Blewits and other lovely fungi


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Now that summer is broken, its time to look forward to the joys of autumn. One of the best is blewits. I dont know why, but blewits are very difficult to get up here in the wild north. They should be growing everywhere but they arent.

I cal recall buying blewits in Victoria market but have not seen them there in years.

I fondly recall my father taking me to woods near Ollerton when I was much younger and finding lots of lovely blewits.

Does anyone know where blewits can be found (OK I understand that it may be a secret) or bought? I'd love to taste them again.

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I've seen them for sale in Vic Market. The colour of them doesn't look very appetising though, to me they look like large poisonous toadstools.

blewits need lots of leaf mould so look under oaks is what I was taught although I have found them under silver birches, aint had a bugger this year yet though. Some guy on youtube Claims to be able t

Try cooking Blewits with pernod and cream and a sprinkling of fennel seeds. A lovely dish. Here we have porcini mushrooms.

Like a few others I know places where they can be found. :biggrin: A few years ago a pal told me there were thousands growing in a field of stubble Woodborough way...I told him not to talk so daft...'blueys don't like ploughed land' boy was I wrong the ruddy field was full of 'em...we filled carrier bags full.The next year not a one.

There used to be some the size of dinner plates every year in ancient meadows near Hoveringham...the last time I went Tarmac had flooded the flippin' lot. ;)

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I'm over in Notts next week, and high on my agenda is to visit a couple of spots I have tucked away in my memory, one is very close to my old home, near Carlton Gedling, so will see if there are any about.

When I found this one spot I could not believe it as it was so close to suburbia and how productive it was. My other spot is a little further afield but not too far out of town :-))

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What do you call a gay mushroom............. A fungi to be with.

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blewits need lots of leaf mould so look under oaks is what I was taught although I have found them under silver birches, aint had a bugger this year yet though. Some guy on youtube Claims to be able to cultivate them although I was always told it was not possible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L85IWNO33J0

I think like eveything else though! half the craveing is because they are not easily available and its fun to get out and look for them.

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Does anyone know where blewits can be found (OK I understand that it may be a secret) or bought? I'd love to taste them again.

I forgot to say! The last time I saw any for sale was last year on the small saturday Southwell market, Only go there once in a blue moon so I don't know if it's a regular thing when in season.

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Must admit I've never heard of Blewits before, I hate mushrooms and flick 'em out of any dish they appear in. My m-i-law though used to speak of blue buttons, is this the same thing as blewits?

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Yes katyjay, blue buttons are the same thing. I adore mushrooms in any form even pickled! (Sounds revolting but pickled mushrooms are gorgeous!)

Blue buttons are best fried, and my favourite is with a little fried bread too.

Any other blewit recipe would be welcome. I can share my recipe for pickled mushrooms which if picked now would be ready for Christmas. I actually have two recipes for pickled mushrooms. One involves steeping the mushrooms in brine, mixing them with herbs and packing them in jars with some vinegar mixed with brine, and leaving in a dark place for a couple of months. The other recipe is to go to a Polish shop on Radford Road and buy them ready made.

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I was in Nottingham yesterday after a drive back from Gatwick. I had lots of time to have a good wander around Nottingham. I had a stroll round Victoria Market, and there, to my delight, was a stall selling blewits. I made careful note, and before my return home to Durham, I went back today and bought 5 quids worth of blewits. It was worth every penny. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed them and each mouthful was a delight.

To me it is a very Nottingham fungus. I have not seen blewits on sale in any other shop, deli, stall or anywhere else in the world.

I recall my father ( and not my mother, who normally did the cooking) frying blewits which he had bought from the pub, or we had gone into woods to find them for ourselves. I seem to recall that to eat blewits was that it was a "poor person's food" Not now. £5 got me just short of 250 grams of blewits, about 6 of them.

I simply fried the blewits with a very little butter.

So, what are the best blewit recipes?

Any brave soul wanting to say where the blewit woods are?

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Mercury

I could tell you but I'd have to kill you afterwards ! :-)) One of my old spots is so close to a very busy road and built up area yet I've had pounds of them from there, and nobody around seems to know they could possibly be there ! It's actually a venue for a regular sporting event, but nod nod I've said enough.

My favorite way to cook is a good portion of nice real dry cured streaky bacon done in the fry pan, then remove, add Bluey's and cook gently for a few minutes, then add salt and pepper and a little water to form a rich gravy, simmer for a few more minutes and serve with crusty bread to slurp up all those juices.

Me mouths watering thinking about it, here in oz bluey's are just a memory but I cook field mushrooms or shiitake as a substitute and eat as above.

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Two places where field Blewitts grew the size of dinner plates a few years back. Thoresby market in the small copses of trees where traders went for a pee cos they charged to use the loos... Nobody picked 'em in there.

Down Hoveringham way near the sailing club....ancient meadows where they grew enormous....but no longer now Tarmac have turned the meadows into lakes.

And my most amazing find years ago when for some strange reason for one season only a stubble field near Lambley was a mass of blueys....I filled carrier bags full....but they never came back.

You'll always find some of the wood variety come November time in the woods at Burnststump....but there's a lot of competition from other enthusiasts.

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Blewitts,sliced fried with diced onions in clarified butter,when onion is clear add some white wine and black pepper,a generous pinch of boullion, pour in the cream and cook until a gentle bubble,leave frying pan half off the ring- add a knob of butter..this will thicken it and enjoy!

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