The Foraging Course Company

Offering fun foraging courses for those wanting to learn about edible mushrooms and plants. Private and public foraging courses and gift vouchers available.

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@gemma_harkin Meadow waxcaps (Cuphophyllus pratensis). Well done to your aunt for not applying pesticides to the lawn. One of the rewards of letting nature do its own thing

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@WeardaleDiary Not Russula emetica, which does not have a reddened stipe

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@ScottDBryan The Beechwood sickener doesn’t have a stipe that flushes red. It is white

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@ScottDBryan Can’t think of any of the red capped red stiped russula that associate with beech. Most associate with conifers, willow or birch. Sure there were no other species around? You say mostly beech so wonder if there were others?

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@ScottDBryan Only beech, no other species? Neither The Sickener nor Beechwood Sickener have a flushed stipe. For Russula, taste (nibble, wait and spit) is important in ID.

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@ScottDBryan The Sickener (R emetica) has a white stipe, rather than a stipe flushed red. What trees was this growing with and what was it’s taste?

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@PassTheSmileOrg A pleasure

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@gemma_harkin Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare)

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@HolkhamEstate Looks fabulous. Love a high, high tide

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Great to see so many pyramidal orchids and marsh helleborine during this past weekend’s courses.
#orchids #helleborine #wildflowers #plants

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St George’s Mushroom

As it’s St George’s Day, we’ve written an article on the edible spring mushroom that’s punched its name from the English patron saint.

To read it, click here: https://t.co/TUcOKqBfhh

#stgeorgesday #stgeorgesmushroom #calocybegambosa #mushroom #fungi

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The other patches in her garden are either left or only picked one leaf per bulb and are perfectly healthy…

#wildgarlic #overharvesting #wildflowers #rustfungus #allium #alliumursinum #ramsons #beargarlic #sustainability #foraging #wildfood #forager

[The Foraging Course Company @foragingcourse]

We have always advised our course participants to only pick one leaf per bulb of wild garlic to allow the plant to photosynthesise.

Unfortunately, we have seen large healthy patches disappear over a few years once mass harvesting year after year starts to happen.

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So, our instructor Kerry did an experiment in her garden and the results can be seen in this video. It’s circumstantial and not scientifically controlled, but food for thought nonetheless.

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What did the Romans do for us?

Some of the species we think of as British are, in fact, introduced, and some things you may have believed the Romans brought to the UK - they didn’t.

Find out more here: https://t.co/bnjUsSv65X

#introducedplants #archeophytes #historicplants

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Wonderful wild garlic - Allium ursinum

Our foraging focus looks into the history, uses and other fascinating facts of this springtime allium.

Read the article here: https://t.co/RJEMBtZ0fA

#wildgarlic #ramsons #alliumursinum #allium #edibleplants #springplants #foraging

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Easy way to avoid confusion between Blackthorn and Cherry Plum blossom at this time of year

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Grey oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) are cultivated as food but this fascinating fungus has a lot more to give. It can clean up contamination, help to create building materials, and also likes to snack on the odd small worm!

Find out more here: https://t.co/UkpudowvdL

[The Foraging Course Company @foragingcourse]

@pvt_ak @SaraLyndel We get ours from @Merry_Mushrooms highly recommended

[The Foraging Course Company @foragingcourse]

@gemma_harkin @BSBIbotany @BrambleBotanist @FriendsMerlinWD @BSBI_Ireland @BSBIscience @BSBIScotland @BSBICymru @wildflower_hour @NatureLark @briza_kat @natsurroundings The leaves make great kraut and kimchi