From: riburr@shentel.net   
      
   Macabre of Auchterloonie wrote:   
   > riburr wrote:   
   >> Was helping my mom secure her basement against flooding before Irene   
   >> arrived. Found some cute, pretty purple Russulas in her backyard, in   
   >> Vienna, VA. A raw pinch didn't taste bitter, so I picked a couple   
   >> fresh ones. Sauteed them with onions and olive oil over low heat (gas   
   >> stove), and ate them on English muffins. Very yummy.   
   >>   
   >> Up here in the mountains things have been *very* dry. We got 1 1/2"   
   >> rain from Irene. Now, it's dry a breezy again. Will try tomorrow to   
   >> see if there's any action from the scant rain.   
   >   
   > Don't take it as gospel, but I don't know of any purple-coloured russula   
   > which is poisonous. (You may have something I don't know about on your   
   > side of the pond!)   
   >   
   > In the last week we have had a lot of rain, and I have high hopes of   
   > finding mushrooms in some abundance. One genus which keeps me   
   > well-stocked a bit later in the year is Lactarius. Nearby there are   
   > clones of L. deliciosus, L. torminosus and L. pubescens, all of which   
   > are good if you treat them properly.   
   >   
   No, Russulas don't give me pause.  If a fresh pinch tastes good, I have   
   no qualms throwing in a pan w/onions.  These were very good.  A great   
   deal better than what I expect from Russula.  They were a beautiful,   
   deep purple w/pure white gills, and a hint of purple on a white stem.   
   Fairly bug free, which was also an unexpected plus.  No pictures.   
   Didn't have my camera.   
      
   Am ready to go into the woods right now.  Will report if I stumble   
   across anything worth mentioning....   
      
   Do the acrid Lactarius retain their pepperiness after drying?  Any   
   worthiness as a dried and ground spice?  If too spicy, how 'bout maybe a   
   half-assed parboil before drying and grinding, to retain some spiciness?   
      
      
      
      
   --   
   Mushroom blog:   
   http://ftvmushrooms.blogspot.com   
      
   Ruralpsychedelia blog:   
   http://ruralpsychedelia.blogspot.com   
      
   Obama is Borg   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)