FORAGING FOR FUNGI
Reishi, turkey tail, porcini and boletus – there’s a treasure trove of mushrooms waiting to be discovered in our forests. But make sure you can tell them apart.
BETTER known for his catastrophe driven plots, such as The Horse Whisperer, Nicolas Evans in 2011, suffered a fate more horrific than anything he had imagined for his characters. While staying at his brother in law’s estate, he served up a dish of wild fungi that he had picked earlier. What he believed was boletus edulus, or ceps, was in fact the deadly webcap that savages liver, kidneys and spinal cord. A few hours later the four adults were in the throes of a real life poisoning drama. Evans and his family spent years on dialysis and Evans finally was persuaded to accept a kidney transplant from his daughter. All due to eating a mushroom? And so, it was with a sense of wariness that I joined the mushroom foraging event at Delheim wine estate.
I’m the kind of person who never listens to the safety talk on planes. But when Gary Goldman, the “Mushroom Guru” gave his presentation, I was all ears.
First Gary gave us a list of foraging rules: While I was learning them by heart he told us that he’d read these rules in old mushroom books and they were, in fact, all wrong.
As though addressing my neurosis across the crowded room, Gary reassured me, and everyone else, that the chance of eating the wrong mushroom is negligible. There are 100 000 species of mushroom. Only 100 are poisonous and only 10 of those deadly. (He kind of spoiled the soothing effect of these statistics by following with a story of a family of four who died from eating mushrooms they had picked from their lawn). Too awful. But the health benefits far outweigh the risks of deadly mushrooms. “The magic of a mushroom is quite spectacular,” promises Gary.
The reishi mushroom is the most googled mushroom on the internet with an ability to break down tumours. The turkey tail mushroom is claimed to have a 76% rate in treating breast cancer.
Mushrooms might even save the world, according to Paul Stamets, author of How Mushrooms Can Help Save The World. Stamets managed to clean diesel drenched soil in two years by growing oyster mushrooms on the slag heap. Mushrooms absorb heavy metals, which is why many people shun dried mushrooms from China as they are full of lead and heavy metals Frankly, mushrooms are awesome. They can deliver both death and delirium. I remember as a student giggling madly for several hours after chewing a few dried leathery stalks. You’ve got to admire anything that can make life that funny. The largest living organism on earth is the honey fungus, which is estimated to be at least 2 400 years old and grows underground for 2 200 acres in Oregon.
But it is the porcini that makes mushroom foragers palpitate. They are prized for their meaty texture and complex flavours. Gary passes around a bowl of powdered porcini for us to inhale.
So, with a Bovril scent in our nostrils and porcini hopes in our hearts, we set forth into the pine forest.
Clutching my basket , I feel like Red Riding Hood. The basket is essential. Gary, who has a gift for analogies, describes collecting mushrooms in a plastic bag as akin to standing in the sun in a wetsuit. The other necessary tool is a penknife to scrape the mushrooms before placing them in the basket. “You’re going to eat dirt for your first few baskets” Gary warns.
Soon we are swept up into the pine forest, absorbed in looking at the ground. The peace of the cool autumn day is punctuated by the sound of twigs snapping underfoot, yells of “brown knightly” and Gary’s shrill whistle every time someone spots an inedible mushroom.
Brown knightleys are everywhere and the bane of mushroom pickers. They look elegant, but one bite tastes like 10 000 radishes and will ruin any dish.
South Africans are not inclined to mushroom picking. The majority of people that you spot carrying baskets in renowned mushroom spots – Tokai forest, Newlands, and Rondebosch Common are foreigners – Germans, Swedes Italians and French all forage for fungi.
Gary says, “I’m trying to start a mushroom revolution and reclaim our mushrooms back from foreigners.” Thanks to Gary’s determination to forage the fungi, it’s now possible to get a mushroom picking permit in Newlands: “Now I walk proudly with my basket,” Gary says.
“A panther never blushes”, is one of the many catchy phrases that Gary teaches us. A blusher, a particularly yummy mushroom, is easily confused with the poisonous panther. Owner of Delheim, Nora Sperling, has been collecting mushrooms on the wine farm since she was a child. She is still cautious about what she eats and says, “It’s easy to make a mistake. I’ve only just started adding blushers to my basket.” Later Nora reminds us to ensure that we have carefully checked the contents of our baskets with Gary before going home.
The forest is punctuated with cries of delight as people find mushrooms. Today, pine ring mushrooms are prolific and easy to identify because of their distinctive orange juice and characteristic green bruising.
My first find is a boletus. Gary shows me how to trim its fuzzy beard.
Suddenly from the depth of the forest comes the cry, “porcini”. Surely not? The forest snaps, crackles and pops as people hurry to inspect the find. Indeed, someone has found a porcini, as large as a baby elephant’s ear.
Foraging definitely whets the appetite. Judging by the paltry state of my basket, it’s a good job that I don’t depend on hunting and gathering for sustenance.
A delicious lunch, featuring mushrooms in all their finery, is the perfect way to end our foraging adventure.
Mushroom foraging is an absolute joy. It’s a revelation to discover that so much free and delicious food grows throughout the Western Cape.
The Denny mushroom is a mere missionary position of a mushroom. Beneath your feet is a whole Kama Sutra of delicately flavoured fungi.