The riches of early season hunting

[punkin]

Had some fried with a coarse chopped garlic clove in with a pork sausage tonight.

I can't believe how good they really were

I was thinking a dirt/mushroom taste when i smelt them, but they were more like crunchy sweet potatoe chips than anything.

[tripsis]

They're excellent eating! The chanterelles I found in India taste very, very similar.

[Lord Mayonnaise]

Holy moly Tripsis! There is no doubt you are a superior hunter.

Edit: I think your last unknown is a Marasmius sp. If the caps were velvety in texture (which they seem to be) then they're probably M. elegans.

Edited March 27, 2011 by Lord Mayonnaise

[tripsis]

Thanks LM. It was pretty easy hunting. I would have been blind to have not seen those milk caps!

Had a look at M. elegans in one of Fuhrer's books. It does indeed look like a good match.

[Zen Peddler]

This year Im going to put a big effort into hunting edibles up where I live. A local guy tells me there are Chanterelles up in some areas of the Hills and Lepista nuda, milkies and slipperies are very common if last year is any indication. Although my favourite spot seems pretty popular with dudes from restaurants - all those pine mushroom risottos, etc.

[Marcel]

Really? Chanterelles in Australia? That'd be awesome. Anyone here ever found any?

[tripsis]

A friend once found a single chanterelle in the park across the road from where I live now. Never actually saw it, but he said it tasted awesome and is pretty good with his fungi. Strange place for a chanterelle to pop up though, in a grassy suburban park.

Cantherellus concinnus is in the book "A field guide to Australia fungi", by Bruce Fuhrer.

Edited March 30, 2011 by tripsis

[Zen Peddler]

they grow uncommonly up in the hills outside Melb. Yet to find any but I do regularly find slipperies, milkies and blewits up here.

Edited March 30, 2011 by Zen Peddler BlueGreenie

[NSF]

This year Im going to put a big effort into hunting edibles up where I live. A local guy tells me there are Chanterelles up in some areas of the Hills and Lepista nuda, milkies and slipperies are very common if last year is any indication. Although my favourite spot seems pretty popular with dudes from restaurants - all those pine mushroom risottos, etc.

 

Hmmm it's funny you mention that, I was talking to a semi rural restaurateur and asking where he sourced his saffies, he told me he had his own spot and didn't want to share, said he wouldn't be happy if he found me in his (whatever, finders keepers cuts both ways). So I'm curious as to where you are located Zen Peddler.

EDIT: No idea how I missed your last post Zen, but anyway, fancy narrowing down your location a bit, I'm in Mt Waverley but regularly in the Yarra Valley.

Edited March 30, 2011 by NSF

[Zen Peddler]

No worries - I PM'd ya. Personally if I caught a chef in my favourite spot id be inclined to kick is his arse not the other way around - fuckers always come and take the lot. I pay rates there!

[donjuan]

great pics tripsis! i never knew those were saffron milk caps, i have a patch of them growing in my backyard!

i've just moved into a new place high, high up in the blue mountains, and other than being startling beautiful, the amount of different mushroom species growing in my backyard alone is just... amazing. i've never felt more at home than i do here. today there was a heavy fog that drifted across my town all afternoon... can't wait to check out the forest at the end of my street over the next couple of days. will update with some nice pictures for you all too! fairly new to the identification thing so any help would be great ;)

[tripsis]

Haha, nice one Thomas, can't complain about them popping up in your backyard! The Blue Mountains are indeed very beautiful. Too cold for me to want to live in them though, but I can never visit them enough.

[gecko]

Perfect looking milk caps in those pics!

I've been anticipating a good season this year.

I'll be out there picking soon

make a quick little fire and grill some on the spot

with a little garlic and herb , olive oil in the gills ...

cant beat it.

garlic, cream and pine nut...

i reckon pine mushroom/pine nuts sounded like a good combo, and it works well.

