Mushroom foraging and a 50s experience

We went mushroom foraging in Belangelo State Forest today. It took a little while but we collected a whole basketful of lovely fresh saffron milkcap mushrooms. Ah yum, so yum. We learnt how to collect these fabulous mushrooms this time last year with Diego, he has great information on his website or follow on instagram on @theweedyone,  . Diego was there today, I noticed it wasn't just me saying hello, he has introduced a whole lot of people to the fine art of mushroom hunting. Sadly no one in my family has had this skill to hand down.

Tonight I have cleaned and cooked most of the mushrooms - some sauteed in olive oil with chilli and rock salt, others dipped in egg and breadcrumbs - check my recipe for schnitzels.

We have been happy to pass the skill on to other friends - today we were out there with a group. Diego is a good teacher - we are confident in collecting saffron milkcaps or pine mushrooms, but don't touch anything else. You know the saying - there are old mushroom hunters and bold mushroom hutners but no old, bold mushroom hunters.

After our foraging adventure we stopped off in Moss Vale for a treat at Bernies, a great American style Diner.  At the recommendation of a friend I had a ginger beer float or spider.  Yum so so good.


There is a new vintage clothing shop in Moss Vale - Viva MossVale seems to be a burgeoning vintage scene happening.  Here's a cute Holden wagon - I love the pop of colour.

5 weeks break - pine mushroom schnitzels

Here's another recipe idea for using Pine Mushrooms. I chose the smallest button Saffron Milkcaps we picked on Sunday for this dish.

After cleaning the mushrooms with a dry paper towel to brush off dirt and pine needles I trimmed the stems a little.  I mixed breadcrumbs with freshly ground salt and pepper and dried marjoram.  I double crumbed the mushrooms by dipping in egg, crumbs, then repeating.

I deep fried the mushrooms which quickly formed a crisp crust.  

Served with Donna Hay's coriander mayo.  Delicious.  This will actually work for any type of firm fleshed mushrooms but pine mushrooms are so special having such a short season.

5 weeks break - Day 16 mushroom foraging

At last its that time of year, the autumn rains have come and the wild mushrooms have begun to appear in the local forests.

Howard and I went out this morning to forage for Saffron milk caps or pine mushrooms. These delectable delights secret a bright orange sap making them very easy to identify.

Its early in the season and plenty of people were out and about but not the number we will see in a few weeks when things get into full swing.  We worked hard for half a basket but got plenty for a few meals.

There is a delightfully simple way to cook these pine mushrooms.
Clean with a dry piece of paper towel then slice the mushroom.  Cook over heat in chilli infused olive oil and crystals of rock salt.  Serve on fresh bread toasted to make a delicious bruschetta.

Sorry I ate it all and didn't take any photos of our cooked dinner. Go cook your own :)

Pickled nasturtium "capers"

I've always wanted to make these but thought it would be difficult. I was confused about what part of the nasturtium to use. So I took the plunge and can share some tips to assure you its easy. They have to cure in the jar for three months so I can't give any report on taste, not until late September, but you might like to check back in when I open them.


So, first of all, you need to collect the seeds of the nasturtiums. When the flowers die back the vine produces shiny seeds on the end of curly stalks. The seeds are actually a cluster of three or four.

I suggest you crouch down low to find them as they hide really well under the leaves.  Its easy to tell them apart from the flower buds, although I suspected that would not be the case. The buds are single and dull.

This close up shows the seeds in the bottom of the frame and a bud near the top to the right of the full flower.

So, once you have picked enough seeds for a small jar follow these simple steps from Sarah O'Neill's The Good Life: four glorious seasons in my country garden.

Add to a saucepan, enough white vinegar to fill the jar, two peppercorns per 200ml of vinegar, 5ml of salt and herbs to your taste for example bay leaf and thyme. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove stems from the seeds and break apart the clusters. Add to the jar. Pour in vinegar and seal. Set aside to cool and for the button to pop down on the jar.

Label and date. Store in the fridge for three months before opening and enjoying.

I hope this makes it easy for you. Lets chat again in 3 months when I break the seal.

Hunting award winning black truffles in Robertson with Yelverton Truffles and FoodPath Culinary Tours

Its freezing today in Robertson. We are only at 740m above sea level but the wind is coming straight off the Australian Alps about 4 hours drive away.  The snow feels closer. The day is an illusion, from inside it looks stunning out, sunny and bright but far from warm. When us Southern Highlanders feel its cold be sure to wear your warmest clothes.

