Adrian has posted today about, among other things, edible toadstools, which put me in mind of a wonderful book much beloved of one of my sons when young.
It's The SAS Survivors' Handbook, and it will tell you exactly which fungi you can and can't eat. As I commented on Adrina's page, we came home from an evening out to find said son, handbook in hand, feeding pieces of a toadstool he'd found to our elderly babysitter (she survived, I'm glad to say).
Other useful tips included what to do when your vehicle starts to roll towards the edge of a cliff. Since you ask, I seem to recall that the answer involved rolling into a ball, and then hurling yourself out of the car door. Have you got that? Roll first; hurl afterwards.
You may thank me one day.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I'm very glad I know that, just in case I ever end up on any cliffs in my car. Thank you in advance, Frances.
ReplyDeleteI love that your son didn't poison the babysitter - I didn't know there was such a thing as edible toadstools. I wonder if that book is still in print? x
Adriana replys...What do you think the fungus in supermakets is but edible toadstools? There is a lot of free food growing out there.
DeleteFrances spelt my name wrong but not to worry, it is hard to spell and I know who Francis meant.
Teresa - my pleasure.
DeleteAdrian, I can't see anything wrong with that spelling. Plus no thanks for the free advertising. Humph.
You have edited your post to make me look daft. I could delete my comment but won't because you are not daft and I am not cruel.
DeleteHave a good weekend. That book of yours cost nearly three pounds. I will let folk know if it was worth it.
Thank you for the plug.
Oops. Just seen it. Sorry, Adrian. (Will that do?)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeletePs I didn't edit anything! I left the typo - for that's of course what it was - exactly as I'd written it.
DeleteNo worries Frances. I spelt your name wrong on Amazon. It took them ages to direct me from Garod to Garroood. There are far tooo many letters in your naaaame.
DeleteMore letters than is good for one.
Well, I'm glad we've sorted that out. Good night!
DeleteWell now I feel daft - I didn't know that mushrooms were edible toadstools. I still remember how my mum would pick mushrooms, but I've never had the confidence to gather my own :-)
DeleteTeresa, picking wild mushrooms is on of the worlds great pleasures. And they taste wonderful!
DeleteA good downpour and we'll be into Girolle season. Mushrooming is a major sport where I live.
ReplyDeleteI envy you, CM. enjoy!
DeleteCouldn't we just not park so we're facing downhill toward the edge of a cliff? Or is that too boring?
ReplyDeleteOh, come on, Patsy. Where's your sense of adventure?
DeleteWonder if we can do the rolling and hurling together! Glad the babysitter survived the experiment.
ReplyDeleteI think you probably have to, Rosemary. No time to do them separately.
DeleteThe babysitter is 98 and still going strong.
What a fantastic book. I like the roll-and-hurl advice. I could almost wish to be in cliff-top peril so that I can apply it.
ReplyDeleteYour babysitter sounds like a true survivor herself. x
Joanna, I really recommend this book for any small boy in your life.
DeleteIn this country we largely overlook the wonders of gathering wild mushrooms. A Scottish friend of Italian lineage had a small operation going at one time gathering wild porcini mushrooms and drying them for the entire family (and many friends). In Germany I recall many expeditions into the Heiligensee forest in Berlin to collect mushrooms. At that time every pharmacy had a big poster in the window showing the edible ones and if you took doubtful ones to the pharmacist he or she would advise on its edibility. It was part of they training and service.
ReplyDeleteMore of us should do it, GB. The wild ones taste better, too. Even young puffballs can be quite nice.
DeleteI never ate a mushroom until I left home as mum didn't even trust the commercial ones, so I am anti foraging too.
ReplyDelete