This week, I’m talking with Geoff Dann. Geoff is a Hastings based forager with a vast and by the sounds of it, pretty unique understanding of the mushrooms that grow in our landscape. He’s also the author of Edible Mushrooms. Geoff is a pioneer because many of the mushrooms in his book were not classified as edible and he’s taken on the role of a well-informed and cautious taster, but nonetheless has been a human guinea pig in many instances! As he mentions, his book is without parallel in terms of classifying the edibility of our mushrooms and is the bible for foragers.
About Geoff:
Geoff is a foraging teacher and writer based in Hastings. He started as a fungi specialist, but now work throughout the year teaching groups of people to forage for plants and seaweeds as well. In the evenings he gives talks, and brings a selection of whatever is currently available for people to try. In 2016 his first book was published – the most comprehensive book available on British and northern European fungi foraging.
He now has a full-time career as an expert and teacher on the topics of fungi that can be identified with five senses (and nothing more), foraging and wild food in general, other uses of wild fungi and plants, all with a slant dictated by his underlying interest in science, ecology and sustainability.
We discuss:
Why we’re a nation of mycophobes here in the UK
How to get started with mushroom foraging
Mushroom habitats
Beginner levels edible mushrooms
Mushrooms to watch out for
Links:
Geoff’s website www.geoffdann.co.uk
Edible Mushrooms by Geoff Dann, published by Green Books, 2016
Natural Bushcraft Forum www.naturalbushcraft.co.uk
