It all started with an innocent Sunday morning Mushroom tweet.
It's mushroom picking season in #Trento which means the risotto is gonna be off the hook. pic.twitter.com/gF44fuqX1c
— Jim Groom (@jimgroom) August 21, 2016
Antonella’s mom wanted to go Mushroom picking for her birthday, so the whole family packed up and went to nearby Lago di Santo Columbo for the outing. As we were picking Mushrooms I was dreaming of risotto. The mushrooms here are a real delicacy because fresh mushrooms need to be cooked immediately, and you can find finferli and porcini mushrooms in this area, both prized for how delicious they are. We found finferli, but no luck with porcini on this outing. I know nothing about mushrooms, though I am learning, but I am fascinated by how many they are and how insanely dangerous some of them are—particularly the overly phallic ones as it turns out. I was also wondering if some folks might be able to point me to some of the more introspective mushrooms, and the ever great Noise Professor seemed to read my mind with this tweet.
Trento is kinda….juicy. https://t.co/HtMs1GuRDz
— Zack Dowell mastodon.social/@noiseprofessor (@noiseprofessor) August 21, 2016
We joked about the possibilities, and then Jim Groom art!
I never tire of it. I cherish these quick, fun exchanges with Noise Professor, he has made an art of making the web a fun place for at least a moment. A truly great art form in my mind. Anyway, later in the afternoon we went to a local rifugio for a birthday lunch, and it was excellent. The craziest thing about Trento is all the best restaurants are hidden at the top of the surrounding mountains. You have to either risk a perilous drive, or worse, hike for your delicious meal. We could drive to this one, and the view of Trento was pretty amazing, as I am wont to note and gloat on Twitter.
A good look at the valley that is #Trento. pic.twitter.com/Z4HikHefye
— Jim Groom (@jimgroom) August 21, 2016
And Noise Professor must had some spare time cause he went to it again, riffing on something CogDog tweeted about my playing Julie Andrews on TV.
It’s so beautiful! But little did we know that it was not yet done. Cog Dog, a master riffing Giffer and photoshopper in his own right, put the finishing touches on this one. The “final product” that marries Professor’s Jim Groom Art with the photo of Trento.
Let's get the right hills in the scene pic.twitter.com/SMiD6JZP6Y
— Alan has x-ed to @cogdog (@cogdog) August 21, 2016
This is the web I enjoy the very most. Thanks Zach and Alan for making my day, it’s really nice and who knew that rapid photoshopping would be the key to online relationships 🙂
Jesus, I so love the people I call friends on the internet. https://t.co/zWeliNlSFS
— Jim Groom (@jimgroom) August 21, 2016
Finferli translates as chanterelle https://www.google.co.nz/#newwindow=1&q=finferli&nirf=finferlo and they are amazing although not sure if i’d risotto them. Used to big up on them in Scotland and could have sold to restaurants for a tidy sum. The ones in the pic you have aren’t chanterelles as best I can tell. With greening gills they immediately look like Lactarius deliciosus (delicious milkcap aka saffron milkcap) http://www.first-nature.com/fungi/lactarius-deliciosus.php
The pics don’t quite match ‘typical’ L. deliciosus but fungi show a lot of variation at times. When you broke them did they exude ‘milk’?
You are one lucky bastard getting to forage for fungi in Italy.
Nigel,
That is exactly what they are Lactarius delciosus, the Trentini call then Funghi dell Sangue, and we found a ton of them as you can see. There is one finferli in the upper left-hand corner that is smaller and yellowish, Antonella’s mom found a bunch of those. They seemed to come in clusters. The other mushrooms we found are various types of Russola and Antonella found a bunch of Mazza di Tamburo (the Latin name is Lepiota Procera) which are fried here. We also found vescie (Latin name Lycoperdon perlatum). It was a modest haul, but we have ventured deep into the forest yet. Also, to be clear, I had to consult Antonella before writing this comment because I am a complete newbie, but it was quite fun adventuring out into the forest looking for mushrooms, and we have another month at least because the season is just getting started.
I’m speculating the success equation for #reclaimitaly is (thus far):
no highered walls + force marching + video games (old and new) – 8 coca cola products = FITNESS, FREEDOM, FANTASTIC FUN
I am neither jealous of your programme nor wanting myself… I am making travel plans. 🙂
Why GNA, you just summed up my secret to success in one neat equation, you truly are a poet. The welcome mat is out for you!