St George's mushrooms are edible, but need to be cooked thoroughly and can be mistaken for poisonous varieties of shrooms so I'm not recommending foraging unless you really know what you are looking for. Sandra Lawrence, in The Magic of Mushrooms, writes that studies of St George's Mushrooms have shown them to have antibacterial properties, so I'm happy they're on my lawn.
Collin's Nature Guide on Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and Europe describes them as having creamy white caps, with white flesh, stems and gills. The caps can be 10cm in diameter. They typically grow in rings. The photo to the side shows one section of the arc of the circle in my lawn.
Folklore would suggest that stepping inside a fairy ring, or even disturbing a fairy ring in any way, is inviting trouble. However, this is in my garden and frankly I've walked all over my garden thousands and thousands of times and I don't think I've been abducted by fairies yet. I mow the lawn a few times each year although I do like to let it grow wild to some extent and take part in No Mow May. As you can see from the pictures there are probably more wildflowers than grass there.
Notes: This is not medical advice or foraging advice, it is just for information purposes. Never eat any mushroom unless you are absolutely sure it is safe to do so. I earn commission from advertisers for some links. This helps support my blog at no extra cost to those who read my posts.
Other previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/03/recipe-egg-mushroom-and-thyme-turnover.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/09/dozmary-pool-and-death-of-dragons.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/09/mushrooms-and-fungi.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2016/04/days-out-st-georges-day-and-dragon-hill.html
No comments:
Post a Comment