Delicious and often enormous, the Wine Cap pops up commonly in the hardwood woodchips used in landscaping mulch around trees and along tended pathways. This mushroom can be identified positively only in the presence of both the young and mature specimens. The buttons are sometimes but not always a Burgundian red wine color on top. When the veil is still closed over the immature gills, there is a coglike star pattern around the stem. In the mature fruiting bodies, the gills change from pink to a dark pinkish grey to grey brown color while the color of the cap lightens to a light brown to beige color. The spore print is purplish black in color.
I recommend eating only the young mushrooms of this species which are firm and bug free. The buttons of this species can reach 5-6” in diameter while still immature. They are meaty and rich and are well paired in meat sauces and sautés.
When large, it can be cut into strips, brushed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sprinkled with herbs, salt and pepper and grilled to perfection.
So once again I have too many mushrooms. Dont feel sorry for me this happens all the time. Seek and ye shall find. I wish in my life it applied to something more than mushrooms.
4 comments:
So where did you collect all of these yummy mushrooms? Did you raid someone's landscaping?
And what will the little guy be eating for dinner, since he hates mushrooms?
Chels - et al: A nature center, he had ribs. I didnt take photos because I was so excited by the mushroom plethora-damn there were old ones, and older ones and then the ones I found. This place was "mushroomlandia" really.
This year because of the unusually dry weather up North, the Morel mushroom hunting/finding was sparse. Around here in a light year, they will sell(if you can find them!) for $40-50 a pound!
omg i'm so jealous of your mushroom adventure!!! looks spectacular.
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