Friday Fungus: Praying for rain!

It’s OK. I’m not praying for rain tomorrow. The rain dance is aimed at the day before foraging for mushrooms. Right now a torrential downpour will be of little use mushroom-wise (although I did have some rather cute little fairy ring mushrooms in the lawn when I cut it last weekend). But when the mushroom season is here there’s nothing better than a good downpour.

Last autumn – when the picture above was taken – we didn’t have any rain so, despite the availability of a mushroom hunter, we weren’t able to go forage in those lovely Tuscan Hills. It rained just as we were leaving – an arrangement that would, of course, suit most holiday visitors. But not those seeking mushrooms as without the rain the fruiting heads stay small and hidden. To get the full impact that rain is necessary.

So yes I’m praying for rain – 22nd October looks like a good day!

Friday Fungus: Coming to a mushroom blog near you in 2010!

I do hope you’ve enjoyed the Friday Fungus over the past few months – it’s a little bit silly but I hope has provided a little smile, a bit of information and some great ways to eat the little darlings. For this New Year’s Day Friday Fungus I’m simply whetting you appetite for what is to come!

1. More on mushrooms in medicine – both the silly “mushrooms cure cancer” stuff and the more serious application of fungal origin drugs to treating diseases like Parkinson’s

2. An occasional exploration of the cultural significance of mushrooms – from Italian Feste and Native American drugs to why we eat mushrooms for breakfast

3. Assorted recipes – including, when the time is ripe, spring mushrooms, mushrooms in salads and possibly some experiments with mushroom desserts

Enjoy reading, love eating and if you’ve any desires or suggestions mushroom-wise please let me know and we’ll add them in. Got 52 Friday Fungus to do in 2010!

Happy New Year!

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Friday Fungus: the world's biggest living thing (and one of the oldest)!

The world's largest living thing is probably a mushroom - Armillaria ostoyae or the honey mushroom. The biggest example of this fungus covers 2,200 acres and is in the Malheur national forest in Oregon. And this mushroom is pretty old too - at least 2,400 years and possibly as much as 7,000 years. (There is some argument that the Pando or quivering aspen of Utah is bigger and older - but it's not a mushroom so who cares!)

I've read mixed reviews on the edibility of honey mushrooms with some claiming them as delicious while others suggest they cause quite serious gastric problems in some people. Personally, I always worry a little about parasitic fungi - no reason to but it some how feels better to think of them as wholly bad!