Dinner!

Of all the fungus that grow, this Porcini, Cep or Penny Bun is second on my list of great eating mushrooms. Economically, Boletus edulis is without doubt the most important wild edible fungus. Every supermarket sells them dried and on the continent they are sold fresh at markets.

My sister in law taught me to find them many years ago in Italy. We would set off in the morning and cover endless miles through the woodlands of Abruzzo, searching every nook and cranny. I'd walk over them and she would laugh saying there was one within a meter of me, yet I had to give up and let her point it out. They really know how to hide themselves.
We would return to her parents house to cook some fresh and the surplus were sliced, then set on the terrace to dry in the sun for use in the winter. Happy times!

My phone rang this morning as I walked the dogs and I stopped to answer it. Gazing around as I spoke to my friend, I saw a little head in amongst the heather. Thanking her for phoning when she did, I looked further and found four young Ceps in total. I only took two as I like to leave some to spore.

The best way to recognise a Cep is in that the stem is huge and bulbose, often far larger than the head. For this trait they are unmistakeable. They have smooth brown caps and the underside is spongy and without gills. The only thing better to find would be the Boetus areus which is similar but has a darker stem and cap. The chances of finding one are slim as they are rare in the UK.

Mine this evening were cooked simply in a frying pan with olive oil, garlic, a little chilli pepper and seasoned only with salt.

I am sated!

I've managed to find a little time for some catch ups, but for the wrong reason. Yesterday evening, Peter was taken into hospital again. It's sad and I'm torn. Part of me would have liked him to stay at home, the other knows he is safe with the round the clock care he will get in the small local hospital. Thankfully his neighbour and friend, who is a nurse, convinced him to go with her in the car, which avoided being taken by ambulance to one of the larger, more distant and less caring environments.

For all the stars, hearts and comments that were showered on me yesterday for the Harvestman... Thank you! A creature that has hardly changed in 410 million years hit Spotlight, page one, giving me an enormous smile!!!