Foraging for Blewits - Clitocybe nuda in Napa, plus bonus content

Even though the rain has been a bit spotty this year, there has still be significant fungal activity under the Live Oaks here in Napa. I have been finding decent flushes of #Blewits or #Clitocybenuda, a common saprobic mushroom that loves thick oak duff and vegetation. They have brownish lilac caps and bright purple gills that fade with age. They have white spores and no visible veil, making them easy to differentiate from other purple mushrooms like Cortinarius species. Blewits have a distinctive “frozen orange juice concentrate” type smell that carries over when cooked. They aren’t my favorite edible, but the flavor has been growing on me. I do find the flavor changes depending on the habitat they are picked from, avoid picking in muddy areas (thick oak duff is best in my book). . These mushrooms can look similar to Cortinarius species, but here I show a clear comparison of the two. Pay attention to the color and spacing of the gills, bulbous stipe vs uniform stipe, and cortina/webbing - all of these features can be used to differentiate Blewits from Cortinarius. . Blewits are cultivated in Europe as popular edibles. I have tried growing them myself, but wasn’t successful at establishing a bed. Inspired by @mycosymbiote I decided to give it another shot with some of my local strain, hoping they might be better adapted to the weather and substrate. Fingers crossed the mycelium gets established! . . . . . . . #napa #napavalley #naturalist #mushroomforaging #mushroomidentification #mushroomcultivation #mushroomeducation #fascinatedbyfungi #purplemushroom