By George!

Found 21 May 2015

Follow the mushrooms!

Turn the mushroom and smell the gills. A bunch of newbies said they smelled petrol, rancid oil, walnut and even something fermented. However, according to the "official" literature in Norway, St George's are to smell mealy (wet flour) or even of pancake batter. Go figure!  

St George's Mushroom

St George's Day in England remembers St George, England's patron saint. 

The anniversary of his death, which is on April 23, is seen as England's national day.

Calocybe gambosa. Edible.

These mushrooms were found in Norway. In 2014, I found my first ones on 9th May.

St George's mushrooms with dandelion buds and red beets.

Other recipes with the St George's mushroom:

Soufflé Flan with St George's Mushroom Filling

St George's Mushroom

A meager catch

Today was the last mushroom spring foray organised by the Oslo Mycological society.

About twenty of us took the ferry to "Hovedøya", a five minute hop away from the quay, all well-armed with appropriate mushroom picking baskets.

We were led by Oliver Smith, who led his first foray to Hovedøya 50 years ago. 

An experienced mycologist, in other words.

Unfortunately, our pickings were meager, indeed.

Only a few, dry St Georges' mushrooms were found.

But we had a good walk in the countryside!

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?