Edible Undomesticated Mushrooms – Morels, Puffballs, Chanterelles together with other Mouth watering Fungi.

There are many types of easily distinguishable, edible mushrooms, with none more well-known compared to the morel– a fungus, rather than a mushroom. While each has a definite growing season and distinct locale, they all form a family of delectable wild foods which are much sought after, just like the French truffle.

The absolute most distinguishable of the edible mushrooms could be the puffball – a globe-shaped mushroom that could grow to soccer ball size, and has a delightfully woody flavour. The favourite growing site of this mushroom is on dung heaps, in wood chips and rotting tree mulch, and near sunlit pastures. It is best eaten before the inner begins to turn from solid white to brown to black. Make certain that your pick is actually a puffball, and has no stalk growing inside. It should be firm and light-colored inside. Puffballs begin to produce in late spring & early summer, producing into the first fall.

Another morel cousin could be the shaggy mane, a morel-shaped mushroom with upward-turning scales and a dusty brown color. It grows from spring until summer, to a height of 4-6″, preferring open air and meadows to the mottled lighting of a woodland. Shaggy manes are distinguishable by their tendency to break easily when handled.viking spores uk

Chanterelles are another delicacy with a flavour not unlike morels. Although present in summer and fall, they like similar soil conditions. Imagine a trumpet using its mouth facing skyward, and you’ll have an image of the beige to brown chanterelle mushroom.

One of the very unusually shaped fungi could be the hen-of-the-woods, a growth available at the beds base of decaying trees that looks almost identical to a reddish hen with ruffled tail feathers. This delightful mushroom can be found in late spring and early summer. Catch it early and young, though, to make sure that it hasn’t developed a woody texture.

Of course, one of many earliest edible mushrooms could be the oyster mushroom which can often be found even while the snows just begin to melt. Growing on the sides of dead trees, these beautiful white clusters offer an early on taste of the mushroom harvests to follow.

Other mushrooms and fungi can be edible, including shelf mushrooms, often found growing on decaying trees in shaded woodlands. However, many of the standard umbrella-type mushrooms have deadly sisters, while others (such while the shelf mushroom) may be edible, yet have bland taste, or tough textures.

Certainly, the countless types of morels, though, are the most sought-after, during their mid-spring harvest season. Alongside them you will find a variety of fungi, nearly all of which are not toxic, but are not the equal of the morel as a spring wild harvest treat.