Grisette

Wood Blewits are the twin fungi of Blewits (Lepista saeva). They grow in woods, orchards, parks and along tree-lined lanes. In contrast to Blewits, the whole fruit-body is a beautiful amethyst purple when young. This colouring disappears with age and changes into cloudy purple or beige-brown, which is a feature of both the caps and gills.

Clitocybe wbularis is edible but of a poor quality, though some mushroom-pickers collect it and add it to a mixture of other mushrooms or pickle it in vinegar. It is advisable to scald the sliced mushrooms be[bre proceeding further, otherwise they can cause indigestion.

The reddish-brown Amanita umbrinolutea can also he frequently seen. It has a dirty-whitish volva, and its stipe has also transverse irregular stripes. All the above-mentioned Amanita species are edible; some mushroom-pickers even consider them tasty. Their disadvantage lies in their fragility and therelbre they do not transport very well. Finally it is worth noting once again that, when such Amanita species are being gathered, constant vigilance must be exercised to avoid confusing them with the Death Cap (Amanita phatloides), which has a similarly tall volva at the stipe’s base; however, the Grisette is always without the characteristic ring.

Edible mushrooms can be found not only in forests, but also in meadows, pastures and on grassy slopes. Blewits are among the most substantial and tasty. They even attract the inexperienced eye because they often grow in circles in patches of dark green grass, which ate a strikingly deeper green than the rest of the sward. A similar phenomenon may be observed in the Fairy-ring champignon (Marasmius oreades) and is due to the production of nitrogen, which enriches the soil and provides additional nourishment for green plants. This is one example of the symbiosis of certain fungus mycelia and adjacent green plants.

The flesh of the Blewits has a pleasant mushroom taste and scent, the stipe is short and looks as if it had been stained with ink. Blewits are excellent edible mushrooms, and can be prepared in a number of ways. Their utility is further increased by the fact that they can still embellish our diet when other edible mushrooms are on the decline.

In calm weather conditions it is possible to smell the scent of Clitocybe adorn at a distance of several metres away, especially when several specimens arc growing together in one spot. This species is edible and best utilized when added to mixtures of other, less aromatic mushrooms. It grows predominantly in spruce forests amongst rotting needles. It loses its typical scent when it is dried out.