away I suppose and decided to go for a walk in the forest with my wife Cathy. It must have been about 11ish am so not perfect - ideally you should collect earlier than 11am as the later you leave it the more chance of maggot infestation from flies (and other foragers will have bagged the best fungi) It was September - which is just about the start of that special time when the majority of really good fungi start to appear (e.g: Ceps).
So there we were sauntering down this leafy glade, I had half an eye out but being as we only had 30 mins to kill, I had no equipment with me (knife, basket, Identifier cards, brush etc) I was not paying particular attention then wham!! right before me, 20 yards away in a sort of surreal haze (well OK it was not but it appeared that way in my minds eye) there was the largest troop of the king of all mushrooms, the Porcini, or Cep (penny bun) This troop of mushrooms of consisted of about 12-14 specimens covering a few feet radius (I have never seen them in a quantity like that, usually twos or threes) but it was the size of them, they were mostly over 5inches across the cap, further more they were largely clean and uneaten by slugs! It was truly amazing. A cep of that age/size is almost certainly going to have some deterioration through pests but these were not far of the best you could expect.
It was that day that I vowed to return to the New Forest and since then have found more variety, quality and abundance than anywhere else
So there you go. The New Forest is spectacular. I will add new locations soon as I am writing about various parts of the Uk now. The aim is to help you find fungi in your area. If you are really struggling, drop me an email where you live and I will see if I can recommend a place to start based on what I have been told and picked up over the years.
You can help others yourself, why not post in the "forager" section and share your revent foraging trip stories.
•<!--[if !supportLists]-->Areas that have a high moisture content i.e: are damp <!--[endif]-->
• Areas that have lots of old rotting tree matter and wood <!--[endif]-->
•<!--[if !supportLists]-->The base of many trees such as the Pine or Larch (the Larch Boletus is found here) <!--[endif]-->
•<!--[if !supportLists]--> Look up as well as down– Chicken of the Woods (a bracket fungus) grows in the bows of Oaks and is very tasty when cooked (do not eat raw) <!--[endif]-->
•<!--[if !supportLists]--> Amongst dense leaf deposits <!--[endif]-->
•<!--[if !supportLists]--> Areas that are mossy and are not massively overgrown <!--[endif]-->
•<!--[if !supportLists]--> Old land that has had little disturbance <!--[endif]-->
•<!--[if !supportLists]--> Fields with olds woods with mixed deciduous trees - within a 200 yard range – these are very good as fruiting bodies will come from mycelium sometimes over a mile (and further) from the woods. <!--[endif]-->
•<!--[if !supportLists]--> Many mushrooms have a mychorrizal relationship with trees and feed off them but the actual fruiting body can appear a long way off. For example, when you see a fairy ring of mushrooms in a field, the likelihood is that the fungi it connected to a nearby woods and would not exist without it.
<!--[endif]-->
•· The older the land, the more mycelium will occur (fungi roots for want or a better description)<!--[endif]-->Recommended Wild Mushroom Stuff
The Mushroom Feast: A Celebration of All Ed...
by Jane Grigson
£8.41 The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants, M...
by Katie Letcher Lyle
Collins Wild Guide - Mushrooms and Toadstools
by Brian Spooner
Mushroom Picker's Foolproof Field Guide: Th...
by Peter Jordan
The Complete Mushroom Hunter: An Illustrate...
by Gary Lincoff
£14.44 Collins Wild Guide - Mushrooms and Toadstools
by Brian Spooner
SUTTONS SEEDS: Mushroom Spawn
£4.25 Peter Jordan's Wild Mushroom Bible
by Peter Jordan The King of all mushrooms - and totally delicious! I love this one. Simply pan fry it with salted butter (and a touch of garlic if you wish)
Here are Various Identifying Descriptions:
Porcini (Boletus edulis, the taxonomic name) is a highly regarded edible mushroom. It has a number of English names, including cep (from its Catalan name cep or its French name cèpe), king bolete and penny bun. A common term in current use is porcini. This mushroom has a distinct aroma reminiscent of fermented dough. The mushroom can grow singly or in clusters. Its habitat consists of areas dominated by oak, pine, spruce, and fir trees. Not limited to these locations, the King Bolete is also found in hardwood forests containing oaks. It fruits from summer to autumn.
* fungus colour: Brown
* normal size: over 15cm
* cap type: Convex to shield shaped
* stem type: Bulbous base of stem, Simple stem
* spore colour: Olivaceous
Brown cap often with a whitish bloom at first gradually lost on expanding leaving a white line at the margin, smooth and dry initially becoming greasy, in wet weather slightly viscid and polished. Stem 30–230 x 30–70(110)mm, robust, pallid with white net. Flesh white, unchanging, flushed dirty straw-colour or vinaceous in cap. Taste and smell pleasant. Tubes white becoming grey-yellow. Pores small and round, similarly coloured. Spore print olivaceous snuff-brown.
When you cut them lengthways - the insides remain white. the underside of the cap is always sponge like on a Cep. Large brown mushroom with pores (rather than gills) on the underside of the cap. Said to look like a penny bun.
The major difference between the boletes and gill fungi. is that in the boletes the basidia are located on the inner surface of numerous tubes, which are typically vertically arranged on the lower surface of the pileus (except in Gastroboletus). These tubes, or gills in the case of mushrooms, are commonly designated as the hymenophore, or the part of the basidiocarp bearing the hymenium. The hymenium, in turn, is a layer of rather closely packed basidia plus distinctive sterile cells called cystidia. Another difference noted in the field is that, although some mushrooms grow on logs or other woody substrates, only a few boletes are found consistently on such substrates, and most occur in the soil or humus in the vicinity of woody plants.
A thick stalked mushroom with a round cap.
Native to Europe and found growing wild beneath beech and coniferous trees, in summer and autumn.Brush or wipe clean, trim off the end of stalk. (Wash gently if very dirty). Do not peel. Often found in shops as dried version, add to warm water to allow to re-hydrate for around an hour, retain the liquid and add to dish. Add to soups, sauces, casseroles or omelettes, or sauté.
Types of Cep (Bolete)
Bronzy Bolete
King Bolete
Summer Bolete
Pinewood Bolete
Spindle Stemmed Bolete
Bay Bolete
Chestnut Bolete
Cow Bolete
Boletes to Avoid - Poisonous
Deceptive bolete
White Cracking Bolete
La Gals Bolete
Satans Bolete
Please note the above lists are not exhaustive. Always check first
Here is some further information about the Cep
Porcini (or King Boletus or Cep)
Boletus edulis
Boletes resemble ordinary mushrooms, but instead of gills have small round pores or tubes through which the spores are shed.
The King Boletus (taxonomic name Boletus edulis) is a highly prized edible mushroom. It has a number of English names, including cep (from its Catalan name cep or its French name cèpe), penny-bun and King Bolete. A name in common use is porcini (from the plural of its Italian name porcino). The scientific name derives from the Latin stem bolet-,
which means "superior mushroom" and edulis, meaning edible, and describes the species' culinary qualities. This mushroom has a higher water content than other edible mushrooms and has a distinct aroma reminiscent of fermented dough.
Boletus edulis can be found most commonly in Europe, Asia and North America. The Borgotaro area of Parma in Italy holds an Annual Festival of the Porcini. In South Africa it has been growing plentifully in pine forests around the country for more than 50 years, after being introduced with the pine trees, and has also been found in New Zealand.
The mushroom can grow singly or in small clusters of two or three specimens. It is common in woods (especially beech woods) in summer and autumn. Its habitat often consists of areas dominated by pine, spruce, Eastern hemlock and fir trees, but it is also found in hardwood forests containing oaks. It fruits from summer to autumn, following sustained rainfall. A hot humid summer induces growth. This mushroom can also be
found during the autumn in Syria and Lebanon where it grows in large clusters on decaying oak tree stumps.
The cap of this mushroom is convex, and 5–30 cm in diameter. At first, the cap is white then develops to mostly reddish-brown fading to white in areas near the margin; the colour continues to darken as it matures to a brown, smooth, moist, shining cap. The flesh is chalky white, often tinged with pink. Beneath is a spongy mass of vertical tubes, white at first, becoming yellowish-green, and eventually brown, in which the brown spores are
produced. These pores do not stain when bruised. The stalk is stout, pale brown, with a fine network of raised, white veins towards the top and is 8–25 cm in height, and up to 7 cm thick, which is rather large in comparison to the cap. Fully mature specimens can weigh about 1 kg. However, the most appreciated by gourmets are the young small porcini, which are dense and tan to pale brown in colour, as the large ones often
harbour insect larvae, and they become slimy, soft and less tasty with age.
Although the King Boletus is quite distinctive, caution is required when identifying it as the related species the Dotted-Stemmed Bolete (Boletus erythropus) which is found from later Summer to Early Autumn can cause stomach upsets, especially if eaten raw. The stem of this mushroom turns blue very quickly when bruised and the cap bruises to a black blue colour.