I love milkies for mushroom tacos.

saute fine-chopped onion,

garlic ,

fresh chiles in oil.

add sliced mushrooms, cook for about 3-4 min.

add a bit ( say 1/2 to 1 glass) of water and

some chopped Epazote

put the lid on and steam for about 5 min.

serve on fresh tortillas

with sour cream

and salsa.

add scrambled eggs to that too, is good.

this year I'm gonna try salting them in jars.

I've gor a russian recipe for that somewhere i think.

peppery milk caps are supposed to be good done like that,

not as harsh after a few months in the salt.

Edited April 1, 2011 by gecko

[mysubtleascention]

I'd like to see the Russian recipe..if you find it..

Edited April 3, 2011 by mysubtleascention

[tripsis]

Great recipes gecko, thanks for sharing. Picked some more yesterday. Had them in a stirfry tonight, but might give your taco recipe a go tomorrow (minus the epazote as I'm lacking it).

[gecko]

Great recipes gecko, thanks for sharing. Picked some more yesterday. Had them in a stirfry tonight, but might give your taco recipe a go tomorrow (minus the epazote as I'm lacking it).

 

I've got Epazote seed if you want.

you could substitute any herb you like...

but tarragon or thyme or parsley are my favorite herbs for mushrooms (apart from Epazote)

Salsa verde

Tomatillos

chiles

onion

garlic (optional)

a bunch of coriander

lime juice

salt

de-husk and washed tomatillos

put in small saucepan, just cover with water and bring to simmer then take off heat

ie. just barely cook them til they change from nice bright green to a sorry looking yellowy-green colour.

You can let them cool in the water and store in fridge til you need them ( up to a week).

put tomatillos in a blender with

onion (finely chopped)

garlic mashed to paste with salt

Green Chiles (Prepared how you like- I like Jalapenos charred over fire then skinned and chopped)

coriander

lime juice

salt to taste

pulse in blender a few times -a few 2sec bursts to mix but not puree.

let stand for at least 10-20 min and it will thicken.

The pics below are pretty much the same recipe but with cooked fresh red tomato.

and a trad. Mexican molecajete instead of electric blender.

the mushroom tacos as described in my previous post.

cooking the milkcaps after sauteing onions

adding water before covering with pan lid

milkcap tacos w/- sour cream (and/or avocado) and salsa on fresh warm corn tortillas

A perfect breakfast

[gecko]

"I'd like to see the Russian recipe..if you find it.."

Salted mushrooms

(the Russian recipe)

This is used for a variety of mushrooms and is a popular preservation method in many parts of Eastern Europe.

many edible species that have an acrid taste can be treated this way to reduce the harshness of taste.

I read somwhere that Peppery milkcaps (L.piperatus) treated this way have a much mellower flavour after 6 months storage.

I've not tried this method yet but I will this year and would also like to hear what others think of it if they try it.

Salt is one of the oldest preservatives known, totally natural, easily available and inexpensive.

It can draw out and/or change some undesirable flavours and properties and 'increase edibility' of some foods.

Materials

Glass jar - wide mouthed swing top jar with wire clip rubber seal is good.

Ingredients

salt

fresh clean mushrooms

Method

use salt to mushrooms at a ratio of about 3:1

3 parts salt by weight to 1 part mushrooms may seem like a lot,

but after a soak in fresh water before use would be ok.

brush or wipe mushrooms with a clean damp cloth.

trim and cut any damaged parts if necessary

slice thickly

put a layer of salt at the bottom of the jar then a layer of mushrooms.

alternate layers til jar is full.

the salt will draw moisture out and form a brine.

Lactarius deliciosus -their characteristic texture would make them a good choice for this.

Suillus granulatus, S.luteus- I'm gonna try them, who knows,

the salt may draw out the sliminess and render them more palatable

Wood Blewits (Lepista nuda)are supposed to be good salted.

(if you can get enough that are surplus to those you'd want to eat fresh)

Edited April 4, 2011 by gecko

[tripsis]

Would love some epazote.

