funghi

Posted on 23/8/2009 at 17:06 - Post Comment

DUTCHWOMANABROAD

sunday 23 august 2009

all over the world people will talk about the weather, a subject about which everyone has something to say. also here in ticino all year round folk will do exactly that. but then in the beginning of august the main subject of conversation changes for 2 months or so..... to funghi, mushrooms. there is a connection between funghi and the weather, and also the moon is very important indeed. but the weather definitely moves to a second place in the line of interest. people are starting to tell stories about who found how many kilo's and where. they are guessing if it will be a good funghi year. they argue if funghi come up with the full moon or if any day is good. they talk about the fact no one ever saw a fungo sprout from the earth, how do they grow. some say they shoot up in less than a minute. another fact is that no one never tells where he or she have their favorite funghi spot, someone might take away the ones with your name written on them. loads of persons get up before the sun and they will be roaming the woods with torches, to be the first. and also because they claim funghi do not grow in the afternoon. it is a mania. accompanied by a basket and a stick they set off in the woods on the mountains. every type of fungo grows under a different kind of tree. it is an art. a pity that every week at least one funghi seeker doesn't come home anymore. they go thru terrible climbs or descents because they saw the fungo of their life and slip and .....the rest is history. i never go by myself, always in company and with a cellphone. even if you drop dead, the cellphone can be traced. i know many stories of people getting lost and never turn up again, or maybe after many years. i love to go with hubby dear. he never gets lost in the woods and he has a real nose for finding the little hatted guys. i get lost easily, and then often the only way out is a steep drop which ofcourse is not an option. after a day of hunting for the little buggers, it is a sadisfaction to see them lay on the table. and then starts the second half of the whole happening. what to do with them: eat them straight away simmered in a pan with white wine and parsley, dry them, freeze them, put them under oil, ecc. i am looking forward to my first outing with a friend. maybe we will be lucky, maybe not. but it is fun crawling around looking under every leaf, fallen tree and getting to be one with the surroundings. 

opinions to: dutchwomanabroad@gmail.com