It’s a great time of year to start going out foraging more often. It’s late summer with a good portion of rain to get things going. And Autumn is not too far away just round the corner. Many different species start to pop out and show their faces. The problem is though I do tend to get covered in insect bites that itch like crazy!

Besides these problems, I was fortunate enough to find two members of the Macrolepiota family not too far away from each other in and around my local park. The Parasol (Macrolepiota procera) and the Shaggy Parasol (Macrolepiota rhacodes). From the genus Lepiota, these represent the larger specimens in this group. The name ‘Dappering’ is also used to label the majority of this species.

The Parasol mushroom is fairly common and I found this one on the edge of parkland in thick grass (shared with nettles that added to my stings). It’s a mushroom you can’t really miss – standing their tall and proud shouting out it’s presence to the world. It was a solitary soul but sometimes you can find small and large groups of them together.

The Parasol mushroom's distinctive central brown 'bump' and scaly pattern on the stem

As the common name suggests, the open cap mimics the familiar shape of a parasol. When young, the cap is egg shaped and flattens out when it expands. The cap is a pale buff to white/creamy/brown colour with darker brown shaggy scales. Notably, it has a prominent bump on the top in the centre (umbo).

It’s long slender stem (slightly thicker near the base) has scaly snakeskin markings with a large (double) ring which can be moved up and down. Great fun. This scaly snakeskin appearance on the stem that helps in identifying it from a Shaggy Parasol which does not share this characteristic. Also note the smell, which is very distinctive (like ‘warm-milk as I’ve seen it written somewhere). The Shaggy Parasol on the other hand has no real strong smell at all.

This is an excellent mushroom to eat. Generally good as a fry up but I’ve heard they’re great deep-fried with dipping sauce on the side. Yum!

A few days before I had found myself a Shaggy Parasol (Macrolepiota rhacodes) located on a patch of grass in the conifer wood, close to the park. It was kindly (and indirectly) pointed out by a passing little boy, shouting and pointing ‘MUSHROOM!’ to his uninterested mother who replied ‘Don’t touch’! Very wise words indeed. Just leave it there – just for me (heh heh)!

Distinctive brown scales curling away from the white cap & thick bulbous base of stem

The rounded white cap (expanding to almost flat) has brown scales on top that curve upwards and out giving it a shaggy, torn appearance. The stem at the base is thick and rounded unlike the Shaggy Parasol which isn’t as bulbous.

This shaggy mushroom can be easily mistaken for the Parasol which is understandable. Good tips on how to identify this mushroom over the Parasol are the thicker, stockier appearance, no ‘snake-skin’ pattern on the stem and last but not least it’s colouring when bruised or cut. If you cut the stem, you will see the colour ‘bruise’ orange/red. Likewise, if you bruise the gills they will change to a red colour.

Edibilty-wise, this can be a very nice treat indeed – for some that is! It must be cooked, but it can disagree with some people and cause digestive upset or even a skin rash. It’s always best to try a little first and see how you go.

One last word of warning though – Never pick smaller sized parasols, or what appear to be parasols. You may by mistake obtain one of the smaller species of Lepiota (Dapperlings). They are very poisonous (at least most of them are) and will cause you some serious grief. They are smaller than our scrummy Parasols, about 7cm or less, but no bigger. They’re colour also more warmer and orange or pinkish. So, as a good rule with Parasol mushrooms only pick ones that are at least 12cm in diameter.

I’m still out there in the freezing cold, treading on the ice crusted mud and woodland grass in search of any of those winter treats still hanging around on the old dead wood. And I also need a change from mince pies, the turkey and wine and pretend I’m losing a few pounds in the process.

I was out in one of the National Forest woods, closest to where I live. It had to be close as I was on the motorbike and had to make the journey short. After all, it was 0 degrees celcius!

Initially I was looking for any signs of Oyster mushrooms. I know they’re around pretty much all year, but I need to find out more of where that is!

Instead I stumbled across (nearly literally) a modest collection of Jelly Ear (Auricularia auricula-judae) or Jew’s Ear. They are genuinely funky in appearance, and absolutely great to touch, almost like a mixture between silk and rubber! However, it was so cold that some had completely frozen solid. Some were half frozen, half unfrozen. I quickly took some snaps to show the ice and ear together.

They’re around most of the year and grow on living and dead wood, mainly elder but also with beech and sycamore.

They are edible but not full of flavour. I didn’t pick any of them at this time, but I’m interested to know if anyone has any interesting recipes to use with them. I believe they are used extensively in Chinese cooking – broths and soups etc. generally to add substance rather than for added taste.

