βSusy (@queer.as.funghi) and I got bored of doing admin inside, and so sacked it all off and went into the woods to visit everyoneβs favourite mushroom jumper.
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With Susyβs bad sense of direction and George not having seen it in person before, finding it was a good winter foraging challenging.
This fungal wonder of Epping is hidden deep in the woods around High Beech. Weβre not the only people to know about it, it got well talked about on #MSUK last year but we were so happy when we (finally!) found it that it becoming a celeb online didnβt mean it got damaged.
Itβs originally a white jumper with lumpy brackets growing through, which are notorious for having algae growing on the top. Itβs the algae thatβs stained this iconic jumper, not the mushroom. Maybe with algae, this mushroom jumper is on its way to becoming a lichen!
PLLLLEASE share your pics if you have seen it! Thereβs a collection of some of the photos from people on #MSUK (after @jordanle123 who started the whole thing) it over on @eduliswildfood insta (thank god for mushroom jumper archivists!). Itβs so awesome to see the mushroom jumper in all its iterations.
We have some really great events coming up the next few months together, which weβll be sharing over the next week. Funghi Fridays are back in Hackney from Feb, with an extra focus on spring plants too, and weβre heading back to @lydhurst for foraging and feasts over fire!