Olive Oysterling/ Wild Mushroom/ Not Edible Common Names: Olive oysterling Botanical Name:Sarcomyxa Serotina Meaning of Botanical Name:Sarcomyxa meaning slimy flesh, serotina meaning late, referring to it growing late in the season often fruiting after the first frosts Scientific Classification:Kingdom: Fungi, Division: Basidiomycota, Class: Agaricomycetes, Order: Agaricales, Family: Marasmiaceae Genus:…
Author: james
Eat Your Christmas Tree! by Forager Megan @flintandfern Hold your horses before you take your Christmas tree to the curb. Did you know you can eat it?? I kid you not. Spruce and Fir (and occasionally Pine) trees are the most commonly sold trees for Christmas, all of which are…
This tapenade recipe is unbelievably tasty and so versatile that you can use it with a huge amount of different wild ingredients with great success. If you’re at the coast add in Marsh Samphire and Sea Purslane, if you’re heading for a swim in the sea add in some…
Beef Steak Fungus/ Autumn/ Winter/ Edible Common namesBeef Steak, Ox Tongue Botanical nameFistulina Hepatica Meaning of botanical nameFistulina, refers to the underside of this mushroom and its separate small tubes or pores. Hepatica means it’s liver like. Known hazardsNone know Could be confused with..Inonotus hispidus, the Shaggy Bracket ( which…
Giant Puffball/ Summer / Autumn / Edible Scientific NameCalvatia gigantea FamilyAgaricaceae Also known asPuffballs HabitatGrasslands, pasture, lawns, commons and roadsides. Found in rings, troops or individually. You will also sometimes find these in and around open woodland. DescriptionA large White to off-white fungus with a fine velvet like surface when…
Birch Polypore /All Year/ Medicinal/ Edible Scientific NameFomitopsis betulina FamilyFomitopsidaceae Also known asRazor Strop Fungus. HabitatBirch polypore grows primarily on birch trees, and has no look-alikes. DescriptionA large bracket develops from a small white spherical swelling on the side of dead or living birch trees. Very common in…
How to Identify the English Oak Tree Edible Scientific Name: Quercus robur Family: Fagaceae. Also known as: English oak, pedunculate oak. Habitat: English oak is a very common tree, especially in Southern England. Description: A large deciduous tree, growing up to 30-40 metres when fully grown, with distinctive round-loped leaves. Identifying Features:…
How to Identify the Sweet Chestnut by Fez Edible Scientific Name: Castanea sativa Family: Fagaceae Also known as: Spanish chestnut or just chestnut Habitat: Sweet chestnut is native to southern Europe, western Asia and North Africa. It is thought to have been introduced to the British Isles by the Romans and…
Amethyst Deceiver/Summer/Autumn/Edible Scientific NameLaccaria amethystina FamilyHydnangiaceae HabitatThis mushroom, common in temperate areas of Europe, Asia and the Americas’ grows in deciduous as well as coniferous forests. I find them mostly with beech or oak. It appears in late summer through to early winter. DescriptionThis is quite a changeable mushroom and can appear different depending…
Bay Bolete/Mushroom/Autumn/Edible Scientific NameImleria badia FamilyBoletaceae HabitatFairly common in the UK and Europe, also found in the USA. We find this mushroom mostly growing with spruce and pine but it also sometimes grows with beech and oak. DescriptionThe common name refers to the colour of the cap which is a…