Subarctic permaculture (4) - Mushrooms to collect in Norway part 2

Mushrooms to collect in Norway part 2

That's second and last part of the list of edible mushrooms from southern Norway (forests around Bykle). To read the first article, CLICK HERE. Even if the list was prepared on Norwegian sources (e-books and websites listed at the end, and chats with many of my neighbors, friends, boss who is foraging mushrooms longer than I live), many Europeans from other countries can surely find practical knowledge in here. Most of those mushrooms can be found in all Scandinavia, UK, central and eastern Europe, so it's surely not one of the articles "only for Norwegians".

11. Saffron Milk Cap (Rødriske)

The mushroom is kinda orangey, with the middle slightly pressed in, and when you cut it, it "bleeds" with the orange milk. It can be mistaken with non-edible Wooly Milk Cap or False saffron milk cap. The first one has the cap covered in a lower part in something that can remind wool, or early stadium of mold. It's especially poisonous when eaten raw or after a short cooking, so if you are not sure of collected mushrooms and you need to eat them (let's say, being into the wild, in a survival mode), you can long boil your mushrooms twice, just to make sure they won't affect your health. False Saffron Milkcap is more difficult to identify, but don't worry - it's still edible, just less tasty. It is usually more orange than the mushroom we are looking for, and after cutting it, you will find a pale ring on its stem.

12. Trumpet Chanterelle (Traktkantarell)

It doesn't have gills, it's funnel shaped and dark brown. Quite a characteristic look, which is difficult to be mistaken with other mushrooms. There are no poisonous mushrooms similar to Trumpet Chanterelle. Harvesting season is late, in October/November, and it's best to look for it in higher elevations. Perfect for sauces, and soups.

13. Parasol Mushroom (Stor parasollsopp)

Looking for this mushroom may be quite dangerous, as it has a poisonous almost twin-brother, called... yes, as you can suspect based on the lecture of my last two articles, it's called False Parasol Mushroom. Luckily for Norwegians, False Parasol is more common in Asia and North America, in Europe it's quite rare. Parasol mushroom has a specific pattern on the cap (look at the picture), it's never green (some of the similar poisonous mushrooms may be pale green on the stem), does not turn brown with time when it's cut, and the flakes on the cap should be darker than the surface, not the opposite (lighter on a dark surface is quite common with some similar dangerous species). Although delicious, it definitely shouldn't be the beginners' choice - if you're just starting your adventure with mushrooms, leave collecting Parasol Mushrooms for later.

14. Birch Bolete (Bjørkerørsopp)

The name of this mushroom comes from the location where we can usually find it (near birch trees). The cap is light brown, and mushroom has pores underneath. It may be mistaken with other Boletes (one described already in the first article) or even porcini (first article), but most of them are safe, so there is no high risk. Worst case scenario, you will mistakenly collect Bitter Bolete and your lunch won't be tasty.

15. Slippery Jack (Smørsopp)

This mushroom with slimy brown cap and yellow pores grows under the pine trees, and usually can be collected from August. It's a Boletes family, so there is no risk of food poisoning if you will collect something look-a-like by mistake. It shouldn't be eaten raw (although it's the rule about most of the wild mushrooms, so it's worth to develop habit of cooking them anyway), and if you want to speed up the preparation time, you can peel it before.

16. Velvet Shank (Vinterhatt)

That's one of few mushrooms that appears in winter and can be collected out of typical foraging season, in December. Look for it in a dead wood in the forests, identifying Velvet Shank by the color of its cap (orange-brown), and characteristic look (check the photo). Only the caps can be eaten, and it's worth to peel them before cooking.

17. Field Mushroom (Markjordsopp)

Okay, we are ending the list with the most dangerous mushrooms to collect in Norway. Only the professionals should look for it and even then it's better to double check it with someone else who knows much about the local forests. Field mushroom has a white cap, pink gills that turn brown, and a mild smell. It's delicious but easily can be mistaken with Death Cap, which, as you may have guessed based on the name, can kill you. Is any taste worth a risk? In my opinion, no, especially if the difference between the edible and deadly mushrooms can be summed up to the slight difference in a color of gills and caps.

_{All photos in my publications belong to me, unless marked differently}

_{Helping sources (for more information check: Soppkontroll | Soppognyttevekster | Inaturalist | Mushroomobserver | Miljodirektoratet | e-book Soppboka, Gro Gulden | e-book Norske sopper, Gyldendal Norsk Forlag | Chats with locals}