Foraging for Mushrooms

There is a very romantic notion of mushroom foraging. For years, mostly in mainland Europe where there are comparatively easy pickings, it has been a normal activity or pastime. A lot of us have memories of mushroom foraging when we were young, but just a few, or a basketful.

Local foraging knowledge is passed down, and whole families often spend a weekend mushroom foraging together, getting fresh air and exercise in the meantime, then cooking up a meal and preserving the extra for the weeks ahead. There are forests and areas that are known for good pickings, although this is all now changing to a certain extent with restrictions coming into place due to commercial overpicking.