A ten minute crash course in edible fungi
Friday, May 25, 2012
Two new friends that I met through the community gardens, Dave and Doug (and Doug's lovely son Malachi), came out foraging with me yesterday in pine forest plantations on the edge of town. I asked Dave if he would film our little excursion so we could make a beginner's guide to foraging edible mushrooms.
Identification is critical before consuming 'shrooms. Books and static images are not often enough to identify accurately. I hope this little video document provides enough tips to get you started. And remember, if you're not 100% sure, trust your instincts and do not eat it.
For much of my fungal knowledge attained thus far I owe to my friend Alison Pouliot, who runs courses in south-eastern Australia in autumn every year. Thanks Alison!
5 comments:
wow, thanks,
i have been wanting to learn more about aussie fungi and this is not a lot of really good info that i can find, plenty on the psychotropic varieties but not the more pizza happy types.
I heard that the chinese miners in the gold rush days were great at finding mushrooms and would even bring mushrooms over from china. would be great to see some more videos about this food source. And foraging in general, if there was ever a set date that you were going foraging i would like very much to come along, i have foraged and eaten a lot of wild food between NZ and Australia and have studied aboriginal food gathering as well as the plants that have accompanied the colonials from the other continents. Would be great to learn some new stuff anyway.
Thanks again.
lloyd
yeah lloyd, i go out most days in the afternoons. if i don't find mushrooms i generally bring something home for the pot. you can train/bus to daylesford (7.42am from southern cross to woodend, then bus to daylesford), hang out in the town during the morning, hook up with me in the arvo and come out foraging.
'shrooms are around now, but they come and go depending on rain and soil temperature. we've just had a spoil of rain so their fruiting bodies are popping up all over the place. i prob can only go out with you for a few hours from about 2pm. then there's a 5.15pm bus/train back to melbs.
(note these trains/buses are weekdays only, there are some weekend services but weekends aren't so good for me).
cheers,
patrick
great walk, Mr Jones.... did a short course with Alison a few weeks ago and celebrated by having frying up a mix of Wood Blewitt, Slippery Jack and Saffron Milk saps!
Mr burns
Thank you for taking the trouble to do the video. I'm a moso bamboo grower on the fringe of the Kalateenee State Forest, which is mostly native, but I'm heading off into one of our small pine plantations tomorrow to check for edibles. The film and your patient exposition are so much more effective than photos. Wonderful work.
Again, many thanks
Rob
Hi Patrick
Have you ever come across Auricularia Polytricha, Wood Ear in Daylesford? If so can you possible share the location please.
Kind regards, Rosie
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