”This colder month saprotroph, a leaf rotter, is still a sight to behold. I keep an eye out for it as winter approaches. I’ve spotted these for the past four weeks, and in the past, I’ve found them into the new year, all depending on whether there’s a deep frost often stopping them in their tracks.
GeorgeFlavour Fred
These mushrooms have beautiful purple/lilac gills that roll inward and outward to the stipe. When young, the cap rolls inward, hugging the tightly packed gills. The solid stipe has a similar colour, tapering down with fibrous textures, often a bulbous base. The cap has a deeper violet colour, transitioning to brown in the middle. As they age, the in-rolled cap flattens, and the centre depresses.
The aroma is strong, with a mushroomy-ness and perfume-like scent. I’m looking for the colour on the stipe because the spores are off-white to pink. It’s important to take care, as rusty-looking spores or webbing could indicate the presence of webcap family mushrooms (Cortinarius sp). They have a similar structure, but when young, you can see the “web” around the cap, which is a partial veil (Cortina meaning curtain) showing fibres connecting the rim to the stem, resembling a web. Some of these mushrooms are deadly, like the deadly Webcap (Cortinarius rubellus), while the most similar-looking one, the Violet webcap (Cortinarius violaceus), is rare in my area and should be avoided. They are generally earlier in the season as well. Many years the wood blewit mushroom has been abundant. It often forms fairy rings and is delicious – I smoked them and confit a while back for a bacon like hit. However, its high water content makes it best to hard fry it before using it in various ways. Proper cooking is essential.