Jelly Ear feeling the ice cold of January

Note: This post was inspired by overhearing a conversation at my local pub where they raved on about a local guy who knew where the ‘Blue Legs’ were at! He had bags of them for sale! I could only assume that they meant ‘Blewits’. On asking the bar maid, she knew nothing of Blewits and only that they were known locally as ‘Blue Legs’. Only later I have realised ‘Blue Legs’ are a common name given to ‘Field Blewits’ much less common than our Wood Blewit in question which has the common nae of ‘Blue Cap”. This makes you think though. The relevance of scientific ‘latin’ names holds its own here. I think a lot is lost in translation in mushroom identification with common names. Even though I love them so, Latin names make sense overall (even though they tend to change themselves!!)

Winter was making itself felt as it’s cold arm stretched across the land. But one lazy Sunday afternoon at the end of November, I dragged myself over to the local mushroom hangouts. Being south side of a major city you’re a little stuck for local woodland. Blaby on the other hand (South Leicester) comes up with the goods. We have a collection of mini public woodland and country byways. They’re all great because at one point or another they eventually end up at the local pub! Or is that my doing?

Anyway. For a casual stroll, I was surprised to come across quite a few lovely specimens. Three of them I’m still not sure about and still checking. But unmistakably I think I came across my first ‘Wood Blewit’ (Lepista nuda). You’ll maybe notice I have filed this post both under ‘Identity Crisis’ AND ‘Woodland Treats’ categories. All the characteristics were there. The colour, the presence of a wavy margin and also it being a stand alone species, living on dead organic matter (saprotrphs). It even was an exact match (pictorial-wise) to one of my reference books – it looked exactly the same! But I know that looks are deceiving, especially in this pass time. But even when I picked it, the wood floor wanted to come with it! Another tell tale sign. But I knew of the danger of mistaking it for one of the ‘Webcaps’. Surely a spore print would solve this issue for me. Wouldn’t it?

See the pics below. I know they’re not of the best quality as I was bloody cold and didn’t have time to get the best results!

The blue (purple/violet) colours of the Wood Blewit mushroom

Anyway. One spore print later I find  it to be (what I’d call) light brown!? And what am I looking for? Pale pink is the answer. I tried to convince myself this WAS pale pink, but no – this was a light brown, and that means Webcap. How can it be? There were no remains of web fibres on the cap to the stem – nothing!

This perplexes me and I don’t like it! I will very will come back to this post and answer my own question. There’s nowt as queer as mushrooms!

UPDATE JAN 2010: John Wright (Mushroom man extraordinaire, best known from his appearances on River Cottage) kindly replied to an email I sent about this identity crisis. He wrote: ‘Thank you for your email and sorry to take so long to reply. I like your article and your Wood Blewits are definitely Wood Blewits. The spore print colour question is understandable – the pink is a little subjective – it is a very pale lilac and not unlike a very pale brown! Webcaps have distinctive rust brown spores…’

Invaluable information I think you’ll agree. Thanks John. Case Closed!

I start this post with mixed praise. Setting it in ‘Tales of Toadstools’  (for I believe it’s a taodstool) and ‘Woodland Treats’ (for edibility content). But I stress – It’s not much of a ‘woodland treat’ for everyone out here, culinary speaking to be precise.

It’s one of those ‘they’re everywhere’ toadstools, around Leicestershire anyway. Their appearance can be really quite dull, but depending on their age, the Clouded Agaric (Clitocybe nebularis) can vary in medium to very large in size and has always interested me, mainly because it was really my first mushroom hunting discovery. Just shows how ‘common as muck’ they are!

They are recommended to be avoided for the food table, which I’m having a problem with. It seems such a waste. They’re large, juicy looking with loads of them about. The main reason being is that they can ‘disagree’ with some people and cause some bad stomach upset. Somebody must have tried to eat them, and what do they taste like? Was it worth it?

After a little net surfing I came across a great blog article covering this very subject. ‘Risky Eating’ was the title by the author Becky. She decided to take a chance and sample a small amount. Having no reaction after 24hours, she cooked up a lot of fungus and found it to be ‘really really tasty’ with a  ‘strong flavour’. (See the full article here)

So, come Autumn again this year, I think I’ll have a taster and see if I’m OK with it. Because if I am, then wow, I’ll be spoilt for pickings. Here’s hoping!

The cloudy grey brown agaric often grows in rings. Can grow quite large (15 - 20 cm).