Walking in my paddock yesterday evening I spotted four different types of mushrooms. I’ve always wanted to be an expert mushroom forager, ever since I was little. I have a beautiful memory of being at Brands Burton antique fair with my dad. We would stand for the entire weekend and sleep in the back of the van. On the first evening we took a circular walk around the impressive grounds and came across a huge, glowing white ball in the grass.
My dad was excited, “This,” he said, “is our dinner. It’s a puffball. Come on, let’s go cook it up.”
We took it back to the van and he fried it in a little butter with some wild garlic. We ate huge slices as if eating a melon, with butter dripping down our chins and a hot chocolate with brandy by our sides. (I was 8).
It is one of my best memories of my dad who unexpectedly and suddenly passed away when I was 23 and he had just turned 50.
I’ve only encountered one puffball since and it was so beaten and dog eared that I daren’t cook it up. I’ve been looking, and every year as autumn beckons I take woodland strolls looking for this mystical globe in order to recreate the memory with my own children.
I’ve been tempted to cook up imitations, but Willie Harcourt-Cooze regaled me of a story of when he poisoned his entire friend group, incapacitating them for an entire weekend due to some dodgy mushroom foraging. This is a man who knows his wild foods so if he can get it wrong, I have no chance. hence why I’ve observed from afar, taken photos and waited for the puffball to emerge. I have not been lucky.
This is what I found this weekend. I have not yet identified them so if you know what they are please do reach out!
How to Enjoy the Superfood Quality of Wild Mushrooms Safely
Mushrooms have long been regaled for their immune boosting properties, of course these wonderful fungi that grow wild in our wilderness are packed with essential nutrients and vitamins but how do you benefit from all of the good stuff without risking your health?
I recently came across a great superfood website, OneSelf Wellbeing. Primarily they concentrate on selling very fresh organic seamoss gel but they also have a range of super mushrooms too. Mainly Lion’s Mane (a very fluffy ornamental looking mushroom) and Chaga mushrooms.
The Lion’s Mane is available in a powder while the Chaga mushrooms are hand packaged into recyclable teabags. I adore the tea and I think the entire team at Sunday Woman will agree it deserves our Top Product award. It’s ideal for relaxing on an evening, it tastes different but lovely, and doesn’t leave you feeling groggy the next day even though it promotes an excellent night’s sleep.
Both of these mushrooms are known for immunity boosting, for enhancing brain function, elevating mood and even relaxing menstrual cramps. They deliver so many nutrients tat it would be impossible to replicate the amount in your normal daily intake of fruit and veg.
Until I find my puffball I’m sticking to the farm shops and OneSelf.
These really do taste delicious. Puffballs meanwhile can be found in open grassland and fields.