On Friday, we found quite a lot of these mushrooms which we had never seen before. Helvella crispa, also known as the white saddle, elfin saddle or common helvel, is found near deciduous trees in summer and autumn. It was initially believed to be edible but in fact it may contain monomethylhydrazine, which can cause …
Category Archives: Mushrooms
Lockdown #2 Phase 2 – Day 1 – Reconfinement Phase 2 – Jour 1
So we made the most of our new freedom – 3 hours and a radius of 20 k for physical activity – to go mushroom foraging in the forest. During the first half hour we only saw a few inedible russulae then suddenly we came across the most enormous hedgehog mushrooms in an area where …
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Lockdown #2 Day 14 – Reconfinement Jour 14
Isn’t this the prettiest mushroom? Not edible of course. Our lockdown is to continue without any changes for another 2 weeks. If the number of patients admitted to hospital has diminished sufficiently by 1st December, shops selling non-essential items will reopen with strict protocols, but not bars and restaurants. Quel joli champignon n’est-ce pas? Mais …
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Early Autumn – Début d’automne
This was taken from the hilltop troglodyte village of Trôo last Sunday when it was bright and sunny. It has rained most of the week which is somewhat depressing – like our Covid situation at the moment. Fortunately there is no curfew in our area as yet which means we are reasonably safe but it …
First Mushrooms of the Season – Premiers champignons de la saison
The summer has been so dry that we are not expecting much this autumn. No boletus yet but these young parasol mushrooms, agarics and common funnel caps cooked up nicely! The parasols were well-hidden! L’été a été tellement sec que nous n’attendons pas beaucoup de champignons cette année. Pas de cèpes encore mais ces jeunes …
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Mushrooms at Chambord – Champigons à Chambord
One of the reasons we chose to move to Blois is the proximity of mushroom-filled forests open to the public but the weather in recent years has somewhat curtailed our foraging activities. After a rather wet week followed by sun Jean Michel thought we might find some near Chambord castle. The result was a little …
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CDP theme Brown
What could be more seasonal in France than wild mushrooms – a perfect example of many different browns. These are all edible. For other takes on this month’s city daily photo theme day, click here. Quoi de plus saisonnier en France que les champignons sauvages : le parfait exemple de la couleur marron dans tous …
Going Up – On monte
One of the reasons we live in Blois is so that we can go mushroom hunting but pickings have been meagre in recent years, especially after this year’s drought. We did find a few boletus, parasol and coprinus mushrooms yesterday, but these were the (sadly inedible) pick of the bunch in terms of attractiveness. L’une …
Some Mushrooms at Last – Quelques champignons enfin
One of the reasons we chose to move to Blois is that is had several State forests which means we can collect wild mushrooms. However this is the second autumn that they have been very scarce due to the dry weather. Jean Michel did find a few Craterellus tubaeformis and boletus on Friday though before …
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A Strange White Thing – Une étrange chose blanche
I suspect this might be a mushroom but am not sure. Je soupçonne un champignon mais je ne suis pas sure.