The important thing is not to go home empty-handed!

[davidhyno]

(close-up of mushrooms growing on a tree trunk - photo by davidhyno)

One morning in the very first days of November 2020, my friend and I, together with our children, decided to leave early to go and pick up some sweet and good chestnuts!
My friend Matteo knows the places to go every autumn to collect these delights of nature, and I am in line!

After about an hour by car we arrive on the mountains of Valli del Pasubio (Vicenza - Italy), precisely in Staro, a small village of few souls that I discovered, however, that in the early 1900s it was a tourist destination that was also popular with royalty and illustrious people, thanks to its 4 sources of water, each with a different character. Now these sources no longer exist and this town is inhabited by about 400 people.

Once we arrived near the wood, we walked down a path and immediately, as we expected, we encountered small but precious chestnuts.

(A basket with freshly picked chestnuts - photo by davidhyno)

It is a pity, however, that once these first ones have been collected, we have not found any more along the wood.

We went down even further in the hope of finding more, but, apart from the beauty of the mountains, its woods and streams, unfortunately the basket is always almost empty.

(The sun that greets us in the branches of the trees - photo by davidhyno)

Passeggiata tra i boschi di Staro - Valli del Pasubio (VI)

Then, all of a sudden and to our amazement, we found ourselves in the middle of a small hollow and were practically surrounded by hundreds of mushrooms. In Italian these are called “Chiodini”, their real name is “Armillaria mellea” and I am convinced that some of you already know them!

(A close-up of mushroom strains - photo by davidhyno)

(A close-up of mushroom strains - photo by davidhyno)

These mushrooms are edible after proper cooking in boiling water and taking care to eliminate the foam from time to time during boiling!!

As good to eat for human as they are toxic for the woods and especially for the trees, as their spores can even kill the tree that hosts them!

Another feature is that it changes color depending on the host strain: honey yellow if it comes from the Mulberry (for this reason it is also known as honey mushroom) , brown or reddish-brown from the Oaks up to sometimes completely white if it is a host of Acacia.

(photo of a humanoid parasite and mushrooms in the foreground )

(Mushrooms before and after cooking - photo by davidhyno)

Although initially we were convinced to return with the baskets full of chestnuts, in the end we returned home with a nice mushroom picking and our boys still had fun being explorers in the woods!

What about LocalGuides, is this species of mushroom also found in your area?

Let me know!

Thanks for reading,

David

[AdamGT]

An interesting post and I love the photos @davidhyno . I’ve many times seen but have never tasted chestnuts nad certainly I have never tasted honey mushrooms.

[ErmesT]

You want to make me jealous @davidhyno

I ha a similar experience in the same days in the Montello hills, exactly here

We went for chestnuts , and we came back with “Chiodini”

They were just starting to grow up, very young and fresh. How to resist?

However, I have a tip for you: clean the mushrooms, and put them in a pot without water. Since mushrooms are very rich in water, they will release the water they contain, and with the water also the toxins. Boil them for five minutes then drain, and then save them for future recipes or finish cooking them

It was a fun day and we also found many very “special” mushrooms

Do you know that the purple ones are edible? However, I didn’t picked them

The amount of fungi in the tree with the “human parasite” is impressive, David
Mushroom pickers in Italy are very competitive, @bmuu . This was probably my biggest harvest, a few years ago, in the Dolomite mountains

[AdamGT]

Did you say that mushroom pickers in Italy are very competitive @ErmesT ? Hmmmm maybe we need a Leaderboard of the Top 100 Mushroom Pickers

[TusharSuradkar]

An amazing story @davidhyno and very well-narrated.

I like the way it unfolds and also the lovely pictures in the woods.

Do you cook the Chiodini mushrooms with herbs or mix them with other vegetables?

I have seen similar mushrooms growing around in my neighborhood but not aware of anyone consuming them.

We normally purchase mushrooms from the superstore and they look more like this =>

[agarwalsonika]

Beautiful mushrooms!

[davidhyno]

Hi @AdamGT !

Really? Have you ever tasted a chestnut?
There is always a first time for everything: with chestnuts you can make excellent desserts, they are also used for the filling of turkey or for roast meat!

The larger ones you can also roast them: however they are very good in both ways they are cooked!

