The Wardens’ Blog – Fungi Foray

Tag Archives: fungi

The Wardens’ Blog – Fungi Foray

It’s been a busy summer season and we’ve not been blogging so much, but now that it’s a bit quieter we thought we would try to catch up on our adventures and share them with you.

This week we were very lucky to get the chance to go foraging for mushrooms with Daniel from Fungi Forays. Since noticing the abundance of various mushrooms growing around Devil’s Bridge and Woodlands, we’ve been curious to understand them better and perhaps begin to learn what mushrooms might be safe to eat. The idea of foraging for food has always been interesting to us, but something we knew we would need guidance on. So when we were offered the opportunity to spend a few hours in the Elan Valley with an expert, we were very excited.

We met Daniel at the Elan Valley Visitors Centre and off we went in his landrover to see what we could find. He has years of knowledge of edible mushrooms, but also of the area, so he can take you immediately to some secret spots almost guaranteed to find a fungi feasts. We learnt quite a few species and indeed a fair bit about the inedible mushrooms and of course the few poisonous ones too! Daniel also ensures you are taught about the different habitats that attract different types of fungi and where is best to hunt for your dinner. After a bit of a drive around, we set off on foot to find and after a couple of hours we returned to our van with a basket full of edible finds.

We took our mushrooms home and had a fry up for dinner! But if you join one of the Fungi Forays at the weekend, as part of the trip, you will enjoy a wild mushroom based meal at his traditional Welsh longhouse after your foraging. Sounds yum!

Not only do you learn a lot about fungi, habitats and the local area, but you get to enjoy it all in the beautiful scenery of the stunning Elan Valley.

If you want to find out more and go on your own Fungi Foray, take a look at his website for more information. (Or ask us at reception)