Just because autumn is here in the manicured parks of London, and I’m miles away from my gathering-grounds in the Hebrides and the wilds of Wales, and I’m thinking about (clockwise from top left) penny-bun (1), charcoal-burners (3), orange-tears (2), oyster-mushrooms (2). To prepare, don’t rinse, trim as necessary, brush to remove any debris - moss, earth, loam - slice as appropriate to size and shape, fry gently in butter or olive oil till the moisture is mostly evaporated and the edges are are a little browned. For woodland fungi, particularly if gathered on a damp day, frying is a three-stage process: first they sizzle and seem to fry, then they make juice, then they lose their moisture and begin to fry again. That’s all. Scramble in a couple of eggs, or into the makings of an omelette, or add a splash of cream, bubble up and spoon onto hot buttered toast. Penny buns - boletus - take kindly to parsley and garlic if cooked in olive oil. Salting during frying speeds the drying-out process and concentrates the flavour. Some fungi are naturally peppery, some are bland. Some are slithery and some are dry. As parasitic fruiting bodies dependent on other plants, they taste of what they’ve eaten. Only collect the ones you know (cut betweem the bole and the stalk and don’t yank) and never pop anything into your basket of which you’re not absolutely sure. Nothing to it, really.
Chanterelle aka girolle aka apricot mushroom (don’t argue - what’s in a name?). They grow in conga-lines half-hidden in moss, mostly under beech. A single chanterelle is not a chanterelle. You can dry them if you must, but they don’t rehydrate particularly well. Exquisite when fresh (and no, they don’t actually taste of apricot, they’re just apricot-coloured).
Bluetts like company - spot one and you’re sure to find its friends. They arrive late in the season and can stand up to an early frost. The caps are sometimes a little bronzed. Firm and meaty and eminently sliceable: perfect for mushrooms on toast.
Chicken-of-the-woods, a tree fungus, robust, firm-fleshed, and far too much to eat in one go. Trim off the woody bit where it was attached to the tree, slice or dice and cook in olive oil maybe garlic and parsley, or onion and tomato and a pinch of chilli.
Hedgrehog fungi, distinguishable from all other white-cap fungi by delicate little spikes - stalagmites - on the underside, rather than gills. Naturally peppery, so useful in a mixture.
The best drying-mushroom much favoured as a flavouring for soups in eastern Europe. And it really does grow in wide rings without any obvious tree-host. De-hydrate on newspaper in a dry corner, or on a de-humidifier or in a warm turned-off oven.
Yellow-legs aka girolle aka chanterelle. Delicate and delicious. Lucky you if you find them (they grown in clusters). Cook as chanterelles/girolles, maybe with a scrap of thyme.
Who needs fake meat? Beefsteak fungus: slice thickly, brush with oil, season, smack on the grill, serve with a sharp little sauce bearanaise (same as hollandaise, but with a reduction of wine vinegar and tarragon instead of lemon juice).
p.s. For my fruit and veg prints (plus fungi and fish) check out the shop on my website at https://www.elisabethluard.org/shop
p.p.s: paid subscribers (don’t I just love you!) will shortly get a couple more gatherings, just as soon as I’ve done my homework…