Where I live, the coming of Autumn is heralded by people wandering around the woods with wicker baskets, and a few years ago I was thrilled to become one of these people as I found my first mushroom. By this I mean the first mushroom species that I know where and when to find and be 100% confident that it is what I think it is.
In English the mushroom is called the Horn of Plenty, but I prefer the French name ‘The Trumpet of Death’. The name is based on its colour and shape as opposed to what it might do to you – but the name also suggests, correctly, that as a small black cylinder it might not be that easy to find in the forest. Not only is the Trumpet of Death not poisonous but it is actually delicious, and also has high level of bioavailable B12, even excluding the amount of soil that you inevitable end up eating!
The first few times I foraged for it I wandered around somewhat blindly and found a patch of them here and another patch there. Slowly though I began to sense the right area – not too overgrown or shady, well rotten branches on the ground, holly is a good sign… I’ve noticed that it seems to grow in the same area as coral funguses – and they are a lot easier to spot.
Once you’ve found your first mushroom, the forest starts to look different; this area might be good for cep, is this the right amount of light for chanterelles? With one mushroom in your armoury adding in a second and third mushroom begins to seem feasible, and suddenly you find most of your trips into the forest seem to lead to you staring at the ground and rummaging in the undergrowth.
The other attraction of foraging is the low barrier to entry. I’m keen on a range of outdoors activities and some of them require quite specific equipment, but all your need for mushroom picking is a wicker basket. This isn’t just for show but it allows the spores of the mushrooms you have collected to be spread further afield – a little example of how humans can actually give back to nature.
There is a final important reciprocity issue. Robin Wall Kimmerer discusses in Braiding Sweetgrass how we should only ever take as much as you need. This does raise the question of how many Trumpets of Death you need? Luckily, this being France, there was a laminated notice from a 1986 bylaw informing me that this was 3kg per person – given how long it takes to clean small muddy mushrooms I recommend starting with a smaller amount.
So, as the nights draw in and the forests change colour – now is the time to find your first mushroom!