Parasol Mushrooms

On Friday we went for a walk in the late afternoon. It was damp, grey and a little cold, so there were not many people out, not even dog walkers or joggers. I was thinking of how I had seen some gigantic mushrooms the previous week but not dared picking them because I was not sure what they were, edible or poisonous. After that I had spoken to my mother who suggested they were Parasol Mushrooms (Riesenschirmling in German, Stolt Fjällskivling in Swedish). I then looked them up on the net and found they were more than edible; they were in fact very desirable, and had a nutty flavour. Since they are normally not sold in shops, the only way of getting some is to pick them yourself.

When we came to the field where I had seen these mushrooms, which obviously had been picked by somebody with a greater fungi knowledge than yours truly, I kept my eyes open for more of these massive mushrooms. Only a visually impaired person could have missed them; there was a group of new delicious ones waiting to be picked, and despite the fact that we had just set out on our walk, I promptly picked five of them and held them like a bouquet in my hand for the rest of the hour-long exercise. I did not want to miss out on them yet again.

When we got back I did another search on the net to establish the identity of the fungi five and was in the end happy they were not poisonous. I first used them as a starter, just frying them with some salt and pepper, and then to make the sauce for the main course as well. They were absolutely gorgeous! Next time we go for a walk, I think I will carry a basket or a bag because my hand was completely rigid from holding those mushrooms for an hour. I have been smitten with mushroom mania!