gecko

The culture that I had was originally from a mushroom that I bought from Damian Pike ( mushroom seller at Prahran Market, Vic.). When I asked Damian what type of mushroom it was and where he got it from , He told me that it was called 'snow mushroom' and that it was imported from Japan I excised some tissue, put it onto several plates and made some sterile cultures from that mushroom. .... then cooked and ate what remained. exactly how you described it Worowa..... meaty and delicious, abalone like. The identity was really a guess on my part with the limited information that I had at the time. It seemed clear to me though, that it belonged in the P.eryngii complex of species. The only other species that I'd heard of were P. ferulae (P.eryngii var. ferulae) P. elaeoselini P. nebrodensis P. thapsiae The Unicorn Bags website had a bit of info on the culture of 'Bailinggu' mushroom where they referred to it as P.nebrodensis. It may well be that it is in fact something else within the P.eryngii species complex. a DNA sample may help shed some light on it she true identity. it would be interesting to find out for sure.

This season I've found enoki growing on elm and poplar stumps. ive also seen it growing on Pittosporum undulatum. its supposed to be found on Acacia spp. too. yesterday I was cutting elm suckers for growing oysters and elm oysters. theres a patch of grey poplar in a creek near here that I'm gonna cut some stems from. just try various wood out One thing to try also is when making up spawn , use sawdust from that species you intend to trial and you can observe how it goes during the spawn run to get an idea how well it may take when put into the log. also , if there's a delay with the mycelium 'learning ' how to eat it, I reckon it's probably better to happen in the safety of indoors in the bag.

Hedgehogs! now you've made me jealous. ive got prints of velvet shank ( enoki) I found earlier this season. would you do a swap for some prints of the Hydnums? there are some oaks nearby that may like to meet them. near Eucs too, just in case the Aust ones are specific to Euc . i haven't heard of any growing under oak in Aust., but I'd like to try it. Zen Peddler sings their praises as one of the best edibles around..

Another find today Flammulina velutipes - Velvet Shank More commonly known as the cultivated form and Japanese name ... Enokitake of just Enoki. these ones were growing wild from a cut elm stump in Central Victoria. so far I've seen it fruit from poplar, elm, sweet pittosporum and a few days ago, a friend fond it growing from a black currant bush. such a yummy little mushroom

Amanita rubescens Blusher edible when cooked Adelaide Hills

Hypholoma capnoides - Looking for sterile culture or prints please willing to swap/trade

Did you get a sterile culture of them going?

2. Collybia sp. I reckon C.butyracea maybe aka greasy ( or buttery) tough shank

There are two distinctly different plants getting around in Aust under the name of turmeric. the one that you have in the pic here ( let's call it yellow turmeric), and a darker, orange one , turmeric... The real deal...Curcuma longa. The yellow one is a slightly bigger plant with a slightly heavier textured and more deeply corrugated leaf. its also a more vigorous and higher yielding grower, so naturally that is the one that's gonna increase its presence in nurseries, gardens and fruit n veg shops. it tastes very similar and is used in the same way from a culinary and medicinal perspective , but I do much prefer the orange one. ive been trying to get to the bottom ot it since years before the Internet and eventually gave it a rest since moving to a colder climate ... Out of the range where it's easy to grow For a long time was of the belief ( and still slightly suspect) that it is a different species, but I've heard some people insist that it's a different strain of C.longa. Anyway, keep an eye out for the one with the deep Orange rhizome.

Yes, Talinum is what I thought too. that ones I've seen are usually more pink and a deeper green.

Michelia champaca beautifully perfumed flowers, fast grower.

....or maybe not after another look at the pics.

Collybia butyracea maybe?

grow Toona from suckers... very easy. The following species are eaten with nam prik in Nthn Thailand Azadiracta indica (Sadow , Neem) Senna siamea (Khi lek) Acacia pennata (Cha om) especially good in omlettes Morinda citrifolia (Bai yaw , Noni) Erythrina indica is edible, often grown as a fodder/living fence, but ok with nam Prik also. Sauropus androgynus , in case it hasn't already been mentioned (ok its a Very small tree ) Polyscias scutelarius and P.fruticosa are eaten in many parts of S.E.Asia there's a very old book (from 1970's) worth searching for 'Edible leaves of the tropics' ok... quick search, looks like it's been reprinted http://www.echobooks.org/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=436 not just tree lvs, but a handy little book nonetheless.