Out we trekked though this morning for an outdoorsy tour with a difference.  Howard didn't actually know where we were going as I arranged it as a surprise. The lovely Jill from FoodPath Culinary Tours with a Difference had arranged a great treat for us, other Highlanders, a few people from Canberra and a small crowd from Sydney. This region is well known for wine, lovely cool climate wines and Jill is working hard to put the area on the foodie map as well. A couple of months ago you might remember I went on a fascinating mushroom tunnel tour with Jill.

If you've been watching the foodie media in the past week you may have read about Australia's largest truffle being unearthed near Robertson.  Ted and Barbara Smith from Yelverton Truffles and their truffle dog, Jet the Wonder dog, dug up the huge 1.172 kilo Perigord black truffle and unleashed a week long media storm, which you can read about online. This tour of their Truffiere was booked in long before this special find so they had an unexpectedly busy week before we arrived but were still the most gracious hosts.
Following a talk about what truffles are and the history of truffle growing in Australia we headed out in the fields.

The trees are a mix of Quercus Ilex and Quercus Robur inoculated as seedlings with truffle spores.

We had to wear booties over our shoes to protect the biosecuirty of the farm and prevent foreign spores or bacteria being walked in.

Robertson naturally had many of the necessary features for truffle growing: friable soil, warm summers and cold winters with frosts.  The one feature that was contrary was our volcanic soil is highly acidic rather than alkaline so 50 tons per hectare of lime was added.

"We don't care to eat toadstools that think they are truffles" Mark Twain 

Hard to believe this black splat is a prized truffle selling for more than $2000 per kilo! Round here there are plenty of wombat poos that look much the same.

Watch Jet the wonder dog go through his truffle hunting paces by clicking on the photo below:
 

After a good look around the Truffiere we were treated to shaved truffle slices on hors d'oeuvres of bread and egg or bread and camembert. Then a lovely bowl of potato soup with truffle infused butter. Warming and tasty.

As this is not my first foodie tour of late you might be wondering why I go along. A couple of reasons, meeting lovely people, seeing new places and learning about food, history and taste in a way you can''t in a supermarket.  We spent a very enjoyable morning on this tour.

And the verdict? Are truffles worth the cost and challenge of growing them? No, not to me. I must either be a philistine or have no palate because I could not taste a thing and in truth neither could anyone else I asked. I still have fun and am very glad to have expanded my knowledge. I recommend you go and find out for yourself. 

Mushroom foraging for saffron milkcaps in State Forests with Diego Bonetto

We spent a lovely Autumn day foraging for wild mushrooms today on tour with Diego Bonetto.
Diego comes from Torino, Italy and a tradition of foraging for wild food, a tradition he is happy to share. Which is fabulous as my family has no tradition of foraging. Anglo-Celtic Australians such as myself have been taught to fear mushrooms and other wild foods. Caution is certainly warranted. We found maybe 20 different types of mushrooms today that Diego could not name. But he was able to teach us about one wonderful wild mushroom that is not just edible: its divine.

Introducing the saffron milk cap.

This large, distinctly orange mushroom was the object of our attentions today.  Also known as a pine mushroom this milkcap grows in a symbiotic relationship with the pine trees. This is not a mushroom that can be cultivated at home. Wild foraging is the only way to collect them.

These mushrooms are highly prized across Europe and the forest was full of people out picking today. The weather has been wet consistently across the past month and its early Autumn so picking season is upon us.

The bus tour set off from Sydney early this morning and got to one of the Southern Highlands State Forests about 9am. Mushroom foraging in State Pine Forests in allowed as a free, help yourself activity. Here is a link to the Forestry NSW guide. Diego explained mushrooming and the joys and responsibilities of foraging. We visited three different sites and today the last was the best.

This is the haul we collected. Everyone went home with a big stash.

After collecting mushrooms for a while Diego cooked up a storm for us on a bar-be-que plate: Olive oil, garlic, rosemary and sliced saffron milkcaps. The mushrooms are firm and so very tasty. The best mushrooms I have ever tasted. Truly.

I can't wait to head back out to forage for more.  I will have to be careful to not over indulge. I'd hate to get sick of them. But they will only be at my disposal for a few months.  

I can highly recommend you join a tour and learn more about this great delight and go collect your own.