That's a great looking recipe there! I've got one self-seeded tomatillo growing at the moment and sowed some more seeds yesterday. Looking forward to having salsa verde again, hopefully in conjunction with milkcaps this time.

Edit: Excellent Russian recipe too. One of my friends is Russian. She tried pickling milkcaps a year or so ago, but it didn't work out for some reason. Not sure which recipe she tried. I like the simplicity of the one you've posted. I reckon I'll give it a go this year. Any idea how long they store for like that? In the fridge or out?

Edited April 4, 2011 by tripsis

[PD.]

lol, saffy recipes. I think i have had a different dish every time i have eaten them, i just throw together whatever and it always tastes awesome. The last one was chicken and saffies with mustard, most of the time these meals are with pasta. I must say i havent eaten the slipperies much, the last time i did they were mixed in with saffies and morels, eaten on toast.......... might cook me up some morels now actually, this is makin me hungry.

I pickled and dried an utter shitload of saffies one year but i got no idea where they all ended up, i assume in the rubbish because my old man loves them so much . Drying saffies in a food dehydrator they give off a wicked smell almost like chlorine or some such from memory, its not the best to do heaps at once.

[Marcel]

I find that pickling Saffron Milkcaps is best done with small, whole young specimens. Big, sliced ones never taste all that wonderful, and don't look all that appetising either.

[altenate]

Also picked a load of saffies on the weekend amoungst others - There were stacks generally but def noticable in some areas that heaps have already been picked.

Quite a few people about - prob a few from this site, but who would know....large gatherings around the turnoff & a few outn about further towards jenolan way.

some suillus ( not as many as i would have thought), 2 solitary subs, lots of mycena about ( are these edible?)A few coral type (clavariaceae?) -which went well with dinner.

Is it best to remove the skin on the suillus? ususally do but curious as to what others think when used fresh? Dried?

Started to dry the first batch of saffies in a dehydrator but wondering what others exp are with this method?

Dried whole or sliced?

Do they reconstitue well or become a bit tough? If they become tough prob best to powder & use as a stock maybe?

Got to love the forests out Jenolan way...

The girls were a great help but always want to know why we were looking for certain "toadstools"

[tripsis]

Yeah, that picnic area was packed on Saturday! The forest around there is being logged anyway, so no longer a good place to go.

So you actually ate the coral fungi? Some species are poisonous you know. Do you have photos of the ones you ate?

I remove the skin of the slippery jacks, if for no other reason that they transport better and don't stick to everything else you've collected. Bit of a hassle to do, but worth it I reckon. I've not much experience with them, but have been drying them sliced. Not got around to reconstituting them yet.

Marcus, do you use the same pickling method that gecko has?

Edited April 4, 2011 by tripsis

[altenate]

No photos sorry, next time...

tasted the corals out there, no ill effects,fairly sure they were ok.

Having eating more at home for dinner no ill effects.

Seemed to have all the signs of being reasonable edible - no brown bruising, , not bitter & no gelatinous bases

But who knows if this a good way to tell??

From looking into them only seem to have a laxative effect if not good to eat.

BTW love the photos from india tripsis. Looks like an interesting time.

[tripsis]

Fair enough, might give them a go. Where were you finding them? In amongst the pines? I was shown one in India that was edible, growing in association with Acacia species (from Australia I think). Not sure of the genus, Clavaria/Clavulina/Ramariopsis?

Yeah, I don't think any are badly poisonous, just enough to make them unpleasant to eat. They always look inviting to me.

Thanks, it's a fair undertaking posting them all, but it's good to share.

[Zen Peddler]

saffie tortillas? I never thought I was a conservative cook but saffies and avocado just seems like vegemite and ice cream to me Sorry. I do love salsa verde - got to enjoy the real deal with tomatillos this year to.

In the Dandenongs a local bloke pics coral fungi every year and eats it. P