October’s chapter would certainly be incomplete without a mention of mushrooms. Although the season for most British mushrooms runs from the end of summer throughout the autumn, October provides the best opportunity to find and gather a good haul of edible ones. The UK has something like 15,000 types of wild fungi but you can narrow it down to around fifty with serious culinary appeal that are in season this month.
However, it would also be remiss not to include a serious health warning. A large number of mushrooms are toxic – some just enough to give you an upset stomach, others enough to kill you in under an hour. The golden rule is simply never, ever to eat anything unless you’re absolutely certain of its identification. In Croatia, where mushroom hunting is very popular, they have an adage that is worth keeping in mind:‘All mushrooms are edible, but some only once.’
So, the first thing to do before you even think about foraging for mushrooms is to get yourself a comprehensive mushroom guide. The best books now come with laminated field guides that you can take with you on your woodland ramble. You’ll also need a mesh bag or lightweight wicker basket (a bucket will do but it’s helpful to have something with gaps that bugs and loose soil can fall through, and avoid using plastic bags because the mushrooms will sweat), a magnifying glass to help with identification and a small knife to cut mushrooms. Never pull a whole mushroom out of the ground. You can buy specialist mushrooming knives, but any small folding knife will be fine.
• Mushrooms like damp, cool woodland and the edges of fields. As a general rule, you’re unlikely to find them on very sandy soil.
• They often grow around rotting trees and piles of cut wood.
• Where you find one, you’ll often find others. Mark your original find with a stick and explore the surrounding area. Mushroom spores are blown by the wind, so they will often grow in a line with the prevailing wind direction.
• September and October are the classic months for mushrooms but, as we saw earlier in the book, some very well-known and highly prized mushrooms like St George’s and morels emerge in the spring.
• Don’t forget to look up as well as down – some of the tastiest species like chicken of the woods grow amongst tree branches.
My top five edible fungi are all in season this month and are readily identifiable:
Field mushrooms (August to November) – A classic mushroom in shape and colour – creamy white and commonly found on field edges. Makes excellent eating.
Ceps (August to November) – A real forager’s favourite, also known as the penny bun or porcini. Easily identified and extremely tasty. Found in most UK woodlands.
Giant puffballs (July to November) – Often spotted from a distance as these can reach monster proportions of up to 80 centimetres (2.6ft)! Found on woodland edges or in fields, sometimes hiding amongst nettles or tall grass. Can simply be sliced and fried ,or hollowed out and stuffed with other autumnal goodies.
Girolles (June to November) – One of the most highly prized autumn mushrooms. Beautiful bright yellow caps which add a wonderfully meaty texture to dishes. Can be rather harder to find but worth the effort.
Oyster mushrooms (all year) – A silvery grey-capped mushroom that grows in clusters, most often on beech trees. Fairly easily found most of the year round.
Don’t ever feel you have to pick and eat your finds. It can be huge fun just spotting and identifying mushrooms. If your expedition has given you mushroom mania, a trip to a larger farmers’ market should satisfy your cravings – you’ll find a great selection of wild and cultivated mushrooms to experiment safely with.
Try: Partridge and wild mushroom terrine (pp. 230–2)