August Foraging

Saffron Milkcap – Lactarius deliciosus

Saffron Milkcap. – Cap 3–10cm across, convex then shallowly funnel-shaped, with numerous small purplish-brick to salmon blotches arranged in narrow, concentric bands on a pale flesh or rosy buff background, becoming tinged greenish in places, slightly sticky, firm, brittle. Stem, pale buff to orangy or salmon, sometimes with darker, shallow, spot-like depressions, becoming green in places. Flesh pale yellowish, carrot in places from the milk fading and finally dull greyish green. Gills slightly decurrent, closely spaced, pale pinkish apricot to saffron, becoming carrot and slowly dull pistachio green on bruising.  Season summer to autumn. Uncommon.  Edible.

Hedgehog Fungus/ Pied de mouton – Hydnum repandum

(Better pictures to follow as they begin to come out)

These quite large fungi grow in all kinds of damp woodland and can be found from late Summer to late Autumn, this delicacy is easily recognized by its pale orange-tan colours, terrestrial habitat, and the spines or “teeth” on the undersides of their caps. These take the place of the gills in the more familiar types of mushrooms, and serve the same function, to produce and release large quantities of spores, which the fungus uses for reproduction. The teeth form dense masses, and can look more like bristles – a characteristic which has given rise to the common name of hedgehog fungus. The teeth or spines start small and grow to about 5-6 mm. long. Hydnum repandum is one of the safest edible mushrooms, since it is so unmistakable, although it is easily mistaken for a faded chanterelle until you get a peek at the spiny underside. Viewed from above they can look like ordinary gilled mushrooms, but the underside is very distinctive.

Baby hedgehogs just starting to appear….                                                                      Hedghogs one week later

Bay Bolete –Boletus badius

See July for Fungi info.

Porcini/Summer Cep – Boletus edulis

See July for Fungi info.

Girolle/Chanterelle  – Canthrellus Cibarius

See July for Fungi info.

A great Find foraging this week 8/8/11 Girolle

Brown Birch Bolete – Leccinum scabrum

See June for Fungi info….

Cauliflower Fungus – Sparassis crispa

(This is quite early for the Cauliflower to be out, so we are quite chuffed with this find!! We found this on the base of a Scots Pine)

Cauliflower Fungus -body 20–50cm across, subglobose, cauliflower-like, comprising numerous flattened, crisped lobes on a short thick rooting stem, pale  yellow to buff, darkening with age. Smell sweetish, pleasant. Habitat at the base of conifer trees or near by. Season autumn. Occasional. Edible and delicious when young and fresh; must be thoroughly cleaned.

Slippery Jack – Suillus luteus

Slippery Jack – Cap 5–10cm, chestnut to sepia covered in brown gluten, becoming more rust-coloured with age, shiny on drying. Stem pale straw-coloured at apex rapidly discoloured with darkening glandular dots, with a large white to cream ring which darkens to sepia, white below becoming vinaceous brown with age. Flesh white, often vinaceous at base of stem. Taste and smell not distinctive. Tubes lemon-yellow to straw-colour. Pores round, similarly coloured, becoming flushed sienna.  Habitat with conifers, usually Scots pine. Season autumn. Edible.

Amethyst Deceiver –Laccaria amethystea

Amethyst deceiver – Cap 1–4.5cm across, convex to flattened or centrally depressed, deep purplish-lilac when moist drying pale lilac-buff, surface slightly scurfy at centre especially with age. Concolorous with stem, covered in whitish fibres below but mealy near the apex, base covered in lilac down, passing into the lilac mycelium. Flesh thin, tinged lilac, stem becoming hollow. Taste and smell not distinctive. Gills often distant, concolorous with cap, becoming powdered white. Habitat coniferous or deciduous woods, often with beech. Season late summer to early winter. Edible.

Winter Chanterelle – Craterellus tubaeformis

Cantharellus tubaeformis – Cap 2-8cm across funnel-shaped in center, margin inrolled, wavy; deep yellow to yellow-brown, paler with age. Gills decurrent, narrow, blunt, and irregularly branched and vein-like; yellowish to gray-violet. Stem hollow, often flattened or grooved; yellow to dull yellow-orange. Flesh pallid yellow. Odor pleasant. Taste pleasant.  Habitat often in large troops in wet, mossy bogs.  Season July-October. Edible-good.

Horn of Plenty – Craterellus cornucopioides

Horn of Plenty. – Cap 2–8cm across, deeply tubular with flared mouth, becoming irregularly crisped and wavy at the margin, thin and leathery, dark brown to black and scurfy scaly when moist drying paler and greyish brown. Spore-bearing or outer surface ashy grey, smooth in young specimens becoming somewhat undulating with age.  Habitat gregarious or clustered amongst leaf litter of deciduous woods. Season late summer to late autumn. Occasional but locally abundant. Edible – good.

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