I have been interested in wild forging and mushroom picking for many years now, so much so I have, as many of my friends will agree, become rather obsessed. This is particular evident in our wild fungi and what’s on blog.
My wife and I are based at Crubenbeg Highland Holiday Cottages, previously owned by the lovely Jenny and Miggi, located close to the Falls of Truim a few miles south of Newtonmore in the Cairngorm National Park. From this base, we board and entertain a league of “micophiles” (mushroom enthusiasts) of both foreign and indigenous in nature during late summer and autumn months.
These “microphiles” venture into the highland Caledonian forests, clamber over babbling burns and scrabble through forest floors in the search of the ultimate price; Edible Wild Mushrooms! From the to the gold “Chanterelle” to the Boletus Edius, or otherwise know as the “Porcini” or “Cep”, and my favorite the “hedgehog fungus” with it’s prickly white pointed gills, to name but a few of the edible fungi found in the Strathspey and Badenoch area . They head for secluded spots deep in the ancient forests where they had found tasty fungi before or search using locations marked on a secret fungi map!!!
Chanterelle Cep / Porcini /Penny Bun
However, the recent increase of TV chefs has increased the interest in fungi from amateurs and commercial pickers which there are a few of based in the Cairngorm National Park. This interest in wild mushrooms, inspired by chefs such as Hugh Fernley Whittingstall and the cheeky Jamie Oliver, has led to a dramatic increase in the number of foragers both amateur and commercial. These new foragers, with perhaps with a lack of understanding of the fungus important relationship with the forests and wider ecosystems may cause a detrimetaial impact of the forest ecosystem as a whole. So much so that some forest authorities, such as Epping Forest in England have become so alarmed that a licensing/educational schemes have been introduced, educating and controlling the occasional foragers and commercial collectors.
Some fungi enthusiasts are frustrated that if their one day turns out to be dry they may not find any at all. Others believe their right to harvest the fruits of the forest is being eroded.
I don’t think they should control the amount of mushrooms one person should forage, but I do think we “The Cairngorm National Park” should control the commercial pickers. At the moment there is no current license system for mushroom picking. I have seen with my own eyes the amount of mushrooms a group of commercial pickers can strip from the forest in one day.
Fungi for thought! Should we consider some controls of fungi foraging in the Cairngorms National Park? Please do the survey located in the side bar……
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