Bye Adam,
David

[davidhyno]

Hi @ErmesT !

Thanks for the advice: next time I will try to put them in a pot without water and then I will proceed to their final cooking!
I know that you are an expert and passionate mushroom maker and from the photos I see that you are very lucky in your collection!
I had never seen the purple ones: it would be a nice touch of color as a side dish, if they remain the same color after cooking!
Honestly, I don’t know if I would prefer to find a large strain of mushrooms all at once like the ones in our photos (this would then take away the taste of their research since with a similar quantity you would immediately fill the basket) or find a small family of “porcini” mushrooms, my favorites and the most sought after by mushroom makers!

Bye Ermes,

may the next mushroom picking season be with you!

David

[davidhyno]

Hi @TusharSuradkar !

Thanks for your reply!

I usually take care of these mushrooms on site: in this way the waste parts and the spores are left on the wood and will be used to make other mushrooms grow again.
Then at home I clean them further under running water and finally they are cooked.

I don’t put any other ingredients in them during cooking and let alone once cooked: they must preserve their very particular flavor and in this way they can then be used as a condiment for other meat dishes or even with cheese or polenta.
I usually put them on pizza too!
Do you cook them with other spices instead?

Bye,

David

[davidhyno]

Thanks so much @agarwalsonika !

Yes, I must admit: as beautiful as so good!

Too bad the stocks that I had frozen are also finished!

Have a good day,

David

[Ewaade_3A]

Yes. My dad loves them. While I do not mind having a bowl of mushrooms soup, I am not as crazy about them.

Do you maybe know how someone can differentiate a poisonous one from a non-poisonous one? @davidhyno

How are you?

[davidhyno]

Hi @Ewaade_3A !

Unfortunately, the only way to recognize edible mushrooms from poisonous ones is to take a course, or get advice from someone more experienced, who can also give you other useful information to eliminate toxins during cooking.
Personally I’m not an expert, years ago, many years ago, I went to mushrooming with my father and he advised me which ones to pick and which not. Then if he had any doubts he too would ask for advice from an old family friend.

Now I only collect the ones I know, about a dozen different mushrooms, the others I leave them there.

Then when you go to the woods you always find something else to collect, such as blueberries, blackberries, decorative pine cones and, there is ever a shortage of plastic waste left by some tourist who is not very attentive to the environment. So you never go back empty-handed!

I’m super fine now thanks, and you?

Have a good day,

David

[AdamGT]

I love all nuts, well let me clarify, peanuts, almonds, cashews and the like, but true I have never tasted a chestnut @davidhyno . I must try it one day

[Ewaade_3A]

Thank you very much @davidhyno for being so forthright. I appreciate.

It’s good there is a way to eliminate the toxins too, I guess one such way is to boil and boil and remove the foam.

Next time my Dad brings home Mushroom from my Hometown, I will take a picture for you to show you what our mushrooms here look like. Thank you.

No, I never go out into the woods. But I will keep this advice for the day, I will need it.

I did not notice a location tag, what country is this?

[ErmesT]

I definitely agree with @davidhyno , there is not a general way to see if a mushroom is edible. You must know them, and collect ONLY TE ONES YOU KNOW. A small mistake can kill you.

I personally like to stay on the safe side, collecting only what I know is edible

Not the big one I’ve found, but in any case an interesting size

[AdamGT]

But how does one know @ErmesT ? I have seen many in the wild in so many different places around the world but woudn’t know one mushroom from another and, unlike say wild blue-berries and even wild tomatoes, I have never dared try to eat wild mushrooms.

[TusharSuradkar]

Hi @davidhyno

Thank you for this wonderful information.

I take raw mushrooms, from the superstore though and not from the wild as you do.

These mushrooms are tasteless and cannot be used elsewhere.

So we cook hem with spices and herbs for use in curry or in soup.

[Sophia_Cambodia]

Really love it, especially chestnuts @davidhyno

[davidhyno]

Hi @TusharSuradkar !

I also happen to buy pre-packaged mushrooms, they are small and white and these are actually tasteless and therefore you have to cook them with herbs or vegetables!
But they are so good natural only on pizza!

Have a good day,
David

[davidhyno]

You’re right @AdamGT : when it comes to salted peanuts and pistachios you can never stop!

Bye,

David