Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Horse Mushroom along with all the Horse Mushroom containing recipes presented on this site, with 7 recipes in total.

This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.

These recipes, all contain Horse Mushroom as a major wild food ingredient.

The Horse Mushroom, Agaricus arvensis, is a basidiomycete fungus (filamentous fungi composed of hyphae that reproduce sexually) and is a member of the Agaricaceae (Agaricus) family of fungi and is one of the largest (in terms of size) members of that family. It prefers grassy areas and often grows in very large fairy rings. It is often found near stables (hence the common name). It grows world-wide but is most common in Northern Europe and North America. It is most common in Autumn (during September and October) but can fe found from June through to November.

It is saprophytic (survives by decomposing dead or decaying matter), grows alone (ie it is not dependent on tree species), gregariously, and often in large fairy rings. Young specimens are domed buttons with grey-white gills that are enclosed in a white veil at the button stage. These gills darken and become a chocolate brown as they age. The cap itself matures flat and large as the mushroom ages (they can reach 20cm or more in diameter). The mushrooms start out white and tend to yellow on age (they can also yellow on handling). The veil tends to be large and persistent (this is a notable feature of the species) and the cap margins may develop scales in older mushrooms.

The spore print is very dark brown and the mushroom tends to have a slightly aniseedy smell. The base of the stipe (stem) is noticeably swollen and hollows with age and though the stem can bruise yellow on handling it does not bruise bright yellow and there is no yellowing of the stem when cut (and this distinguishes this mushroom from the toxic yellow-staining fungus). The ring is two layered, with a large skirt-like ring and a small star-shaped ring. The flesh is firm and tends to smell slightly of aniseed or bitter almonds and tastes slightly nutty. When picking be aware that this is a favourite species of many fly larvae and older specimens many be maggot-ridden. It is excellent eating and well worth picking.

If picking in meadows and away from trees it is most often confused with the Field Mushroom, which is safe and good to eat. Care, however, should be taken not to confuse it with the poisonous Yellow Staining Mushroom Agaricus xanthodermus which grows in the same habitat but is distinguished by an unpleasant ink-like smell, its flattened top at the button stage, its white or grey gills (when young) and the cut stem that rapidly yellows. The same is true if you bruise the fungus margin with your thumb. Whilst not fatal it can cause severer gastric upset and diarrhoea in some for several days. The Yellow-staining mushroom is occasional being much commoner in some years than others. Like all Agaricus species horse mushrooms lend themselves well to preserving by drying.

For other edible mushrooms, see the guide to edible mushrooms

References:

[1]. David Evans Notes from field observations, tastings and cookery experiments.
[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants