Authors
Ian R. Hall
Ian R. Hall has travelled widely and his knowledge of mushroom cultivation is international in scope. His firm, Truffles & Mushrooms Consulting Ltd., aims to further the cultivation of edible ectomycorrhizal mushrooms. He also directs the activities of Symbiotic Systems N.Z. Ltd, a company that studies the beneficial effects of mycorrhizas in forestry. Hall has published on a variety of topics in addition to edible mushrooms and mycorrhizas, including the pathology of grasses oversown into tussock grasslands and greenhouse design. He completed his Ph.D. at New Zealand’s Otago University, where he studied with Geoff Baylis. After his post-doctoral fellowship with Jim Gerdemann at Illinois University, Hall returned to New Zealand to work as an applied mycologist and plant pathologist with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF Technology).
Timber Press: For a beginning student of mycology or mycophagy (fungus eating), what is the benefit of taking a global or multicontinental view of edible and poisonous mushrooms? As a starting point, would you recommend getting familiar with a particular edible species?
Ian Hall: It is always best to start with a species that simply can't be mistaken. The giant puffball, which can be up to a yard across, is one of these. It also has a good flavor, and I haven't met anyone who has experienced any side effects. The giant puffball is also well represented in many countries.
Steve Stephenson: Since representatives of the major groups of fungi (e.g., agarics, boletes, puffballs, etc.) are pretty much found throughout the world, there is no reason not to use whatever examples occur in a particular region as a starting point for developing the basic concepts involved in distinguishing one group from another, learning to recognize structural features used for identification, and developing an awareness of the general ecological relationships of the various groups. If someone has any interest whatsoever in mycophagy, he or she should become very familiar with one or two of the more common (and completely safe) edible examples. Where it occurs, the common morel would represent a good starting point.
TP: Setting aside the old saying about foraging for wild mushrooms, "You find them where you find them," what strategy do you recommend for identifying and selecting prospective mushroom collection sites?
Hall: Local knowledge is always the best way of learning where to go. However, finding someone who is prepared to part with such information can be something of a problem! In temperate climates, looking for known host plants of mycorrhizal mushrooms, for example, oaks and beech, can certainly help. A tree 50 meters tall is easier to find than a 10-cm-high mushroom.
Stephenson: The thing that is needed most is knowing something about the general ecology of the mushroom in question. For example, for those examples that are mycorrhizal, one should select a forest in which potential host trees are known to occur.
TP: What is the most unusual mushroom you've collected, and where did you discover it?
Hall: This has to be my very first porcini found on my own without someone leading me by the nose. After two hours of looking in Christchurch, New Zealand, in all the places I had been told that I was sure to find porcini, I walked into a small grove of oak trees. As I parted the foliage which hung down in front of my eyes, I found a small glade lit by dappled sunshine. And there on the ground were dozens of porcini, each weighing as much as 1 kg. Magic! The taste was almost as good as the find.
Stephenson: Since my own research interests tend to center around the slime molds, examples from this group are the first things that come to mind. The most unusual single example was a fruiting I encountered some years ago in West Virginia. The fruiting was more than 10 feet across and consisted of what had to be several hundred thousand individual little fruiting bodies. The most unusual true mushroom I've ever collected would be the beech strawberry, on Nothofagus trees in the Southern Alps of New Zealand.
TP: Would you consider sharing your favorite mushroom recipe?
Hall: Yes, of course. But don't serve it to me when I come round to dinner — you may not get it right!
Truffle consomme under a pastry lid — Consomme en croute truffée
Ingredients
1½ L good brown stock
200 g minced shin beef
50 g finely diced onion
50 g finely diced carrot
50 g finely diced celery
5 egg whites
300 ml truffle juice
Garnish
1 small truffle
50 g finely diced carrot
50 g finely diced leek
50 g finely diced mushrooms
50 g finely diced celery
300 g short pastry
Method
Mix well the egg whites, shin beef, diced onion, celery, and carrot. Slowly add the stock and truffle juice. Place all of this mixture in a pan and bring to a boil. Cook for about 1 hour.
Strain the liquid through a muslin cloth. You should have a crystal-clear consomme. Portion this out into oven-proof consomme bowls and allow to cool. For the garnish, blanch the diced vegetables, chop the truffle, and add to the consomme. Roll the short pastry out to 2 mm thick and cut out circles large enough to cover the bowls with a 2 cm overlap. Wash the edge of the underside of the pastry with egg and lay it over the consomme pressing the edge firmly onto the bowl. Wash the top with egg and allow to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes. Then bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 20 minutes until the crust is golden brown and cooked through.
Stephenson: I'm not particularly interested in mycophagy, although I've sampled a reasonable number of edible mushrooms. My favorite recipe is about as simple as any recipe could possibly be. I enjoy eating puffballs, the pear-shaped puffball being my personal favorite:
Only firm, white specimens should be used. Fruiting bodies should be cut into slices (approximately 1 cm thick) and placed in a hot skillet with melted butter. Sauté about a minute or so on each side until golden brown and serve as a side dish, in much the same way as fried potatoes.
