Strophar (Stropharia rugoso-annulata)
Habitat:
On any decomposing plant material such as leaf mould or straw, sadly in the wild state it is now very rare in Great Britain,
so should be left for prosperity
Season:
Summer until Autumn.
Cooking and Preperation:
Clean the cap with a damp cloth and wash the gills gently under a running tap. The large size this fungi can reach make it ideal for a stuffed mushroom dish. Turn upside down and remove the stem, then fill the cap with any filling you like, smother with butter, then bake in the oven until cooked, devour while still piping hot. Delicious!
Notes:
Simple to grow, commercially cultivated on straw bales. Easily obtainable at supermarkets.
The cap is red-brown in colour with a hint of pink or mauve, it is first hemispherical, then campanulate, and later appressed with the margin inrolled. The gills are greyish-violet in colour and either adnexed or adnate. The flesh is white and odourless it can sometimes have a earthy taste, nevertheless a good edibile mushroom!
Possible confusion:
S. hornemannii
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DENNIS IVAN GOODCHILD
