I’ve already written extensively about my love of mushroom picking here on this blog but following a recent comment on Facebook by Judy McMahon, I wrote a guest post for MyFrenchLife on how to pick mushrooms safely. 

How to pick mushrooms safely in France: 4 secrets

by Rosemary Kneipp, writing for My French Life – where you can discover France beyond the cliché with other curious, savvy francophile & French members.

If you’ve never picked mushrooms, you are definitely missing out on one of life’s great pleasures! You probably think that’s an exaggeration, but you only have to look at the ecstatic expression on my Aussie friend’s face when she found her very first wild mushroom in the Loire Valley to see what I mean (pictured right).

Maybe it’s our scavenging instinct coming out, but searching for, finding and eating mushrooms create an incredible feeling of wellbeing and satisfaction. While you’ve got your mushroom eyes on, you don’t think of anything else. It’s wonderfully relaxing – particularly if you live in the city. And when you suddenly spot one, usually trying desperately to blend in with the vegetation, you feel exultant. Read more