Sought-after
delicacies, mushrooms are an essential part of autumn in Tuscany. For some, the
next step after overcoming the challenges posed by the piles of oddly shaped
varieties at the market (Which ones to buy? How do I cook them? Is that strange
object even a mushroom?), is to go out into the woods and forage for them. But
beware: mushroom gathering is much more than a simple walk in the park. Not
only can that benign-looking fungus be a killer in disguise, but there are
legal hurdles to clear before you forage.
Know the rules
Before
heading into the wild, you may have to obtain a mushroom-gathering permit. You
will need one if you are not an official resident in Tuscany, and even if you
are an official resident but want to forage outside your province.
The
fee for non-Tuscan residents is 15 euro for a full day of foraging (40 euro for
a week; 100 euro for a year). For Tuscan residents gathering outside their
province, the price is 13 euro for a week (25 euro for a year). To receive the
permit you will need to send a bank transfer to the Tuscan Region (account
number: 6750946; account name: Regione Toscana). Cite the reason for payment
‘Raccolta Funghi’ and state the day (week, year) for which you need the permit,
as well as the details of the person for whom the permit is for. The payment
receipt acts as the permit, which you must bring with you when you go into the
hills, along with your ID. (Call 800/860070 for more information on permit
requirements). You can be spot checked by the Italy Forestry Police while you
forage so it is important that you have the required legal documentation.
The
rules don’t end here. According to a regional law in effect since January 2011,
the maximum weight of mushrooms a single person is allowed to pick in one day
is 3 kilos (although if you find a monster fungus you are allowed to keep it!).
No rakes or spades can be used as these can damage the soil, and foraging hours
are restricted to daytime: one hour before sunset till an hour after. Maybe the
most important thing for newbies to remember is that you must use a basket to
hold the mushrooms you gather, not a plastic bag, to allow the spores to fall
out and re-seed the ground. In any case, mushrooms must not be allowed
prolonged contact with plastic: the two create a toxic reaction.
Basket
and permit in hand? The next question is, where to go. Mushroom treasure grounds
are not usually well publicised, as foragers are often very territorial and
protective over the ‘good spots.’ (Don’t expect an invitation to forage from a
true mushroom gatherer.) But mushrooms can be unearthed in just about any
forest, particularly those with chestnut trees or oak for porcini mushrooms.
Cars parked by the side of an otherwise ordinary-looking road in the woods are
usually a dead giveaway, but be careful: it is forbidden to collect from public
green spaces or within 20 metres of the roadside.
While
all of this information may sound insurmountably complicated, it will be worth
it when you spot your first mushroom poking between the leaves, when your
basket slowly begins to fill with the earthy goodies, when you bring them home
to grill, fry or bake and when you taste the first delicious mouthfuls of your
hard-won spoils.
In
addition to making your mouth water, mushrooms also have surprisingly high
nutritional value. They are low in calories, high in fibre and protein (20-30
percent of the dry weight) and contain many important vitamins and minerals,
such as vitamins B and D, copper, selenium and potassium. Wild mushrooms
usually have a significantly higher nutritional value than those bought at the
supermarket, as mushrooms channel compounds from the environment in which they
were harvested.
Check before you eat
While
many mushrooms can be beneficial to health, others can kill you, so it is
important to ask the advice of an expert before serving up the ones you have
gathered in the wild. So far in 2012, there have been over 100 mushroom
poisonings in Tuscany since the start of the season, including an entire family
who recently died in Cascina (Pisa). British author of the The Horse Whisperer, Nicholas Evans, has been in and out of
hospital over the last two years, waiting for a kidney transplant after eating
deadly webcap mushrooms. However, don’t let these tragic cases put you off: you
can easily have your pickings checked by experts before you pop them in the
pan. Local health offices (USL) in Tuscany offer free mushroom consultations at
the Sportelli micologici. Simply
bring your basket in right after foraging and they will check what you’ve
picked to make sure it is safe to eat. (For hours, appointments and other
information on consultations in the Florence area, see
http://tinyurl.com/FirenzeMushrooms. For other provinces in Tuscany, consult
the individual USL websites or call 055/6933624 for more information.) If you
ever have reason to think that you have eaten poisonous mushrooms, call
055/6933624 and get to the nearest hospital as quickly as possible.
Do it with others
For
those who would rather join a group mushroom-picking excursion or who would
like to take a course before venturing off alone, the Gruppo Micologico Fiorentino,
located in Settignano, organises these and many other mushroom-related events.
Call 055/6549195 or visit www.gruppomicheli.it (in Italian) for details.