Chefs consider porcini to be one of the finest-tasting wild mushrooms. For centuries Ancient Greeks and Romans thought them to be the best of all edible mushrooms and even today many famous chefs continue to believe this to be true. Porcini mushrooms lacks aroma, but are well valued for their meaty texture, interesting flavour and distinguishing shape. The flavour is nutty, meaty, buttery, savoury, almost sweet, with
a smooth, creamy texture. When fresh, porcini can be eaten and enjoyed raw as well as fried, sautéed with butter, ground into pasta, in risotto, in soups, and served with veal
and game. They are a feature of many cuisines, including Provençal and Viennese. They can also be dried by stringing them separately on twine and hanging close to the ceiling of a kitchen for later use in casseroles and soups. Drying the porcini seems to accentuate its sweet and meaty overtones, reducing "l'eau du terre" (smell of the earth) that
distinguishes fresh boletes. Once dry, they are best kept in an airtight container. Drying them in the oven is not advised as it can result in them being cooked and spoiling. When reconstituted, the liquid retrieved from soaking them makes a perfect soup base, needing almost no additions.
Recipe for Porcini Parmesan (serves 4 to 6)
1-2 large, fresh, firm porcini mushrooms
225g sliced mozzarella cheese
50g cup grated Parmesan cheese
small onion finely chopped
olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp minced parsley
Pinches of dried basil, marjoram, and oregano, or other Italian
seasonings
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
660g can of tomato sauce
1 egg
60ml milk
bread crumbs - finely ground
Heat some olive oil in a large frypan. Add onions and garlic and sauté over low heat until onions are translucent. Stir in parsley, herbs, salt, pepper, and tomato sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Slice the mushrooms into ½ cm thick slices. Remove the spongy area underneath the more solid cap of the mushroom. Beat the egg and milk together in a bowl. Dip the slices of mushroom into the egg mixture then dust with bread crumbs. Heat some olive oil in a large frypan to medium heat. Fry the porcini on both sides, adding more oil as needed, until golden brown. In a 2-quart baking dish, layer sauce, mushrooms, mozzarella, topping layers off with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350° F for 1 hour.
Like many casserole style dishes this recipe tastes even better the following day, after the flavours are allowed to seep into the mushrooms. You may want to make it ahead of time and reheat it when you want to eat it. •Try to get permission if the land is private. Be VERY sure you are not over harvesting and check if the land is an SSSI. We have a massive problem these days of areas being denuded of wild food due to its popularity so we all have a collective responsibility to only take what we need adn if there are loads of pickers, move on to another area.
•Follow the country code. i.e: close gates, don't leave a mark, be quiet and respectful.
•Avoid moving dead wood around as it disturbes wildlife.
•Don't go trampling on delicate plants when trying to get to fungi.
•If you don't want to eat it, try to identify it in situation and do not pick it.
•Cut fungi at the base with a knife rather than rip them out of the ground. this limits damage to the fungi threads.
•Only collect a few from each troop - leave some for others and nature. Let's learn from the cod fishing industry experiences....
A last word about the legality of picking wild food - (this is mainly a rule in Wales but may cover the whole UK, it is best to know it anyway):
"Under common law it is not an offence to pick the “Four F’s”; fruit, foliage, fungi or flowers which are growing wild if they are for personal use and not for sale. This provision does not apply if the species in question is specially protected, say by listing in Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act. This means that anyone can pick blackberries, take ivy and holly for Christmas, gather sloes and pick mushrooms for themselves. However, this right can only be exercised where there is a legal right of access i.e. alongside public footpath or in a public place."
For a good round up of the general legal situation across Britain, see Truffle Trouble: Foraging law
Mushroom foraging equipment:
•A knife, ideally one with a hooked inward blade to make cutting the stem easier, similar to a pruning knife
•A brush to dust of any debris
•A basket or paper bags, never use plastic as they sweat and spoil. Ideally a wicket basket
•A walking stick, this is realy useful to move foliage back to save bending down when loooking under plants etc.
•A wide brimmed hat, helps the eye to focus and cuts down glare from morning sun
•A flask of tea ;-) foraging should be done at leisure and made enjoyable with time to asses the finds so far
•Mushroom field guides (usually more than one for reference)
Here is a video (it's Swiss but still has relevant info for the UK) on picking fungi:
You can help others yourself, why not post in the "forager" section and share your revent foraging trip stories.
View all articles on this site here:http://www.wildmushroomsonline.co.uk/all-category-list/
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