How to find a new variety of tasty eating mushrooms.

1. Spend some spare time enjoying a read of other people's wild mushroom adventures.

2. Take the dogs out for a walk to the exact same spot you go at least three times a week.

3. Sit down for a rest on a tree stump.

4. Realise you have almost sat upon the mushroom you recently read about.

True story.

Although I managed to ID this as an oyster mushroom, I'm really not sure which oyster mushroom this is. Thankfully that doesn't matter as all oyster mushrooms are edible. All you really need is to be certain it is definitely an oyster mushroom and not it's poisonous habitat sharing vomit-fest imposter omphalotus nidiformis (Australia and Japan only). How do I know it wasn't this? Omphalotus nidiformis (the ghost fungus) glows in the dark in the presence of oxygen. These did not. Oyster mushrooms, if they have a smell, smell of anise and the ghost fungus has no scent. Check strong anise scent.

And what did it taste like?  

Bizarrely, reminiscent of lamb chops. Yes truly. It was a bit disconcerting to this 20 year vegetarian. Thankfully the taste similarity was only mild and I'm sure if it was taste tested head to head with real chops there would be very little similarity. It's a good eating mushroom, but we knew that already as oyster mushrooms are grown commercially all over the world.

But which oyster is it? 

There are a good half dozen or so and I narrowed it down to three -  Pleurotus ostreatus - the oyster mushroom, Pleurotus australis - the native Australian oyster/the brown oyster mushroom and Pleurotus populinus - the Aspen oyster mushroom.

Why the confusion? 

The stump it was growing on had been cut down to ground level and was fairly rotted. It was beyond my ability to ID the tree. Pleurotus populinus only grows on

the Populus species of trees ie aspen, poplar and there are plenty of these in the area. But there's also plenty of gum trees and conifers, which the other two varieties will grow on. So no help there.

The spore print was absolutely white and stayed that way after drying overnight. Pleurotus ostreatus has a white to greyish or lilac spore print, Pleurotus australis has a white drying to pale tan spore print and Pleurotus populinus has a white only spore print. Looking like Pleurotus populinus is a strong contender? Wait for it....

Colour. What did we have? Older mushrooms with dark tan cap, white flesh, creamy to yellowish tan gills.

Pleurotus ostreatus has a cap that can be pale brown to dark brown, white flesh, gills whitish or with a gray tinge, sometimes yellowish in age. Well that fits as these specimens were a bit older. Pleurotus australis has a cap that is pale grey-brown ageing to darker brown, white flesh, gills cream to brown. Um ok, that fits too. Pleurotus populinus has a cap that is whitish to pinkish gray or pale tan, without dark brown colorations. Ah we have a mismatch.

So after all considerations, my best guess is Pleurotus ostreatus. I'm happy to hear opinions from other mushroom hunters and I have plenty more pics available.

Ever since doing an intensive and stunningly informative fungi ecology workshop with Alison Pouliot a year or so back, I have set myself the task of quietly foraging my way through the edible wild mushroom species. It's all fun and adventure.

The trick I have found is to learn all I need to know to positively identify one particular mushroom that I want to find and taste, then get outside and enjoy the forests. It's a slow method, but positive identification is the only safe way. I guess I could also get out there and pick one example of every mushroom I find and them attempt to identify them, but I have found identifying a bag full of unknown mushrooms to be so very time consuming.

Some of these foraged discoveries are a lot more edible than others! It's all part of the adventure.

As I mentioned in the previous post, I have very quickly discovered that edible does not mean palatable or even delicious, it just means it won't harm or kill you. So it is a delight to discover (read - stumble upon while not looking, again while walking the dogs) a new gem.

Coprinus comatus - Shaggy Ink Caps or Lawyers Wigs. Apparently cultivated in China as a food but completely overlooked here. Total waste.

As of last night, I can now say these are wonderful eating.

A wonderful unexpected discovery while walking the dogs and exploring a new patch of ground. A delightful bonus of taking the time to look and breathe. My favourite wild foraged mushroom.

In learning about wild foraged foods, it has been an adjustment to find that although there are many plants which are considered edible, that doesn't mean that you would want to eat them. Technically grass is edible. But why would you want to? Point made?

Edible. Palatable. Delightful. 

There is quite a difference.

So it is a gleeful moment when I find one of the wild culinary delights. A truly delicious treat. This little lilac lovely is my favourite wild mushroom of the ones I have tried so far. It's lepista nuda, the blewitt.

Fried in a little butter and salt. The liquid they give out is a sublime and perfect cream of mushroom soup all on it's own. The mushrooms themselves are divinely flavourful. A simple zen treat.