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hi peeps,
don't know if its just me, but theres no mushrooms about,
i know i'm here in south east england and its rained this weekend
for the first time in months. but i remember seeing loads last year,
including 8 people in my local swinley forest all with big hampers full.
any ideas or am i just being tup

Can't help you on the fungi (someone will be here soon, no doubt), but I had to say that's the first time I've seen "tup" as an expression for donkey's years - and certainly not from anyone from Ascot

Mike

As you are talking mushrooms, I'm heading to Devon in 2 weeks and was going to buy a book on British mushrooms. Can anybody recommend one? Also one on foraging? Maybe 1 book has it all or should I buy separate books that are more in depth? I found a Collins Book of British Mushrooms that looked pretty good.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Collins-Complet ... 780&sr=8-1

I'm new to foraging so any recommendations much appreciated

thanks!

Steve

SteveJamesBrown wrote:As you are talking mushrooms, I'm heading to Devon in 2 weeks and was going to buy a book on British mushrooms. Can anybody recommend one? Also one on foraging? Maybe 1 book has it all or should I buy separate books that are more in depth? I found a Collins Book of British Mushrooms that looked pretty good.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Collins-Complet ... 780&sr=8-1

I'm new to foraging so any recommendations much appreciated

thanks!

Steve

Hi! I think the collins one looks like a good introduction, but it's probably not detailed enough for use as a filed guide. The Collins Gem book is good for general identification, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Collins-Gem-Mus ... 0007183070 and i really like http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Identify-Mu ... 0007259611 for more detail on edibles.

Hope this helps, happy hunting! (I think it might be getting into Chanterelle season when you're in Devon.
Kate
PS I would also definitely recommend Richard Mabey's Food for Free, for general foraging. You can get that as a Collins Gem size too.

I was about to ask the same question! I'm also from the South East, but I feel it is a bit later on in the year, but could be wrong. Last year we had a wonderful time collecting all sorts of fungi. pbf.

The collins complete guide does not tell you if the fungi in question is edible or not. My favorite mushroom guide is Roger Phillips book, simply called "mushrooms". It is a bit big to use in the field, but worth the extra weight and cost. If you are eating the fugi, you will want to cross reference with at least one other book or the internet (ispot is great). I haven't seen any chantrelles yet, but am looking out at all my favorite spots.

The collins Gem book is pretty good, but for edibles only I'd get the River Cottage Handbook No.1 by John Wright.