The Wild Side of Mushrooming
The wild side of mushrooming
I love wild mushrooms! Many of our finer local restaurants feature wild mushroom dishes. They opt to buy foraged wild mushrooms from qualified expierenced harvestors.
Unfortunately there are no regulations in the US about wild mushrooms. In my opinion we need to follow the path of Europe and have some kind of regulation of wild mushrooms.
I think the health department should issue a list of acceptable wild mushrooms for sale that includes banning Amanita species and making sure that chicken-of-the-woods, which causes intestinal upset in some people, is never eaten raw.
Morel are one of my favourite mushrooms. I first fell in love with these goregeous mushrooms in France.
Wild Mushroom Show - Puget Sound Mycological Society
Gorgeous market offering of wild mushrooms
Wild Mushrooms with polenta
Wild mushroom harvesters should have knowledge beyond just species identification. They must also know quality issues such as making sure mushrooms are not caked in dirt and or waterlogged. In addition, harvesters have to know, that mushrooms found near old mineshafts can be contaminated by mercury, lead or cesium.
Chances of poisoning are getting higher each year, as harvestors are less knowledable. We need regulations much like in place in the European Union. We're years behind the EU in terms of certification for harvesting and processing.
We often have gorgeous mushrooms growing out of roots on the elm in our front yard. Need-less-to-say the gardener cleans them up. I know nothing of what is safe to eat. We love wild mushrooms and do buy them at Berkeley Bowl and also Monterey Market.
Smoked duck with juniper berry duck demi-glace and wild mushroom risotto.
My in-laws, who live in Washington do go mushroom hunting each year. The only ones that seem easy to ID would be morels, but I have never seen them in the wild here.
Wild Mushroom Show - Puget Sound Mycological Society
Veal Marsala with Mushrooms
We made Veal Marsala last night but used fresh crimini mushrooms as we didn't have any wild mushrooms. Sometimes I mix dry porcini with fresh sliced crimini mushrooms for a semi-wild flavour.
Do any of the rest of you hunt wild mushrooms and where?
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