It's time to open another jar of my Pickled Mushrooms (right front). Along with my pickled wild garlic buds, (left, front) these keep me right through until the next harvest. I keep them in the garage, where it is dark and cool.
These mushrooms are a mix of foraged boletes: scarletina and cep mainly.
I use these in cooking mainly, (a few bits on a pizza is very good) but the mushroom pickle is tasty as a side dish too, or in a salad. Flavour is good, but texture is a bit slippery, maybe even slimy: I can see why this might put some people off: but then that goes for most pickles, too. It’s an acquired taste, I guess.
My recipes are simple: I use 50/50 white wine and cider vinegar, plus plenty of garden herbs like thyme and some mustard seeds and pepper. Its OK to add a bit of sugar and salt, but not too much. I heat the mix first and the mushrooms get simmered for a few minutes - mainly to sterilise them and the jars.
I still have plenty of foraged jam, too, and its delicious on home made bread.
I think this year the blackberries were especially outstanding, but the mixed fruit jam with wild damsons, garden strawberries and wild Scottish raspberries also set really well.
I’ll talk about breadmaking - and jam-making - another day.