Autumn = Lactarius deliciosus.

Mushroom Hunters - Nairne SA 1981. L to R Catherine, Karina and Jane Nield. 

Growing up on a few acres in the outer Adelaide Hills, surrounded by farmland - I have exceptionally fond memories of mushroom hunting in Autumn and Winter.  

When mushroom season started it was common for Mum to rug us kids up in parkas and rubber boots, hand us a backpack of snacks, a small paring knife each and a 4 litre ice cream   container (or a bucket if we were feeling lucky) and point us in the direction of the neighbouring paddocks. 

Hours later we would return home, ruddy cheeked and hungry and usually laden with kilos of freshly picked field mushrooms. Year after year we would return to our favourites 'spots' where (if the conditions were right) we'd be almost guaranteed to find a crop of mushrooms. 

With such beautiful memories of peaceful afternoons spent traversing paddocks in search of mushrooms -  it's no wonder an afternoon spent in the same way these days seems like relative bliss.  There were no pine forests in the area closest to where I grew up - so it was only later in life that I was introduced to the delicacy that is the Saffron Milk Cap or red Pine Mushroom (Lactarius Deliciousus).  It thrives in the damp pine forests that cover many an acre in Western Victoria around the Ballarat region. For the past couple of years since being introduced to this type of mushroom by my field biologist younger sister Cat - I have been foraging them from the forests. 

There has been a lot of press lately about the dangers of harvesting mushrooms from the wild. I would never advocate foraging for wild mushrooms without a sound knowledge of what species are edible and what types can cause serious illness or even death. My sister (in addition to being a field biologist) also partook in one of Alison Pouliot's highly recommended Fungi Ecology Workshops so I'm confident that I've got the necessary fungi identification skills required to forage without tempting fate. I guess the number one rule is 'if in doubt - leave it out' of the basket. It's just not worth the risk.  

The saffron milk cap is truly a seasonal delight, but I honestly believe they taste their best when you have gone to the effort of finding them yourself. There's nothing quite like the appetite that a few hours of forging in the forest invokes. 

The black cockatoos were in fine form while I was foraging. . .listen HERE

For my first mushroom hunt for season 2012 - I headed to the pine plantation forests around Creswick ( a gorgeous 15 minute drive or so from Ballarat). Creswick is well worth a visit regardless of it being mushroom season or not. Soak up the mostly modest Gold Rush architecture and drop into one of the local cafes or pubs for lunch, but make sure you head out for a walk in the surrounding forests. This early in the season there wasn't an abundance of pine mushrooms to be found. . .they were mostly growing on the cleared sections hugging the forest roads where the lack of trees has allowed for a better penetration of rain. I didn't find any patches of mushrooms in the depths of the forest (where it was still relatively dry) but from past experience I know that later in the season the entire forest will be flourishing with fungi.  

My recommendation when decided on which mushrooms will end up in the basket destined for the kitchen - is to err on the side of sensibility. It is so easy to get caught up in the excitement of the moment and pick EVERY milk cap you stumble upon - believe me I've done it before. But unlike supermarket mushrooms - the saffron milk cap is a very sensitive species and will turn quite quickly from crispy fresh to manky looking. In my experience the smaller mushrooms are the most delicious - the older the bloom gets, the more the distinctive 'green gill' effect takes over. So pick those mushrooms which are fresh enough that they will still be appealing when they hit the chopping board in a few hours or a day or so - leave the larger green tinged specimens to continue the cycle in the forest where they will give up their spores and give rise to the next generation.  

My tips for preparing saffron milk caps? Add them to any dish in which mushrooms would normally star. Saute in butter with seasonal herbs and a splash of wine and serve on toast or add to a risotto or pasta dish and you can't go wrong. Experiment. Enjoy. 

Here's last year's recipe for Braised Saffron Milk Caps.