The Forager Within

With Christmas rapidly coming into view, here I discuss the fascinating folklore surrounding the iconic red and white Fly Agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria), and how it may have influenced the origins of Christmas traditions.

A foraging experience makes a wonderful gift, and here’s just a couple of reasons why: - An experience gift is something that yields “memory dividends” - not only do participants look forward to it and then enjoy the experience, it often brings happy memories for months and years after! - Foraging is how our species survived before agriculture and so it’s a very natural thing to do to our bodies and minds, and that means it feels good! - There are few better ways to connect with nature and enjoy all the wellbeing benefits it bestows than through foraging. Gift vouchers for both introductory experiences (2.5 hour) and full-day experiences are available from my website and after purchasing vouchers are emailed to you. https://lnkd.in/eHnY-zKw #foraging #wildfood #christmasgifts #giftvoucher #birthdaygifts

Candlesnuff Fungus (Xylaria hypoxylon) is inedible, but beautiful to see and it does have some powerful medicinal uses.

That’s a wrap! Following a public course in Manchester yesterday, the final foraging course of the year today was a private group and it was a great way to finish. While we didn’t see as many mushrooms as previous weeks, we did see some including some pristine Penny Buns, the first time I’ve ever found these in good condition in November! Spring and early Summer 2025 dates will be live in December, all being well.

Amethyst Deceiver doing what it does best - changing colour as it dries out and ages from purple to almost white like this one, and thus “deceiving” you by looking very different from the purple ones you saw last week!

Had fun a couple of weeks ago doing the foraging part of a Yoga and Foraging retreat organised by Cariad Yoga. It was a beautiful Autumnal day in Didsbury, Manchester. Everyone left feeling incredibly refreshed!

Did some foraging in the dark recently, it was an enjoyable experience and surprisingly effective when it came to spotting/finding mushrooms!

In this video I talk about the scarlet waxcap, a beautiful and bright red mushroom that grows in grasslands. Although it is edible, I consider it too rare to pick, but always lovely to see!

Here I talk about waxcaps, a great type of mushroom to know about in November and December because they tend to appear late in the season when it gets colder, and are a slow growing mushroom. They keep well in the fridge too! While most waxcaps are either too rare or too small to pick, the snowy waxcap and the meadow waxcap are worth foraging. The meadow waxcap (Cuphophyllus pratensis) is found in grasslands from September to December, favouring established, grazed grasslands that haven't been treated with pesticides or fertilisers. It’s a pleasant tasting mushroom and found at a time when the appearance of many other mushrooms starts to tail off. #foraging #wildfood #mushrooms #fungi #nature

Absolutely amazing to receive such positive feedback!