Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Fairy Ring Champignon along with all the Fairy Ring Champignon containing recipes presented on this site, with 1 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 Fairy Ring Champignon as a major wild food ingredient.

The Fairy Ring Champignon, Marasmius oreades (also known as Scotch Bonnet and Fairy Ring Mushroom), is a species of saprophytic (survives by decomposing dead or decaying organic material) fungi and is a member of the Marasmiaceae (champignon) family of Basidiomycota (that typically reproduce sexually using wind-borne spores) fungi that have white spore prints. They prefer well-trimmed grassland and are often found in gardens. It is a commonly found in Europe and North America but grows worldwide. In warmer climes it can be found world-wide and typically fruits initially in May and June and then again in August, September and October. Though not large they can be collected in large numbers and provide flavour to soups and stews. They are also ideal for drying and re-constitute in water particularly well.

Fairy Ring Champignons can be somewhat variable in appearance and tend to grow in troops, arcs, or rings (these rings allow the grass to grow and become greener and often Fairy Ring Champignons can be found because of the grass rig). Note, however, that similar species also grow in rings and this is not a distinguishing feature (despite the common names). The cap is typically 1–5 cm across; bell-shaped with a somewhat inrolled margin at first, becoming broadly convex with an even or uplifted margin, but often retaining a slight central bump; dry; smooth; pale tan or buff, occasionally white, or reddish tan; usually changing colour markedly as it dries out; the margin sometimes faintly lined. The gils are white or pale tan, separated and can either be attached to the stem or distant from it. The spore print is white and the fungus typically has a 'nutty' scent with an overlay of sawdust or freshly-mown grass. The stipe (stem) is white or buff, some 2–8 cm long and 2–6mm thick. It is dry, tough and pliant and should be discarded before eating.



Early in the season Fair Ring Champignons can be readily picked. But from mid summer to late autumn care should be taken not to confuse with two poisonous species: Clitocybe dealbata (Ivory Clitocybe) and Clitocybe rivulosa both of which can grow in rings and may sometimes grow amongst Fairy Ring Champignons. Both these species can be distinguished by their caps which are convex or flat (never bell-shaped) and have stiff and non-pliable stems. The spore-print of both species is white, like the Fairy Ring Champignon and the colour tends to vary from white through flesh tone to ochre. Clitocybe dealbata has a distinctive mealy scent whilst Clitocybe rivulosa either has a slight sweet not to its smell or has no smell at all. If the mushroom has no umbo (nipple-like protrusion at the centre) then discard as being suspect.

Its firm texture makes the Fairy Ring Champignon excellent for pickling and preserving by drying it also makes an excellent mushroom powder if dried and ground. It has an unusually high concentration of the mushroom sugar trehalose which means that dried Fairy Ring Champignons re-constitute perfectly in water. This mushroom is excellent in soups and stews and also makes a rather good omelette. Due to it's high sugar content, it's also frequently used in baking, particularly in the preparation of biscuits (cookies) and rusks.

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