Yes I found my magic mushroom today, it has been a couple of years since I had them. To me a magic mushroom is one that tasts great and you know is not going to poison you!
A picture of the mushroom in question is shown below along with a tin of beans, just so you can compare size.
Bigger picture for wallpaper
This is a picture of a small puffball mushroom, a fungus in other words. I like it because there is no way you can get it mixed up with any of the mushrooms that are poisonous.
I photographed my prize mushroom and then gave a bit to my next door neighbour. I am starting to eat the rest. How I cook this type of puffball is to cut it into a slice, about 25mm thick (1 inch in Scottish), I remove the skin although it is perfectly edible. I then fry it in butter, lots of butter and for those non-vegetarians it is brilliant fried with bacon.
Ok I can hear you saying where do you get giant puffballs? You can find them nearly anywhere in the countryside and I found mine today at lunch time in a farmers field near Elmwood College. I also have another location (which I ain’t telling you about) where I used to find loads of puffballs. Sadly for the last 3 years I have found none, been too busy working on my computer when I should have been out in the countryside enjoying myself.
If you want to discover edible puffball then get out and about this weekend. Drive into the countryside and park the car, or better still jump on a bus or train and go somewhere different in Scotland. Walk around the countryside and just look about, you are going to see interesting things even if it is not a mushroom.
One word of warning, some mushrooms, or toadstools are very poisonous and can kill if you eat them, so if you want to go mushroom forraging go with a nature group. There is bound to be some group near you and they will be delighted for you to join them, even if it is only for the day. In that way you may make new friends and you will not kill yourself and your friends by eating the wrong mushroom.
One website you can visit is the Rural Community Gateway, I am sure you will find someone on the forums etc who can put you in touch with naturalists groups near where you live.
Scotland Natural Heritage have a very informative page on what you should and should not do when collecting mushrooms, known as the Scottish Wild Mushroom Code this is not the same as the da vinci code! Wild mushrooms need to be protected as do wild flowers. I am now off to read the code, I have probably broken it.
