matsutake

matsutake, a.k.a. pine mushroom (trichloma matsutake)

Highly valued ($65/lb.), smelling of cinnamon hearts, with a sophisticated rich umami succulence... I randomly stumbled over this beauty during my first mushrooming weekend. "What's that one?" I asked, all dumb luck. Fortunately Odete recognized it for its true glory, and we carefully unearthed our treasure from the thick duff and moss. Sliced and lightly fried in olive oil, this was truly one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten. Sometimes you get what you pay for.

matsutake at wikipedia

bleeding milk cap

bleeding milk cap (lactarius rubrilacteus)

One November evening in a cabin on Galiano Island, I read about the bleeding milk cap - historically harvested in the Mediterranean, recently very rarely found in North America, exudes a red sap when the flesh is cut... somehow ,for no discernable reason I got it into my head that this was my "white whale", and proclaimed such to my partner. The next day in a forest that had burned 5 years previously, at the base of conifers, in a profound fit of unlikeliness, I found two. I must have heard them calling through the trees the night before.

True to the guide books, the stem oozed red sap profusely when sliced. Copious, blood-like sap. Other characteristics include the concentric rings on the convex cap, and thin stem. We fried them up with butter and they were underwhelming in flavour, a disappointment after the "fate" and "wonder" and "statistical improbability" of it all. What are you going to do.

bleeding milk cap on wikipedia