Nature is not closed! You will have probably heard me say that a lot this month and I’ll keep saying it as long as we are still allowed to leave our houses. If you can, take this opportunity to have an explore of your local area. If you’re thinking ‘I did this all last time’, remember you will be faced with a very different landscape to spring and summer. The colours are different but just as bright, bright green moss, yellow, orange and red fungi often with a white coating of frost.
New stock has been arriving over at Thenottinghamforager.com with the very popular "Foragers Pocket Guide" selling out in just a couple of days. Don't worry if you missed out, more stock is on the way. This fabulous guide has clear images and great descriptions to help you out with plant and fungi identification and is small enough to take out on a walk with you. Look out for some more great foraging books, tools, baskets and local produce coming very soon.
I also managed to squeeze in a bit of socially distanced filming for ITV news. Keep an eye out on Monday 25th January at 6pm! I'll upload a clip to social media when possible. Discussing the rise in popularity of foraging and how to get started.
For the keen eyed Forager, even in the depths of winter, a basket can be filled with wild edibles. Plenty of hardy mushrooms survive the cold nights. Oysters, Velvet shanks and Jelly ears being the most popular and tasty.
Whilst caution should always be used, the Jelly / Wood ear is a great ‘beginners mushroom‘. Not really much else you could confuse it with providing you follow a good guide. Used often in Chinese cooking, these mushrooms can be stir fried or stewed and add great flavour to your dish. The texture is… interesting! Some people prefer the slow cooked method as stir frying can be result in a chewy texture. They are easily preserved by dehydrating and if done properly could last for years! Once dried they can be rehydrated and used and added to stews dry. They can even be rehydrated in orange juice or booze and dipped in chocolate for a sweet treat!
Even if you don’t plan on eating them, see if you can spot some ears on your next walk, once you notice them, you will be finding them everywhere! They are mostly found on elder trees, especially rotting or fallen branches. They have no gills, are a jelly like consistency and look like an ear! Hence the name. Use an identification book or online guide to confirm your find.
There’s also another mushroom sprouting up in abundance right now and that’s Turkey Tail 🦃 🍄 Its far too tough to be considered an edible however its been used in traditional medicine for centuries. Sometimes referred to as ‘The elixir of life’ its used to treat a whole range of things although the scientific research to back it up is somewhat lacking so far. A resurgence in fungi science has lead to trials and studies being performed with some truly fantastic results though. It’s definitely worth taking a look at some of the research if you are interested, especially if wanting to treat something specific. I enjoy mine as part of my week in hot drinks as a general health tonic. I also use it create a tasty mushroom stock.
Once safely identified, the mushrooms should be dried until crisp (a tea towel on a radiator is ideal). It can then be added to hot drinks as you wish. You can blitz to a powder if preferred. Either way store in an air tight jar and it will last for a very long time. The tell tale signs you have found a turkey tail are the striped colours on top and the porous creamy white underside. Use an identification book or online guide to be sure.
The Velvet Shank has some toxic look-a-likes and I don't recommend for a first timer. However, once you get to know this mushroom it is a delicious addition to the pot. Always check all the features against at least one good guide and compare your find to a "sulphur tuft" and a "funeral bell". These mushrooms all have distinguishing features, but time and care must be taken to ensure you have the correct one. The other two are both toxic and not to be consumed!
The Velvet Shank is one of my favourite mushrooms though, worth getting to know!
Hardy nettles continue to grow (albeit slowly) the freshest tips can still be used as you would in the spring. It will just take a lot longer to fill your tub! It won’t be long before the first shoots of wild garlic begin to appear and you may happen across a patch of three corned leek even now. Extra care is required at this time of year when foraging greens though. Young shoots can be deceiving and the toxic ‘Lords and ladies’ are popping up too. I always show my foragers this toxic plant as its nearly ALWAYS growing nearby. The adult leaves look very different, but in immaturity could be confused for wild garlic. Your nose is a helpful tool here! My first harvest is normally around mid February, so I’ll share some identification tips and recipes next time.
As lockdown hit us all, once again plans had to be changed. January was set to see the start of a monthly 'Mushroom club' at the gorgeous Oak Tree Farm site in Woodborough. The first session however had to be held without any guests joining us. Undeterred, myself and the farm team surveyed the land and found some beautiful specimens and recorded our findings. We hope we can invite some of you to join us as lockdown eases.
I’ve decided to walk the Robin Hood Way, a 105 mile route around Nottingham taking in some of the history and natural beauty of the whole of our county. I’m taking it on in small sections and under current restrictions I’m staying close to home. So far I’ve completed a couple of sections and really enjoyed it! My full video diary will be available once I have completed the route, until then I’ll be keeping you all updated on social media.
Now really is the time to get out and explore your local area. Get to know your local woodland or wild space. Consider leaving the area in a better state than when you got there.
Pick litter, feed the birds, hide a painted rock or just say hello to passers by. Take pride in your local beauty spots and you will reep the rewards all year.
Hopefully by the next edition we will have some idea as to when walks and talks and resume. Until then, stay wild and stay safe Nottingham. 🍄 ❤️