Black trumpet mushrooms in Gråstenskovene

Nature guide Rasmus Ladekjær Nielsen is happy to share his enthusiasm for the Black trumpet mushroom, which can be found in the forests Gråstenskovene, among other places.

I love mushrooms! Going for a quiet walk in the forest on an early autumn morning and soaking up the smells and sounds is fantastic, and you can really recharge your mental batteries. When walking, with a basket on your arm and a small knife in your hand, you can collect a fantastic ingredient for dinner, it all adds up to a higher unity.

There are many fantastic edible mushrooms, but as most people know, there are also deadly poisonous mushrooms. Therefore, it is vitally important that you know which mushrooms you are picking. You can either go on a mushroom tour or use one of the many good mushroom books available.

The area in forest Gråstenskovene around the large shelter site, Syvstjernen, is a lovely hilly beech forest that is intersected by small streams that run crosswise. And from September to November, it overflows with a really good edible mushroom - the black trumpet mushroom. It is a really good mushroom for the beginner, as there are not many possibilities for confusion. However, one must be careful not to confuse it with other rotten mushrooms.

The black trumpet mushroom does not look like an ordinary agaric as you know from e.g. common mushroom or the fly agaric. On the other hand, it got its name because it looks like a large funnel, reminiscent of a trumpet. The whole mushroom is thin, slightly tough, hollow and 3-10 cm high. The scent is quite a pleasant slightly fruity scent. Depending on how humid it is, the color varies from mouse gray to dark gray to almost black.

Going for a walk in the forest in search of black trumpet mushrooms is a pleasure, but surely so is eating them. The black trumpet mushroom is very versatile in the kitchen as it is so thin in the flesh. This makes it particularly suitable for drying and storing for later use. It is also very suitable for a pizza together with mozzarella and tarragon or as a crispy sprinkle over an omelette.

If you fancy a little bigger challenge in the kitchen, you can take a closer look at the VILD MAD a danish project, which works with using wild ingredients in the kitchen. There is both a website and an App, and here you can get help with wild ingredients and suggestions for exciting recipes. One of my favorites is the Confited black trumpet mushroom!

Have areally good hunting and fun in the kitchen!
 

Rasmus Ladekjær Nielsen
Nature guide in Sønderborg Municipality