Should we know our Portobello from our Death Cap? I went out to find out if people knew their mushrooms with my Mushroom Test. I had pictures of four mushrooms, three poisonous and one edible, and asked if they could correctly identify the edible one. So did they pass or fail?
I also wanted to know: do you think it is important for people to know how to forage for wild food?
Cadwgan Thomas, 38, project manager, Aberystwyth
Test score – Fail
“Yeah absolutely, I think it’s fantastic. I used to do it when I was younger: foraging for blackberries to make pies. I was very much an amateur forager.”
Amir Abbasi, 21, sales executive, Cardiff
Test score – Fail
“I think more people should have their own land and grow more food. They’ll save a lot of time and money, but in terms of rummaging around the woods looking for mushrooms I’m not so sure.”
Susie Gale, 19, student, Cardiff
Test score – Pass
“I wouldn’t say it’s of upmost importance in this day and age but I still think it’s something that would be beneficial for people to know. I think people need to start realising there is a lot more resources out there that are natural.”
Mark Roberts, 42, bar staff, Cardiff
Test score – Fail
“Well it’s natural, it’s a connection to our bodies and our minds and our souls in one kind of way. To know where food comes from, what it is and that it’s available. That it’s full of vitamins, it’s full of life and it tunes you into the seasons.”
Joan Phillips, 69, retired, England
Test score – Fail
“Well maybe a few years ago, yes, but not now. I don’t think you need to. The homeless may forage in the wild but mainly people are housed so they’ve got their homes to go to so they eat in their homes.”
Tony, 62, unemployed, Cork
Test score – Fail
“I think it is good to be able to forage in the wild. We find out what’s what. There’s loads of food that we probably trample and walk on on a daily basis and we don’t know what it is.”
Mark Isaacs, 46, librarian, Cardiff
Test score – Fail
“If you know what you’re doing and you can select the right thing then it’s a very inexpensive form of getting some quality naturally produced goods.”
Pip Lane, 54, mountain leader, Lake District
Test score – Pass
“We need a system like they have in France where you can take any wild fungus into a pharmacy and they will tell you whether you can eat it or not.”
So, only two out of eight successfully identified the edible mushroom, the Orange Birch Bolete. The most picked mushroom was the Death Cap. Wild Food UK cannot come to Cardiff soon enough it seems.
Wild Food UK is putting on two introductory courses in Bute Park to teach people how to forage for edible wild plants and mushrooms.
The foraging walks take place on 3 and 4 November and will introduce people to the laws and codes of picking wild food and how to identify edible fungi and fruits. The walks will be led by Marlow Renton and Eric Biggane who set up Wild Food UK this year and have been foraging since childhood.
Marlow says it is an important skill as it gives you a walk in the countryside, improves your diet and saves money on your food bill.
The most important thing to remember, says Marlow, is “If you don’t know what it is, don’t eat it.”
Should we know our Portobello from our Death Cap? I went out to find out if people knew their mushrooms with my Mushroom Test. I had pictures of four mushrooms, three poisonous and one edible, and asked if they could correctly identify the edible one. So did they pass or fail?
I also wanted to know: do you think it is important for people to know how to forage for wild food?
Cadwgan Thomas, 38, project manager, Aberystwyth
Test score – Fail
“Yeah absolutely, I think it’s fantastic. I used to do it when I was younger: foraging for blackberries to make pies. I was very much an amateur forager.”
Amir Abbasi, 21, sales executive, Cardiff
Test score – Fail
“I think more people should have their own land and grow more food. They’ll save a lot of time and money, but in terms of rummaging around the woods looking for mushrooms I’m not so sure.”
Susie Gale, 19, student, Cardiff
Test score – Pass
“I wouldn’t say it’s of upmost importance in this day and age but I still think it’s something that would be beneficial for people to know. I think people need to start realising there is a lot more resources out there that are natural.”
Mark Roberts, 42, bar staff, Cardiff
Test score – Fail
“Well it’s natural, it’s a connection to our bodies and our minds and our souls in one kind of way. To know where food comes from, what it is and that it’s available. That it’s full of vitamins, it’s full of life and it tunes you into the seasons.”
Joan Phillips, 69, retired, England
Test score – Fail
“Well maybe a few years ago, yes, but not now. I don’t think you need to. The homeless may forage in the wild but mainly people are housed so they’ve got their homes to go to so they eat in their homes.”
Tony, 62, unemployed, Cork
Test score – Fail
“I think it is good to be able to forage in the wild. We find out what’s what. There’s loads of food that we probably trample and walk on on a daily basis and we don’t know what it is.”
Mark Isaacs, 46, librarian, Cardiff
Test score – Fail
“If you know what you’re doing and you can select the right thing then it’s a very inexpensive form of getting some quality naturally produced goods.”
Pip Lane, 54, mountain leader, Lake District
Test score – Pass
“We need a system like they have in France where you can take any wild fungus into a pharmacy and they will tell you whether you can eat it or not.”
So, only two out of eight successfully identified the edible mushroom, the Orange Birch Bolete. The most picked mushroom was the Death Cap. Wild Food UK cannot come to Cardiff soon enough it seems.