Bee Fungi- Grandmother Way to Healing
Mushrooms are my dream life, mushrooms are my hobby, I can never get tired of them because I can never find exactly the same one. They are my teachers and my medicine, I am honoured to learn from them and learning has no end. I don't think there is a person on this planet who saw, touched, discovered all the species in person.
Fungi are responsible for life on our Planet as we know now.
They are the earliest form of life diverged from other life around 1.5 billion years ago.
Fungi form the sister group to the animals and they should not be classified as vegetables.
The subject is huge and , too huge for one individual human being to discover and understand them all.
With gratitude and humble heart I am always student in that area.
Wast Kingdom of Fungi world fascinated me since early childhood. My beloved grandma introduced me to the world of mushrooms when I was 4 years old (nearly 36 years ago), since then every year I've been foraging wild mushrooms. I never thought of sharing what I was doing, for me it was obvious that everyone does it too. Turns out that many people still are not aware of the powerful healing medicine as mushrooms are. Our society injected in us fear of wild mushrooms, it was done for reason, no time to dwell on that.....
Now is the time for us, people to recognize Fungi as living medicine, that's what they are.
Foraging mushrooms not only gives you opportunity to spend time in the Nature, not only provides you with free food but most importantly consuming mushrooms brings you many health benefits.
In my opinion all mushrooms are medicinal.
And as someone joked: all are edible, but some only once.
PLEASE NOTE: It is important to know what type of mushrooms are you consuming. Don't take anyone world for proper identification. It is 100% your responsibility to do your own research before consuming any type of wild harvested mushrooms.
ALL THE INFORMATION ON THIS WEBSITE ARE ONLY MY OWN THOUGHTS BASED ON MANY YEARS OF DISCOVERY AND OBSERVATION. I DON'T TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY INCONVENIENT SITUATIONS OR BODY REACTION AFTER YOU CONSUMING ANY OF MUSHROOM SPECIES.
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Cep (Boletus edulis)
Other names: Porcini, King Bolete, Penny Bun. One of the most regarded mushrooms in the culinary field.
EDIBILITY
HABITAT
SEASON
June- October
Birch and Beech
Sometimes Oaks, pines, spruces
Edible, yummy
Bay Bolete (Xerocomus badius)
Other names: Imleria Badia, Boletus Badius. Second after Porcini the most valuable mushroom in culinary field, in fact difficult to say the difference in taste when you are blindfolded...
EDIBILITY
HABITAT
SEASON
August- November
Pine & spruce forests.
Sometimes: oak, beech, chesnut trees
Edible, yummy
Red Cracking Bolete (Xerocomellus chrysenteron)
INFREQUENT.....
EDIBILITY
HABITAT
SEASON
July- November
conifers, beech
Edible
Suede Bolete (Xerocomus subtomentosus)
Tricky one to identify, but with small ammonia test, this on's cap will turn mahogany red.....
EDIBILITY
HABITAT
SEASON
July- October
Mycorrhizal, broadleaf parks, mixed woodland
Edible
Slippery Jack (Suillus luteus)
Very slimy when wet, one of the boletes that has distinctive ring.
Picture credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suillus_luteus#/media/File:Suillus_luteus_475376.jpg
EDIBILITY
HABITAT
SEASON
August- November
pine
Edible
Larch Bolete (Suillus grevillei)
One of the most abundant and most easy to find.............
EDIBILITY
HABITAT
SEASON
July- October
larch trees and ecomycorrizal with
Edible
Velvet Bolete (Suillus variegatus)
Has tubes and pores like all bolete species.
EDIBILITY
HABITAT
SEASON
Late Summer
Pine, Heathers, acid loving plants, sandy soils
Edible
Birch Bolete (Leccinum scabrum)
Other names: Scaber Stalk, commonly known as rough- stemmed bolete.
EDIBILITY
HABITAT
SEASON
July- November
Birch trees only, mostly Silver Birch and Dawny Birch
Edible, yummy
Scarletina Bolete (Neoboletus praestigiator)
Great when well cooked but this is not a mushroom for novice forager as can be easily mistaken with toxic Boletes, Devils Bolete. Toxic boletes have mesh pattern on the stem, Scarletina has red dots....
EDIBILITY
HABITAT
SEASON
July- October
Mostly: Beech, Oak, also can be found in coniferous and mixed woods.
Edible, CAUTION: NOT TO MISTAKE WITH TOXIC BOLETES
Dryad's Saddle (Cerioporus squamosus)
Other names: Polyporus Squamosus, Pheasant's Back Mushroom, Scaly Polypore. It is the largest cape mushroom in the UK, can grow up to 60cm in diameter. When young taste like watermelon.
EDIBILITY
HABITAT
SEASON
May- August
Deciduous trees & stumps
Edible
Orange Grisette (Amanita Crocea)
This interesting mushroom has no ring on the stem, stem has white zig-zag pattern of soft scales.
EDIBILITY
HABITAT
SEASON
July- October
Mossy woodland. Hardwood trees: Birch, Beech.
Sometimes:larches, pines, spruces
Edible, DON'T CONFUSE WITH DEADLY POISONOUS AMANITA SPECIES
Honey Fungus (Armillaria mellea)
Very common parasitic fungus. Honey fungus is bioluminescent- the gills glow in the dark (but the light is too weak to be visible to the human eye. Some literature do not recommend foraging honey fungus as they state that there were cases of poisoning.
EDIBILITY
HABITAT
SEASON
July- November
on stumps and dead roots
Edible
Hedgehog (Hydrum repandum)
Other names: Sweet Tooth, Wood Urhin, Pied du Mouton. Very tasty and safe to forage as is difficult to mistaken with other species
EDIBILITY
HABITAT
SEASON
August- October
most woods
Edible
Shaggy Ink Cap (Coprinus comatus)
Other name: Lawer's Wig. They are mostly to be found soon after rain.
EDIBILITY
HABITAT
SEASON
April- November
grass, footpaths, lawns, open woodland
Edible when young
Shaggy Parasol (Chlorophylum rhacodes, previously Lepiota rhacodes)
This large mushroom can be mistaken with Parasol Mushroom and also with poisonous Chlorophyllum molybdites when young.
EDIBILITY
HABITAT
SEASON
June- November
saprobic, all kinds of woods, prefers conifers, mostly SHADY areas
Edible but can cause gastric upsets. NEEDS TO BE WELL COOKED
Common Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum)
Other name: warted puffball, gem- studded puffball, devil's snuff-box, wolf farts. Can be confused with very young amanitas.
EDIBILITY
HABITAT
SEASON
July- November
mixed woodland, heaths, pasture
Edible when young
Amethyst Deceiver (Laccaria amethystina)
This litle fella can be a great addition to any meal as it doesn't change colour when cooked.....
EDIBILITY
HABITAT
SEASON
June- November
mixed woods, mostly oak and beech
Edible but can absorb asrenic from the soil