Elfin saddle and 4 other mushrooms to pick in late autumn

November 2022

Mushrooming in autumn is not a wild hunt as in earlier phase in the season, but more likely peaceful searching. Forest is calm, preparing on winter rest. Birds are only occasionally singing, leaves rustle with each step. Or not, when it is one of the moist foggy rainy days typical for fall. Either way, autumn forest is beautiful. Below are listed some of the autumn mushrooms which can be picked till the late autumn. Some of them can be even found in lawns and parks. And some of them are a bit controversial!

Elfin saddle or slate grey saddle (Helvella lacunosa), in Finnish Mustamörsky

Elfin saddle looks a bit like a creature from a fairy tale. It is appearance can be scary, but believe that it is a very tasty, aromatic mushroom. Also, its thicker consistency is pleasant in many recipes where one wants to bite mushrooms. It is also suitable for those who dislike slimy rubbery mushrooms.

Elfin saddle can be found in temperate and alpine zones in Europe, also in Eastern North America, Japan and China. In Europe it is quite rare, so do not hesitate to pick it when you encounter it.

Elfin saddle has irregularly shaped wrinkled cap of smoky grey to black colour. Stem is without a ring, pale in young individuals, with aging getting greyish. Stem has flute shape with oval ditches. From that comes the species name lacunosa meaning in Latin „having holes“.

It grows especially in deciduous and mixed forests, but also in coniferous. It often occurs in rich soils in disturbed habitats such as burnt areas, sides of the forest routs, light edges of the forest and clearings.

It fruits from late summer to autumn.

It is recommended to shortly boil elfin saddles from 3 to 5 min before cooking. They can contain small amount of toxins which vanish with cooking.

Funnel chanaterelles and elfin saddles with cream and onion

Funnel chanterelle (Craterellus tubaeformis), in Finnish Suppilovahvero

Funnel chantarelles are small sized, however they form bunches with numerous individuals. When a good patch with funnel chantarelles is detected, the basket can be filled pretty easily. Their use in the kitchen is similar as in the Golden Chantarelles, but funnel chantarelles have stronger taste.

Funnel chantarelle is spread in temperate and cold parts of Europe and Northern America and in the Himalayas in Asia. It is especially well known and picked in Fennoscandia.

Cap is thin, funnel shaped with a depression in the centre. Colour is pale to dark brown depending on the growing conditions. From the other side of the cap are decurrent, wrinkle false gilles of greyish colour. Stem is hollow, tall and it has yellow orange colour.

It often grows close to rotten wood and on moss. In Finland it occurs in coniferous forests, but in Czechia I found many patches in the beech forest, so it can also occur in decidous ones.

Funnel chantarelle fruits from the beginning of autumn and sometimes can be picked even during winter.

It is very suitable for drying. Dried mushrooms can be used for example in soup to which they give very nice flavour. Fresh funnel chantarelle tastes very good in quiche.

Shaggy Parasol (Chlorophyllum rhacodes), in Finnish Akansieni

Shaggy Parasol is visually very beautiful tender mushroom. It resembles Parasol Mushroom (Macrolepiota procera), but it is smaller.

Shaggy Parasol grows through Europe and North America. It prefers disturbed areas as gardens, parks, lawns, but it can also be found in coniferous forests.

Cap of young individuals has rounded shape, later it opens, but only rarely becomes fully flat. It has fibrillose texture, white colour background with brownish greyish tips. From the other side of the cap are white gills which can have in older individuals brown to grey edges. Stem is white, bulbous at the basal part. It has a ring. Flesh is white, turning into pinkish orange after cutting.

Shaggy Parasol fruits during summer and autumn.

Shaggy Parasol is known as an edible mushroom. However, it has been recently recommended to be avoided for its claimed toxicity. There are opinions that the level of poison depends on the growing conditions or on the subspecies. In Czech resources it is nowadays evaluated as not to be picked dangerous mushroom, in Finnish resources Shaggy Parasol is only not advised for people with sensitive digestive system. Anyway, those who pick it should not underestimate the preparation and properly cook it.

Common Ink Cap (Coprinopsis atramentaria), In Finnish Harmaamustesieni

Common Ink Cap is a good edible mushroom. It has very delicate, mild taste and nice meaty texture. There is only one catch; it cannot be consumed with alcohol. It contains the toxin called coprine which blocks the ability of the body to breakdown alcohol, leading to an acetaldehyde poisoning. The same effect has the drug antabuse used in alcohol treatment centres.

Cap is fragile, it has in youth egg shape, later it opens into a bell. It has greyish colour. The surface of the cap is smooth in young individuals, later it becomes grooved along its length. Gills are firstly white, then gradually changing to brown and black. The cap is in older phase melting from the edge line and dropping ink. Stem is white, hollow and fibrous.

Gills of young and older individual

 

Common Ink Cap is saprobic, growing on dead and decaying wood. It can be found in meadows, pastures, parks, gardens and forest edges. It fruits from summer to late autumn. It is spread throughout Europe and North America.

Pickable are only young individuals with no signs of blackish colour. Ink Cap mushrooms must be prepared in few hours after picking, otherwise the consistency gets inky and liquid. It won´t last till the next day.

Other funny option of what to do with Ink Caps is to try to make own homemade ink. For this purpose, are suitable older mushrooms which are not good for eating anyway. The ink can be then normally used for writing and painting.

Shaggy Ink Cap or Shaggy Mane (Coprinus comatus), in Finnish Suomumustesieni

Shaggy Ink Cap is bigger and even more tasty than Common Ink Cap. It does not contain coprine and it is therefore edible without the need to avoid alcohol. The cap is whitish and shaggy. Shaggy Ink Cap has similar ecology as Common Ink Cap.

Watch autumn mushrooming with close-ups of the mushrooms mentioned in this article: