Autumn always seems to be the most magical season.

[Kkimm]

It really makes me want to believe in fairies and elves when I see and photograph mushrooms like these. The Fly Agarics in the bottom left hand corner of this collage really look as if they could have a member of the fair folk peeping around the stalk. Actually they do have quite a bit of folklore attached to them in that they have hallucinogenic properties and were once used by so called witches to give the feeling that they were flying. They do not gain their name from this however. Cottagers used to break up the caps into a saucer of milk which was put out in their homes to attract flies. They would sip the milk and be poisoned so it was an early form of fly killer.

I have had a great season gathering delicious field mushrooms from my village green this autumn. I have been able to gather many full baskets and have shared mushroom pies with friends coming over for meals. The ones brave enough to try them that is. Pete and I studied fungi and have been out with experts on fungus forays over the years so are confident about what we gather. The secret is only to gather the really delicious and very distinctive species such as field mushrooms, puff balls and Shaggy Ink caps. The later are delicious fried in batter, as they fall apart easily, and taste very much like mild truffles. This ensures we never accidentally gather a deadly species such as Death Cap or Destroying Angel.

A hundred years ago this year's bountiful season for fungi would have been celebrated. Mushrooms would be welcomed as a great addition to a rather mundane diet by the cottagers in my English South coast village which sits on a peninsular between the salt marshes and mud flats of an estuary and the sandy beaches of the open sea. Mushrooms would be a delicious side dish to the bread, potatoes, mussels and sea fish the fisherman brought in with the tide. The villagers now think "there's that mad woman with her basket again collecting poisonous toadstools" Lucky they don't know where I live, as my little crooked cottage used to be known as "The Witches cottage" before my time.

Kim😵🐍💀🦴

[All_alone]

Beautiful colors. Need that right now...

[Kkimm in reply to All_alone]

Thanks and lovely to hear from you.

[Mrspjsmom]

My husband's grandfather used to go put and father wild mushrooms. They were a special part of the family's Christmas Eve dinner. When he could no longer do it someone else gathered extra mushrooms and brought them to him. Not only are your photos beautiful but the post brought back wonderful memories of Grandpa. He was a wonderful man and the first person in my husband's family to accept me exactly as I am. I will never forget his discreetly given advice and the smile on his face when I gave birth to his first great grandchild named in part after him. Thank you for triggering those wonderful memories and believe in fairies and elves. They are magical and exist where we can't see them. HUGS and BLESSINGS!

[Kkimm in reply to Mrspjsmom]

Thanks for your wonderful reply. I loved hearing about your grandfather. Do you know the names of any species he collected. Was he in the USA or Europe somewhere?

Be great to hear more of your memories if you feel like it. Do message me if you would prefer to do it that way.

Very best wishes

Kim

[Mrspjsmom in reply to Kkimm]

It was my husband's grandfather and I have no idea what species he gathered. It was in the USA in northern Pennsylvania and upstate New York. We live very close to the Pennsylvania border.