Fungi Finding with Friends

I spent last weekend, searching the local woods for fungi with some friends who were up to stay with us for the weekend.

Armed with our trug and identification guides with explored the inner depths of Froggatt and the surrounding woods over a period of a few hours.

This was my first real concerted effort to acquire fungi for free, I've been a seasonal fruit collector for several years now. Collecting enough fruit to make chutneys, jams and jelly's for my family at Christmas and the odd fruit crumble.

What a great day we had, trudging through the less explored parts of the woods, clambering over brambles that seem to be there to generally discouraged progress towards hidden secrets well of the beaten path. Hidden water runs and tumbled down buildings, heavily laden with moss and undergrowth, twisted Oaks shaped over years of seeking sunlight and yet more brambles.

From our hunting we found Chanterelle, Cep, Brown Bolete and Yellow Brittle Gills. We took our veritable feast of fungi home to carefully establish their identity for certain.

After some careful identification, dissection and disagreement on features we reduced our trug full of funghi to a small pile of about seven mushrooms that had passed the "will not cause severe kidney disorder" or maggot test.

Gently fried with some garlic we munched our meagre collection with smiles of an afternoon that couldn't have been better spent.

I endeavour to embellish this day further with photos of the fungi we encountered at some point in the not to distant future.