Ceps?

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Ceps?

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banana1522

Joined: 08 Oct 2013
Posts: 13

Posted: Mon Nov 23, 15 8:25 pm Post subject: Ceps?

Hey everyone,

Quick update on our season so far. It's safe to say that September (maybe that should be Cep-tember) turned out to be the best cep season of our foraging lives. Not to gloat but it was the biggest haul we have ever had.

Particularly noteworthy are the dozen or so Boletus Aereus we found all in one spot by a river bank (see the dark brown caps at the bottom of the tray on the right?) and two beastly individuals of 500 grams or so that were found that day.

After a couple of weeks we returned, this time to a different section of the forest and we finally found the illusive patch of girolles that we had been dreaming about for years. Neatly tucked away among the decaying leaf litter and bracken was a whole troop of the bright yellow trumpets pushing out of the ground. I imagine this must have been what the 49ers of the california gold rush felt like when they struck into a walnut sized nugget... I remember literally jumping into the air at the site of them!

A great season, topped off with some great jams, chutneys, pickled walnuts and walnut and sloe liqueurs (my sloe gin is already a gorgeous ruby red).

Anyway the ceps are almost certainly all gone now and we'll be going into winter chanterelle picking mode next.

Enjoy the pics and happy hunting to all!

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Mon Nov 23, 15 9:45 pm Post subject:
Nice.

Falstaff

Joined: 27 May 2009
Posts: 1014

Posted: Mon Nov 23, 15 10:31 pm Post subject:

Superb banana !

Quick question - I scrumped 11 walnuts (late june) and put them (including green shells) in a white rum - about a litre.

It has gone black like yours and tastes really strong - but it has a wierd after taste - I'm not sure I'm actually going to be able to drink it !

Any ideas what I did wrong - or should it taste like this ?

Edit - the walnuts are still in there - have I left them too long ?

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Tue Nov 24, 15 10:17 am Post subject:
Great pics and an impressive haul.

jp

Joined: 09 Nov 2006
Posts: 302
Location: Salisbury, Wiltshire

Posted: Tue Nov 24, 15 9:07 pm Post subject:
Very nice. Only slightly jealous - it's been a crap season where I am. Hey ho.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15950

Posted: Wed Nov 25, 15 6:59 am Post subject:
We haven't had a very good fungus year either.

banana1522

Joined: 08 Oct 2013
Posts: 13

Posted: Tue Dec 08, 15 2:22 am Post subject:

Ooh, replies!

Sorry to hear it hasn't been too good a year for you guys. Surprised to hear that considering the way our forays have gone so far. September I think is typically better than the later months, even though ceps are about through October and November.

We timed it perfectly this time around, with the warm August followed by heavy rain and more heat and more rain they all just came out of hiding.

Falstaff - I've never done it with rum but did you make sure to add sugar? A must to counter the bitter tanniney taste of walnut. I've tried a different recipe this year, with wine and armagnac but my uncle just uses eau-de-vie (70% pure alcohol verging on ethanol) and dark sugar. Cutting the walnuts into quarters is also best for liqueurs, unless your pickling them (in brine - totally different recipe obviously). You may want to look on google for some Nocino recipes.

Cheers

Ps I woul take them out if they have been in there since July... And also, you could still try adding the sugar now and seeing what happens once it's dissolved. Maybe 300g or so but maybe check some recipes on google.

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