Foraging for mushrooms is one of the activities that make winter worthwhile. There’s a pure childlike joy in tromping around the forest in gumboots and cozy jacket, staying out until the cheeks are flushed. The best part, though, is coming home and frying up some tasty morsels for dinner and basking in the satisfaction of having plucked them by hand from the wild woods.
Saffron Milk Cap mushrooms (lactarius deliciosus) are big, meaty specimens. I was lucky enough to find a good crop of them growing in the Daylesford area. This is picture of my haul – please forgive the quality, I was tired and hungry and it was dark in my kitchen!
Here’s my step-by-step guide to successful mushroom foraging:
1. Find someone who’s been foraging before and is really knowledgeable. Don’t try picking on your own the first time – too easy to make a mistake and poison yourself! White amanitas often grow in the same area, and if you ate one of them you would not be a happy camper (you’d probably be a dead one – seriously, be careful).
2. Do some research on the best areas near you for foraging. Isn’t the internet great like that?
3. Wear gumboots (aka galoshes) and warm clothing. Sometimes you have to walk in muddy areas and look for quite a while, so be prepared for the chilly outdoors.
4. Be patient!
5. Bring paper bags to store your mushies – they are fragile little creatures and break easily.
6. When picking your mushrooms, either cut with scissors or break very carefully, leaving the very bottom of the stem in the ground. This helps protect the mycelium for future generations of mushrooms to grow.
7. When you get home, clean your mushrooms thoroughly with a damp cloth. Cut them into chunks and cook in a fry pan with olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs.
What is your favorite way to prepare wild mushrooms?
