23 September 2011

Shaggy mane

Lovely blooms of shaggy mane (Coprinus comatus) mushrooms awaited as I came home Wednesday night. Right combo of rain (plenty) and humidity. Look for them in sandy-soils, grassy, and lit but not sunny. Also called inky caps they turn inky black starting from the bottom skirt and all but disappear in a wink of inky-ness. Kind of like squid ink; somewhat ephemeral. The pure white caps are great cleaned, chopped and sauteed in olive oil or butter. These are not mushrooms with a remarkable flavor. It is very subtle. I made a single egg omlett and put the 1/4 cup of mushrooms in before folding. Salt and pepper make a difference. Delicate woodland flavor. I would guess a milk or cream of mushroom soup base would let out some more flavor.