Wild Mushrooms, Toadstools and Fungi

Mushrooms and Fungi are so interesting, all the different colours, shapes and sizes, one never knows either whether they are safe to eat or madly poisonous.

I really don’t know the difference between mushrooms, toadstools or fungus so I would be a dangerous person to go out and try to gather mushrooms in the wild. I am fascinated by their different colours, growth patterns and the places where they are found.

As a child growing up in Kwazulu Natal we used to get huge field mushrooms, as big as a dinner plate, just after the rains, we called them by their Zulu name i’Khowe, they were delicious in taste and very meaty in texture. You had to pick them very quickly as a day or two later they would be crawling with maggots.

On a recent trip to Kruger National Park and the nearby Blyde River canyon, I noticed some very interesting varieties of either mushrooms, toadstools or fungi that piqued my interest, so much so that I want to find out more about these wonderful works of nature, at present I am unable to identify or name any of these pictures.

I know that there are people who go mushroom gathering (foraging) in the Tokai forest in Cape Town, on a regular basis, coming straight home and making themselves a tasty brunch with their newfound treasures. Perhaps I will be able to convince one or two of them to take me with them on their next trip and I promise not to reveal their secret stash location.

Mushrooms are very low in fat, have no cholesterol and really good to add to your diet.

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