St George's mushroom. Vårfagerhatt.

A member of the Oslo Mycological Society found St George's mushrooms (Calocybe gambosa) last weekend. St George's mushroom is one of the few edible fungi found in the spring. 

The Oslo Mycological Society's first mushroom forays this spring will focus specifically on the St George's mushroom. Unlike the New York Mycological society, the Mycological Society in Oslo does not organize morel forays - nor morel breakfasts!

St George's mushroom, Calocybe gambosa,
Vårfagerhatt (previously known as "vårmusserong" in Norwegian) 
 in the London area.

The St George's mushroom also grows in Italy, Northern Spain and Southern France. It is considered a delicacy, fried in butter. Otherwise, pair it with spring asparagus and make a wonderful, seasonal risotto. Risotto with wild garlic leaves (or "ramsløk" in Norwegian) sounds good too.

The mushroom can be identified by its white, narrow gills, its mealy odour and taste and its white spore print. According to one local expert, the mushroom appears in the same spot every season. So once you have picked them, you know where to go back to the next year.

The video shows an abundance of calocybe gambosa in its natural habitat 
(meadows, pastures, on the edges of deciduous woods).
The Italian mushroom hunter whispers as he picks, 
like he is engaging in a sacred, secret activity.
Or maybe he does not want to wake the mushrooms?