Weather conditions in the late summer and early autumn this year have been ideal for fungi, which are prolific everywhere in our hedgerows, fields and woodlands, often well ahead of their normal season. Show
Mixed woodland is ideal for foraging for fungi, especially where there are beech trees, and many desirable edible varieties thrive here. The Boletus family, for example, notably B. edulis (the penny bun, porcino or cep), which is a prize find. Biddy White Lennon and Evan Doyle’s book Wild Food (O’Brien Press) is useful for identifying and making use of some of the edible fungi most commonly found in Ireland - St George’s Mushroom (mid spring-summer), chanterelle (late summer-autumn), field mushroom (late summer-early autumn), and cep or penny bun (late summer-autumn) - while Richard Mabey’s classic Food For Free (Collins) covers a wide range of those found in the UK and Ireland, with the little ‘backpack size’ edition especially useful. I wished I had it with me recently when visiting Beech Hill Country House Hotel, Derry, as the range and quantity of fungi in their 33 acre wooded grounds was a wonderful surprise. Guided mushroom hunts are offered in many areas, one of the longest established being the Annual Mushroom hunt at Longueville House (www.longuevillehouse.ie), Mallow, Co Cork, which takes place on two days - Sunday 06th & 20th October 2013 - and includes the ‘Legendary Luncheon’ prepared by proprietor-chef William O’Callaghan, and no doubt washed down with some of the excellent Longueville House Cider. This recipe for Wild Chanterelle Goulash is from The Strawberry Tree Restaurant at BrookLodge, which specialises in organic and wild foods and features in Biddy White Lennon and Evan Doyle’s book Wild Food (O’Brien Press).In season from July-November, bright yellow chanterelles are easily spotted in clusters in woodland, notably in forests with birch, beech and mossy coniferous areas. Good in potato, egg and bacon dishes, they keep for couple of days in the fridge and can be dried or preserved in oil. 1kg wild chanterelles Brush or wash the chanterelles very quickly under running water, pat dry. Heat some oil in a pan and fry the mushrooms quickly, put in a sieve set over a bowl and save the poured-off liquid. Fry the diced onions over medium heat until golden, add the peppers, garlic and bacon and fry for another 5 minutes. Reduce the heat, put the tomato purée in and stir well, avoid burning the purée. Add the paprika powder and then deglaze it with the vinegar. Pour the stock and the saved liquid from frying the chanterelles and cook it gently for 15−20 minutes. Add the cream, season with salt and pepper and blitz in a processor. Strain through a sieve into a pot. Put the chanterelles back in the sauce and cook for a few more minutes. HOW TO FINISH Fold in the chopped parsley and season to taste. Garnish with, or fold in, a dollop of crème fraiche WHAT YOU GET Is a summer-special goulash with all the flavour of the chanterelle. Perfect served as its original decreed, with bread dumplings, or maybe with pasta or rice instead. As a supper with friends or even a TV snack. Just spoon over a slice of fresh grilled bread, and enjoy. Is there such a thing as a free lunch?They say “There is no such thing as a free lunch” – that may hold true until you discover foraging! Little did I know when my father took me picking wild mushroom at the age of 6 that I would end up on the island of Ireland, picking much more than just mushrooms. Nowadays, I collect wild foods from forests, hills, meadows, seashore and the sea. Foraging has undergone an unprecedented renaissance and not only in Ireland. However, for me, it is much more than just the collection of wild food. It brings me in contact with nature; it is the equivalent of a good workout; it allows me to be reflective and mindful while I am out and about it also stimulates my senses. There is nothing quite like smelling the mineral, truffle and sea notes while you are picking Pepper Dulse at low tide or coming upon the strong aroma of Porcini or Girolle mushrooms while walking through the forest. Once in the kitchen, the flavours of wild mushrooms and plants are so varied and often intense, that similar shop-bought items cannot compare or even get close to the flavour profiles or aromas. If we imagine a 15-meter-long timeline with the earliest ancestors of man gathering food about fifteen million years ago, the beginning of the cultivation of plants would only occupy the last seven millimetres, demonstrating the extremely long history of foraging. It is the Hunter-Gatherer in us, something that may be part of our genetic makeup, that makes foraging so enjoyable, apart from the fact that the wild foods you pick are available for free. How to get started with foraging:
Give yourself time to learn slowly, for my part I am happy to increase my knowledge by one wild edible mushrooms and one wild edible plant species per year, giving me ample time to familiarise myself with the individual characteristics. Pick foods that are easy to Identify like the below examples - Mushrooms (for details visit www.gallowaywildfoods.com):
Seashore plants (for details visit www.gallowaywildfoods.com):
Seaweeds (for details visit www.gallowaywildfoods.com):
Hedgerows, Meadows and Forest (for details visit www.gallowaywildfoods.com):
How to forage sustainably and responsibly
The don’ts and what to look out for when foraging
What to do with your foraged foodsThere are endless possibilities for your foraged foods. The things I like to do are:
My Favourite Resources for foraging:1. Books:Wild Food (Roger Philips), Mushrooms (Roger Philips, advanced), Food for Free (Richard Mabey) 2. Blog:www.gallowaywildfoods.com by Mark Williams, a fantastic blog that has very specific detail on edible wild foods regarding identification and seasonality, and due to its close geographical proximity, it is a good indicator to what is happening in Ireland. 3. App:VILD MAD a project initiated by MAD, giving good detail on identification and recipes, however, be mindful that the app is designed for the Danish Landscape so there may be slight differences regarding seasonality. 4. Instagram:www.instagram.com/thallifoods Thalli foods are one of my favourite Instagram accounts, with excellent pictures of wild foods in their natural habitat, and very detailed descriptions of when and where to find them as well as how to use many of them. As Edward and Avery, the couple behind Thalli Foods are based in Co. Clare, it gives any followers interested in foraging a good Idea what you can find when out and about in the wild at any given time. 5. Food market:The Milk Market
Limerick, for the weeks, when you don't get out to forage, you can find Ballyhoura Mountain Mushroom (Mark and Lucy), selling a variety of wild and cultivated mushrooms and excellent mushroom products, You will also find Thalli foods (Edward and Avery) selling foraged edibles and a selection of condiments made from wild foods. There is such a thing as a free lunch if you are willing to get out there and look for it, and with the wild garlic season in full swing at the moment, it is only a matter of time until the hunter-gatherer instinct should awaken in you. Happy foraging! #LocallySourced #FoodTrends #Sustainability #Seasonality #Culinary Where can you forage mushrooms in Ireland?Mixed woodland is ideal for foraging for fungi, especially where there are beech trees, and many desirable edible varieties thrive here. The Boletus family, for example, notably B. edulis (the penny bun, porcino or cep), which is a prize find.
What mushrooms can you find in Ireland?Here, they're on the hunt for ceps, chanterelles, chicken-of-the-woods, hen-of-the-woods, black trumpet, winter chanterelles, golden chanterelles, morels, oyster mushrooms, St. Georges mushroom, wood and field blewits, hedgehog mushrooms and turkey tails. “Wild mushroom foraging is very seasonal,” says Mark.
Where is the best place to find wild mushrooms?Usually, the mushrooms grow on the edges of wooded areas, especially around oak, elm, ash, and aspen trees. Look for dead or dying trees while you're on the hunt too, because morels tend to grow right around the base. Another good place to check for mushrooms is in any area that's been recently disturbed.
Can I pick mushrooms in Ireland?By now, you have to look a little harder for them under fallen leaves but wild mushrooms are still on the ground and the picking season can continue into November. Gathering these mushrooms has become popular in Ireland.
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