Rural Hungary

Enjoy, we're having roast lamb tonight Sorry... couldn't resist!

Mike and Janet

I think that should read Slovene Roast Lamb!!

Rural Hungary

Just PM'd you. Quite an adventure by all accounts

PaulinEger

"pacal" That's the word to be afraid of...very afraid

klarika

Pacal is Tripe and yes your tight it is pretty scary

Mike and Janet

Mushrooms After the long hot dry summer and a dearth of wild fungi today the meadows are full of field mushrooms,so guess whats for lunch today!Hopefully after last nights heavy rain,there will be goodies in the forest too!! Are there plenty in Hungary?Do we have any mushrooms hunters?

Rural Hungary

Plenty of locals collect them and sell them door to door. Must admit, even though I love mushrooms, I am terrified of buying them or collecting them myself in case I inadvertently poison us all!

Mike and Janet

Start with the ones that are easy to recognize ie, field mushrooms,ceps,chantarelles,horn of plenty,parasols etc,above all get a really good book and talk to the locals who have been collecting all thier lives, it such a treat at this time of year and when dried a great addition to soups during the winter!Once you start collecting you will find it hard to stop!!!!!

Rural Hungary

Believe it or not, I have had a really good book for over 10 years and looked online but still not confident enough to give it a try! I would love to find some ceps though so might give it a go this year. We had the most delicious pork dish with ceps in Poland and would love to try and recreate that intense smokey flavour. Are ceps quite common?

Mike and Janet

They are here and i would assume so there as conditions must be very similar,I found one very large one this a.m,but very waterlogged and wormy,hoping for more luck when i go dog walking in the big forest this afternoon!You really must give it a go!Always use a basket so the spores can be spread as you walk,never a plastic bag as they sweat and get damaged very quick.If its something you are not sure about,just leave it to grow and move on,or be sure to have a couple of brown paper bags with you,pop one in and identify it when u get home.P.s if you do not have a mushroom collecting basket,see me as these are my favorite baskets to make!

fidobsa

I am just cooking some mushrooms out of my garden. These look exactly like the ones in the shops so I think they are OK but I also put an onion in with them and it didn't change colour:

http://www.gardenherbs.org/simples/mushrooms.htm

Rural Hungary

Be careful as an young death cap can look like a button mushrooms - I'm sure they'll be okay but if not 100% then I wouldn't chance it!

Mike and Janet

While caution is to be reccomended,it is far more likey that field mushrooms( like you would buy in Tescos,but with real taste)will be growing in the grass in your garden rather than a death cap which like,s forest growing conditions.But as Rural says,if you have doubts then leave them,but i would suggest picking a couple and visiting your nieghbours and getting thier opinion,there is usually a local expert close at hand!

Mike and Janet

P.S, we had the most delicious mushroom soup for supper last night,field to pan to table in a very short time!!!!

fidobsa

Yes, apparently death caps only grow under trees, because they need to interact with tree roots. The ones I picked were not under trees. It is a bit scary to read that you don't feel any symptoms for about 2 days though. To be honest, my mushrooms were not that tasty although they did smell good. They had about as much flavour as shop ones.