Hunting for Wild Mushrooms

Wild mushrooms, otherwise known in French as champignon sauvages have been collected for well over 10,000 years in Europe.  One of many splendid things about France is the abundance of mushrooms in the wild. Autumn is the best season to pick mushrooms but you can find various types of mushrooms any time between April and December. And so earlier this month, we went foraging with our guncles (gay uncles), in the forest around Vesoul in Franche-Comté. Jacques and Didier are definitive mushroom experts and can tell you exactly what kind of mushroom without the aid of a book. We were all together visiting family for Toussaint (All Saints Day) and had a wonderful adventure foraging through the forest and bushes for the elusive wild mushroom.

France is beautiful in the fall, with the leaves changing colour and dropping to the forest floor, helping to continue the cycle of growth in the forest. And you will find hunters searching through bushes and by fallen trees making mushroom hunting more of an obsession than a hobby with some locals hoarding their secret best spots. Mushrooms are fungi, which are so distinct in nature they are categorized as their own kingdom – one that is neither plant nor animal.  Mushrooms are nutritious, high in vitamin D and healthy to eat. They are also fat-free, low-calorie, nutrient-dense, low in sodium and contain natural antioxidants. Read more ....