Edible Leeds - Wild Food Foraging Courses and 4 Wild Seasons Pop Up Dining Events

Nature is really getting into the swing of things.There has been a plethora of wonderful plants bursting into life over the past 8 weeks. When it comes to choosing what to put in my basket and bags for eating I feel blessed and spoilt for choice - fresh young, vibrant greens, colourful, scented blossoms and at last the long awaited St Georges mushrooms!! Hope you are all enjoying the seasonal variety, lovely food and a happy harvest.

St George's Mushrooms (Calocybe gambosa) are one of the first edible, wild mushrooms to appear in the  uk 'wild mushroom calendar'. Their preference for fruiting or 'basiodoming' is in the spring and, weather pending, can appear any time between mid-march and late May. Many guide books will make reference to the 23rd of April aka St George's Day but, in my 9 years of experiencing them, I'm noticing wide ranging fluctuations with regards to dates of appearance. Last year I picked the first of the season in late March then due to the weather, they refused to fruit until the middle of May!   

Fungi can be found all year round but the most abundant season has to be Autumn. However, climatic changes taken into account mid-summer is also proving to be fantastic for fungal finds. Not all fungi found at this time of year are edible but there is a very good selection out there, its knowing where to look and which ones to eat.