What a beautiful autumn day today!
Partly cloudy, but the sun shows up at times, I decided to head up around the village to look for surprises.
I shushed my kitties away, sneaking over the fence following me, as it wouldn’t be as peaceful as the woodland, and another kitty encounter could scare them off and ruin my whole hunt.
Just a few steps away, by the hedges, were bunches of honey mushrooms. I thought I had missed them, so I was pleased to see some still available.
Young ones. This place seemed to be a spot for honey mushrooms; if I hadn’t been late picking them, I could have harvested a whole sackful!
The honey mushroom has white spores; the white powder on the cap is actually spores from another mushroom. That’s one thing to look for when identifying them.
I picked a few.
I particularly admired this bunch, a quick shot when the sun showed up for a few seconds!
Near the park, there were three bunches of large honey mushrooms; only one was reasonably good to pick.
Just outside the village hall, over the stone fence, I spotted a troop of more mushrooms, along with many more that were already decaying.
I think they were more honey mushrooms.
Then, in the quiet ground, I found a family of meadow mushrooms. Unfortunately, my camera ran out of battery, so I had to use my mobile camera instead.
Some were too mature.
But a few were still young.
Camouflaging with the leaves.
Meadow mushrooms have interesting gills; they change from pink to brown as they mature. I managed to pick some at different stages and laid them on the ground.
From button to mature, although of different sizes, you can see how the gills’ colour changed
My favourite stage is when the gills are pink and the mushroom is still firm.
I filled my basket and headed home.
At home, my two kitties patiently waited for me; they were a little upset, waiting at the utility station and looking left out.
I checked and cleaned the mushrooms:
The honey mushrooms.
As they are mostly mature, I decided to dry them to enjoy throughout the year. They can be powdered or kept whole. I especially prefer to dry the honey fungus, as it can be a little slimy when eaten fresh, unlike the meadow mushroom, which is meaty and firm, comparable to a portobello.
The Meadow mushrooms.
I set some aside and simply fried them in olive oil.
I had them as part of an English breakfast.
The meadow mushroom is so meaty and very tasty, it paired beautifully with the rest of my breakfast and it made it extra special. What a nice treat after the lovely fungi hunt.
Wishing everyone a lovely day! Mariah :)