Wild food and foraging

[migratory birds]

In France, pharmacists are trained to recognize which fungi are edible - you take a basket of fungi along to the pharmacy, and they'll sort them for you.

Very cool bit of history (or can they all still identify all fungi)? And they hopefully had the right remedy to stop rapid liver death if the carrier of the basket had eaten one out in the field before bringing them in...or at least they were with someone, when they keeled over, who could identify the direct cause of death!

If you're interested in collecting mushrooms, see if you can find a mycological society in your area who you can learn from. There are some fine delicacies out there for the taking if you know what you're doing.

http://mushroomexpert.com/
http://www.uoguelph.ca/~gbarron/species.htm
http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/

But learning some basic mushroom parts identification and getting spore print on all mushrooms you're trying to identify will be a great start!

[JandM]

You're sounding a bit dismissive there. This is not history at all - identifying fungi IS part of the French pharmacist's job. The whole point is that the risk factor is well-known, so the population have tame experts on hand in every town, and DON'T go risking it with things they don't recognize.

[Jennispink]

I don't think it counts as foraging or wild food but I know we've had heaps of fruit from work colleague for free. People just seem to bring in whatever is surplus to requirements and leave it the staffroom with a note on to say help yourself. I've had some lovely oranges recently and I think its great.

Also, Jake's kindy were giving away loaves of bread recently, nice stuff too, not your Pams toast slices.

[migratory birds]

You're sounding a bit dismissive there.

Not my intention - just wondered if they were still all trained to identify mushrooms or if it was a dying art...

[beth&rich]

On the free food from colleagues note, my OH (who is out in NZ already), was offered some feijoas (?) a while back, which he turned down cos he didn't know what to do with them.

What is a feijoa? And what do you do with it?

[JandM]

Not my intention - just wondered if they were still all trained to identify mushrooms or if it was a dying art...

No, no, entirely current. France has a much more peasant (by which I mean, rooted in living off the land) culture than the UK - people hunt and gather whatever is there, alongside their 21st century occupations.

[JandM]

On the free food from colleagues note, my OH (who is out in NZ already), was offered some feijoas (?) a while back, which he turned down cos he didn't know what to do with them.

What is a feijoa? And what do you do with it?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&i...eijoa&aq=f&oq=

A whole page of explanations of what it is (a 'pineapple guava'), and, at the bottom, some recipes. (I didn't know what it was, either. Sounds as if it could be very tasty.)

[Sam B]

I've had my mushrooms sorted by a French pharmacist - it's totally the norm. Good old France.

[vixxann]

I've had my mushrooms sorted by a French pharmacist

do you think we should really know this fact Sam??!!

[KerryS]

On the free food from colleagues note, my OH (who is out in NZ already), was offered some feijoas (?) a while back, which he turned down cos he didn't know what to do with them.

What is a feijoa? And what do you do with it?

They're a bit like marmite - as in, you'll either love them or hate them. A very acquired taste. I think they're far too sweet and the taste reminds me of Bazooka bubble gum. But they're great in crumbles, pies etc and are good to mix with other fruits such as apple.
Some people also just cut them open and eat them.
They have a really short season, and many people have a huge glut which is why they end up being left in bags in lunchrooms all over the country...