The rain poured down all night and some time around 4am, Big Man woke up and mumbled “If it´s sunny tomorrow and we set off early, we´ll go and look for mushrooms”. Of course, he rolled over again, snoring was resumed and sleep once more descended.
The next day did dawn bright and sunny, we just slept through the dawn and a few hours of the beautiful morning too, if the truth be told. However, the weather was perfect for a long walk and if we found a few mushrooms too…well, that would be a bonus. Please join us on our mushroom (or Setas as they are called here) scavenge.
You´ll need:
- Two slightly overweight and unfit adults, brimming with enthusiasm and suitably attired and shod for walking
- Two energetic pups
- One pick up truck
- 2 ham and cheese rolls for breakfast, water for adults and pups, doggy treats, camera
- Net bag for collecting mushroom haul (so that the spores can fall out and spread more mushroomy goodness)
- Penknife for cutting them (never pull up by the root)
Directions
Drive truck 4km up steep and slightly scary mountain track behind house, allow dogs to run enthusiastically behind.
Park up and start to climb.
Pass huge, rampaging wild animals and ignore The Goatherd With No Shame when he tells you there is nothing to be found and he hasn´t been up that way for weeks. We saw the fresh tracks of his horses…you can´t fool us!
Admire old well.
Continue past The Lightning Tree.
Stop for a moment to catch your breath and look back at the view of the lake and then the sea in the distance.
Cross (not so) raging torrent.
Avoid anthills.
Finally…your first mushroom!
Keep going for three hours with a little break for breakfast and a chat with the Honest Goatherd who sends you off to look behind the Old Fig Tree where you are rewarded with a bumper find of mushrooms.
500g grams of delicious mushrooms which you will take home to make something delicious with. But more of that another time. Time for a cold beer and to ease your muddy boots off. A good morning´s mushroom hunting all round.
Awww lovely post! Glad your trek was rewarded! I love mushrooms.
Thank you – I did think for a long time that we wouldn´t find any!
How fantastic – I’m very jealous. I had the most amazing mixed plate of mushrooms in the Boqueria last week – to die for 😉
Delicious, lucky you – I adore mushrooms but we don´t seem to get too many varieties growing round here. They were very tasty though!
Oh what a fantastic morning out with magnificent pictures to boot! Thanks for taking us along for the lovely walk Tanya. Can’t wait to see what you do with them there shrooms.
🙂 Mandy
T was a wonderful walk and amazing weather for this time of year. Need to get cooking now!
YAY MUSHROOMS!
I love hunting, but (almost) never find…still a perfect excuse for a walk. Enjoy your treasure!
It took us a while to get going but once we found the first few, they kept coming!
What a wonderful treasure to come home with. Even though we won’t get to taste the mushrooms, the photos of your adventure are enough to make me very happy.
It was one of those perfect mornings you´ll always remember. A lovely, lovely walk!
What a very energetic morning you had, that old well looked fascinating, and all those goats, i wish i could take my animals for walks like that .. and i am so glad you finally found some mushrooms, I did have to chuckle when Big Man announced into the dark night that tomorrow we go mushroom hunting then went back to sleep, I do that, John just grunts and goes back to sleep too. Great walking story with pictures.. c
It did us good to brun a few calories! The old wells are pretty common round here and still mostly fully functional. We often have those weird “middle of the night” conversations – I´m glad we´re not the only ones!
Reblogged this on Inspiredweightloss.
Wow, that looks totally worth it. What a beautiful setting and I bet you even tired the dogs out.
We´re lucky to live somewhere like this – of course there are plenty of things I do miss, but days like this make me forget that. The dogs got home, drank a huge bowl of water and collapsed onto their little cushions for most of the day!
That is a serious collection of mushrooms – worth the effort.
They were very tasty – hopefully we´ll get to go again soon!
That’s wonderful, Tanya! It would have been a perfect day, just the two of you with the dogs going for a long stroll. The fact that you came home with such a nice cache of mushrooms is icing on the cake! Good for you!
It was all so lovely – the walk, the views, the sunshine, the mushrooms…and with my beloved Big Man and the “hounds”!
