Mushrooms and the law 5/5
By Daniel Butler, forager and author
Please read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and of the blog series first.
The laws - written, case and as applied - have been covered in the past four blogs. But there is a final area of laws: the unwritten rules foragers expect each other to follow. The novice somehow has to absorb these in the same way that dried fungi rehydrate – to soak them up as they learn about the art.
‘What is this and can I eat it?’
(Image: Author’s own)
One of the first is not to start by asking for IDs on social media without at least making an initial stab at your own. It is of course fine to ask for confirmation or to plea for tips if utterly stumped, but putting in a little effort is important. There are several reasons why this is a no-no. Firstly, it’s just rude - you are asking for something for nothing: tapping into someone else knowledge gathered over years of effort. More importantly, however, asking for advice on a potentially life-or-death decision from total strangers is really stupid if you think about it. How do you know their expertise? It only takes a few minutes browsing online to see utterly erroneous IDs given with total certainty. And how do you know the ‘expert’ telling you to munch away is not a foraging Harold Shipman?
Perhaps just as important, however, is the learning process. Looking at a plant or mushroom in close detail and comparing its characteristics with a decent reference book or website is the best way to learn. Merely asking a faceless person on the internet to give you the answer is no way to acquire information. Those that do are the foraging equivalent of a motorist who is incapable of driving from A to B without the help of Google Maps. An alternative comparison would be with the child who asks their parents to do their maths homework while they catch up with their classmates on Instagram.
Another no-no is to ask ‘Where are the best patches near Milton Keynes? I don’t drive, so it’s got to be within walking distance of a bus stop.’
Finding good spots takes footwork - maps are a great starting point
(Image: Author’s own)
Why? Well, firstly, experienced foragers are very unlikely to tell you. Finding a good patch takes hours of researching, walking and coming back empty-handed, wet and muddy, before stumbling across a really good spot. This means locations are jealously guarded, so to give this gold dust away on social media to a complete stranger in front of a potential audience of thousands is just not going to happen. And it’s also downright rude – it’s the equivalent of saying ‘I don’t know you, but can I sleep with your partner?’
Also, as with identification, taking short cuts is no way to learn. One of the greatest joys of foraging is spending hours surrounded by nature. Searching for that elusive something opens your eyes to everything else. You might have set out to find wild garlic, but instead come home laden with hogweed shoots and scurvy grass or you went looking for blackberries, but stumbled across a motherlode of porcini.
Nothing beats finding a brilliant patch from scratch
(Image: Author’s own)
Of course, one great way of acquiring knowledge is to ‘find a friend’. A good teacher can impart a huge amount of knowledge given a matter of an hour or two: not just in terms of demonstrating how to identify the good from the bad, but you’ll also pick up critical information such as the right habitat and weather conditions.
Such inside information needs to be treated with the utmost respect, however. Your friend has probably just shown you one of their most prized possessions. Sneaking back to the same patch is like thanking them by sleeping with their partner.
Find out about Welsh foraging workshops with Daniel here
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