"I suggest before noon....10? couple of hours in forest and if you want, after-wards I would be happy to show different ways of processing/handling mushrooms depending on the type of mushroom etc. Lets go to Laajavuori....area close to ski jumping place. I will learn some mushroom terminology in English before Sat...i mean there are certain basic rules how to distinguish different types of mushrooms. Rubber boots (or something similar) will be needed because it might be wet there even if it does not rain on Saturday."
WOW! Who knew that this email would be the impetus to such an EPIC day of mushroom hunting. Four hours of hunting in the forest resulted in about 10 pounds of different varieties of mushrooms. Ilkka is a master mushroomer because he grew up on a farm and his parents bestowed their mad mushroom-hunting skills to him and his brothers. He knows which mushrooms are edible, "icky" (I taught him to say that), and which ones will kill you. At one point in the day, he pointed to a beautiful white mushroom and was like, "Whoa! These are the most lethal mushrooms in Finland!" Thank goodness he knew that because they looked beautiful, kind of like the white button mushrooms we eat all the time, albeit a little larger.
We spent about 3.5 hours cleaning mushrooms and did not even get through all of them. Ilkka taught us how to clean, cut, and cook the different varieties. Some needed to par-boiled (the milk caps) which means they needed to be boiled twice before eating.
I have to say, it was amazing to be in the forest with a purpose. Mushrooming is one of the most peaceful and rewarding activities.
2 comments:
You had quite a day of mushrooming. I understand that your place smelled quite earthy for a few days. Some of those mushrooms look quite "phallic" in structure. Enjoy your fruits of labor.
Love the "phallic" comment, mom. We had some good laughs in the forest when we found them. Too bad they were all poisonous.
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