The walk looks as though it was worth it for the views – and especially the beautiful old well – and then to find all those delicious mushrooms as well….what a treat! Lovely photos.
Thank you! You´re right, even if we hadn´t found mushrooms, it would still have been worth it. Next time I think we´re looking for wild asparagus!
How fun!! I would have gone along with you even tho I’m allergic to mushrooms!!
Oh you poor thing! We could have put you in charge of taking photos instead 🙂
wow, I would not know what is safe to eat 🙂
I´m learning, but luckily Big Man knows his stuff!
I would love to go on this adventure!
Ah – would be fun for you to join us. You´ll have to get on a train and head off to the English countryside instead now!
As a mushroom lover this is something I aspire to do some day.
It was new to me but I would be nervous about picking mushrooms alone – I don´t know enough yet!
How fun is this! That is some dedication right there, but so worth it. I’m sure the mushrooms tasted delicious. x
It was a long morning´s work/walk – but so very worth it! The mushrooms were fantastic 🙂
😀 Such a wonderful post, as always!
You know, in winter, one night, there was so much rain, the next day we all woke up and saw very white little clouds on our grass…. i.e. mushrooms.
I didn’t know if they were edible or not, but now I’m wishing I had just listened to my nana and cooked them… I’ve got a photo of them, maybe I should send it to you and show you them for inspection of edibleness… Then next winter I can pick ’em again and cook them! 😀
Thank so much Fati! And do e-mail me a photo – if we don´t know them we could always look them up for you. How exciting…little white clouds of mushrooms on your grass. I´m so curious now 🙂
Wonderful pictures… and I can almost smell the mushroomy goodness… Mmmmmm! Thanks for sharing your day!
You´re welcome – it was so lovely, I wanted to share!
What a lovely adventure (sans ant hills!). We get lots of mushrooms here in SC (it’s a moist place) too. I should do my homework to figure out which ones are safe for eating and go for a stroll, too. Although, I don’t think we’re very likely to encounter any picturesque old wells. 🙂
We managed to avoid disturbing the ants thank goodness! Lucky you to have mushrooms too – you´ll have to work out which are safe to eat 🙂
Hi T, I really enjoyed that trek up the mountain with you. Quite surprised that I am not out of breath! lol! Fab photos. I bet Luna and Alfie enjoyed their morning out.
Regards Florence x
I think we were all quite tired after that – but it was worth it, it was such a beautiful morning!
I don’t eat musroom… Actually pyshologically ı can’t eat. But how fascinated me this trek… as if I was there too and I felt the excitement for finding them… The view is amazing too, Thank you dear Chica, with my love, nia (I loved your name too, Chica, what means do you know? )
Nia hello again, shame about the mushrooms but the walk was wonderful…I think you could have enjoyed that! The word Chica means “a young girl/woamn” (a bit cheeky of me as I´m not so young!) or it also means “little”…my real name is Tanya!
Sigh….it’s grey and cold here and the only mushrooms we have are from the supermarket. Not the same at all. So thank you for sharing your lovely walk and it’s splendid rewards. I can almost taste the foresty deliciousness of those mushrooms.
I´ve never really eaten proper wild mushrooms before unless I went to Carluccio´s in Covent Garden when it was the first store – and then I had to take out a small mortgage for a handful! Stay warm…
Oh I love Carluccio’s. I’m all wrapped up… 😉
I always see loads of wild mushrooms in the forest where I walk the dog but never know which ones are okay and which are poisonous. I need to chat up a local and find out because they look fantastic!!
Ooh you lucky thing…I need to find out where your forest is!
Mmmmmm, I’ve always wanted to go on a mushroom hunt! I’ve heard of towns having mushroom festivals (I think it might be more typical in the North, as well as in Sevilla). Mushrooms are one of my favorite foods, I eat them with almost anything! My next cooking feat this holiday season is making croquetas de setas. 😉
I love them too and mushrooms like this actually taste of mushroom! Can you imagine a mushroom fiesta – I´d adore that. Good luck with the croquetas, let me know how they go. Mine sometimes are fabulous and other times they just won´t set 😦