4 Ways to Truly Enjoy the Fall Mushroom Season in Provence
Tips on Delicious Discoveries in Provence.
Strolling around in French forests of Provence in October can lead to some delicious discoveries! You can even find popular species of mushrooms (like boletus or girolles) that are sought after by the best chefs in the world. Our very own Danaé (Bliss Travels associate, researcher, trip co-leader and all around star) is a mushroom hunter extraordinaire and she shares her knowledge with us here.
1. Have the right tools!
To properly pick mushrooms you need a mushroom knife (blade on one side and brush on the other). You must cut at the base of the stem, “but you must never tear your mushroom out of the soil because this will prevent other mushrooms from growing back…Always make a clean cut so that the roots stay in the soil,” says Danae.
A basket: “A plastic bag will not do because your different mushrooms will mash up against each other. Mushrooms are very fragile and delicate!”
Proper footwear: “You must wear a good pair of boots because it’s often humid in the woods and the mushrooms like to hide underneath carpets of thorns.” No sandals!
The proper knife for “hunting” mushrooms
2. The “daily haul”: “milk-caps” that you can use all year long. Milk-caps are the most common and numerous mushrooms around Provence. “They are also a little less refined, and when cooked and eaten fresh they are rustic and chewy. Therefore, they are excellent once they are pickled!”, says Danaé.
Tip: You should choose the smallest ones, cook them in a pan with a few “herbes de Provence” and vinegar, and put them in a sterilized jar with some olive oil.
3. Cepes! Finding a (or several) boletus is a real treat. This particular species, “cèpe or bolet” in French, is “absolutely delicious and so flavorful. It has a woody and nut-like flavor, and a soft texture”, says Danaé. “These beauties are found under oak trees, and grow in dry soil”. The best way to cook them is with butter, shallots and a touch of white wine. Once you have this base, you can make a wonderful risotto or a creamy sauce for your steak or pasta. Or even an omelet! Tip: To keep and preserve them, you can dry them and they will maintain their exquisite flavor.
4. Hit the jackpot: Finding girolles or chanterelles. “These are the Rolls Royce of Provencal mushrooms”, states Danaé. The price for a kilo ranges from 20 to 30 euros on the French market. “Their taste is floral and delicate”, she informs us. “You can find them in humid spots, amongst the dead leaves and below arbutus trees. Their bursting yellow color is unique, and you will often confuse them with the autumn leaves”. These tender little mushrooms are delicious in a sauce accompanying meat, like duck or turkey. Another fabulous idea is to add them to a cheese fondue. And of course these little gems fill the best omelets.
Tip: To preserve girolles you could cook and freeze them, but drying them like the cèpes is the best way.
If this gets your mouth watering you can always join Danae and Bliss Travels on one of our Provence trips during mushrooms season (or in the spring for the incredible Morilles —not discussed here, but soon the subject of our culinary musings!) In the meantime, if you need recipes or suggestions, just contact us! danae@blisstravels.com or wendy@blisstravels.com