Nestling in the dark undergrowth, I found this mushroom, pictured above and below, along with another monster alongside that had long since gone over and turned to a soggy black morass.
Named for its size and not its proximity to or relationship with anything equine, this large member of the field mushroom family is a good find due to its size and taste. Because of the excessively wet start to summer this year, I am finding my fungi a little earlier than usual.
For the majority of mushrooms and toadstools the requisite conditions are warmth, humidity or dampness and darkness, so a wet, warm April, May and June has been an ideal start and a rummage around the shrubbery, hedgerow or woodland will reveal a few early examples of one of the weirdest food items nature has to offer - the fungus. Smelling slightly of aniseed, this white wonder is quite easily recognised due to its size and its resemblance to the large field mushroom that you can buy in the shops.
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| A young horse mushroom just emerging |
As always, it pays to take care when foraging fungi. The most usual mix-up with field mushrooms of the Agaricus family is the poisonous Yellow Stainer. As its name suggest, this latter mushroom instantly glares an almost flourescent yellow when cut and bruised and is quite alarming. It also emits a strong anticeptic odour rather than the pleasantly aniseed smell of the arvensis.
Take care, but enjoy the countryside.
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| Another newly-emerged horse mushroom |
