Mushrooms, mushrooms, everywhere!
Mushrooms, mushrooms, everywhere!
Yesterday I was reminded of an incidence here in autumn many years ago. As usual the weather was a mix of bright sunshine, rain and even tremendous thunderstorms. We are often at the beach one day (the locals are convinced we are escapees from some institution for the bewildered, as we are dressed in our summer clothes), and then the following day, we might be huddled around the wood stove.
Needless to say for the Italians this is the season of the puffa jacket!
After one particularly spectacular storm, we met our neighbour who accidentally let slip that this would mean that the porcini, tartufi and every variety of funghi would be plentiful. I say "let slip" as, the moment Marcus asked where would they be found, she clamped her mouth shut and would only say while flapping her arms about that, “i funghi sono dappertutto!”
It didn’t take a genius to work out that they were to be found everywhere if you knew where to look.
Well, yesterday as the weirdos (that's us) were on our way to the beach, the road was littered with parked cars at every possible gap. There were people of every age, even on crutches, making their way through the woods to forage. And as to the secrecy with their quarry, they have small baskets that have a lid, so nobody knows what they have found.
In the evening as we met some neighbours and they showed us their treasures, we remembered that lesson from many years ago and didn’t dare ask where they’ve been, those mushrooms are dappertutto!