Mushroom Hunting in Central Park

The CC went mushroom hunting in Central Park with the New York Mycological Society.

Part educational, part forager's dream, we had a great morning.

Here are the CC's edible finds. (Please don't try this without experts around. Many many wild mushrooms are deadly poisonous. Part of the training is to identify the deadly ones.)

The recipe is a classic. Fry some garlic and a hot chilli pepper. Saute the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Add the spaghetti and parsley and serve topped with more black pepper and parm.

Purple-Bloom Russula (russula mariae)
Mild and peppery with the texture of oyster mushrooms.

Black-stained Polypore (meripilus sumstinei)
Intensely mushroomy. Can get leathery when older. Needs to be cooked longer. Steak-like texture and taste.

Spaghetti with Wild Mushrooms