WHEN WE WENT DOWN TO THE WOODS ONE DAY…

With our hot Indian summer, followed by a wet autumn, this year saw a bumper crop of mushrooms at Badgells Wood. Wild Food UK recently held their first Foraging Workshops with us, identifying 14 edible plant and fungi species!  Here are a couple of highlights from their finds:

Penny Bun (✔️Edible🍄)
Better known as Porcini or Cep.  One of our favourites - firm, tasty and with a lovely flavour!

Rooting Poisonpie (✖️Poisonous☠️)
Hebeloma radicosum. The clue is in the common name, do not ingest this species! This mushroom can be identified by its tapering root-like base and also its almond-like smell. Interestingly, the fruiting bodies are ‘ammonia fungi’, saprobic on dung or the excretions of small creatures, such as moles, rabbits, mice and even wasps!

Scaly Earthball (✖️Poisonous☠️)
Scleroderma verrucosum.  One of the four UK Earthballs which are responsible for the second most number of mushroom poisonings here each year.  Cut it in half to check it isn't an edible Puffball - Earthballs will have a dark centre, not a white one.

Common Puffball (✔️Edible🍄)
Can be confused with young, toxic Amanitas in their egg stage. Pick and slice this puffball through to be sure of correct identification!

A short reminder of why you need to know your fungi!  We're looking forward to welcoming Wild Food UK back in 2024...watch this space...