Mostly frustrated in our quest for chanterelles today, but came across a huge flush of Giant Polypore on some beech roots. Grabbed some of the youngest looking and have just fried them in butter. Really impressed (and surprised!).
I love giant polypore. I've made it into pate before now which was ace. It makes nice soup and good addition to casserole. It needs longer cooking, yes, but tastes very nice.
I just found one...big rosette of this mushroom this morning walk...it is now sitting outside in garden and I'm wondering what to do with it I don't know if it is too old..though it does look really nice and in good condition Identification wasn't problem with this one....like a big cabbage and looovely strong smell..and I did had a look into my mushroom book too ..just to make sure.. ..it was just sitting there at the bottom of a huge old beech tree...
HEEELP! I've never used one of these before....perharps just trialling little piece to start with to see if it agree with me..
OH told me straight away..."I'm not eating any of that!!!..and don't try to sneak any into my foods!!!"
Never tried giant polypore but that doesn't seem like a good rating on the mushrichter scale
Dryads saddle has suddenly started reappearing here but definately not in a rush to try it again, despite the lull. Might have been my cooking but my experience was difficult to swallow, literally just chew and chew. Seemed kind of like tripe.
Don't know how everybody else has been getting on but after a great start to the season there has been almost nothing around here for quite a while. Then yesterday and today i have been lucky and found chantrelles and horse mushrooms (spotted from the car, very lucky).
Not that I've really been looking... but I haven't found single edible mushroom for whole summer..this giant polypore is first 'accidental' finding of the year...and I haven't tested it yet if it is eatable Tomorrow...I was supposed to deal with today but I ended up scrumping some apples and damsons instead..
Usually I find plenty of morels early on the season but this year in my usual 'spot' there was only 1 to be found!!...left it to do its 'deeds'.
I don't mind if there is bit of bite for the mushrooms..even chewiness doesn't put me off..it is when they go to slime or are very mushy that puts me off. Blewits are one mushroom that I can spit out...YUCK.
We just sweated it with heat/salt and melted in some butter at the end (as we do for most mushrooms). As I remember it went jet black, but was really tasty - very 'mushroomy'.
Still in the midst of a great season here, finding chanterelles, ceps and both types of hedgehog all over the place.
i think it must be different up north, we've had kilos and kilos of ceps and the chanterelles are as reliable as ever. I think the hot July really helped our ceps, looks like its only been good up here?
one thing i have noticed is that this season is almost completely devoid of leccinum - really odd.
truffle