Pale hedgehog mushroom

Tags: Foraging for wild food (matauk), Mushrooms Description: The pale hedgehog mushroom is light-coloured and in places almost white. The mushroom is firm in the flesh and has white spines under the cap. Older specimens are often maggoty. It is wise to cut the mushroom in two to see whether it has gone maggoty. All mushrooms with soft spines underneath and light cap colours are safe to eat. These are called edible hedgehog mushrooms, https://soppognyttevekster.no/normlisten/blek-piggsopp/ and the terracotta hedgehog are two of the edible hedgehog mushrooms. Use: In soup, fricassees or dried as a flavour enhancer. Goes well in casseroles. Habitat type: Forest Edible: Yes Equipment: • Something to put the mushrooms in ◦ A mushroom basket, a stiff paper bag with room for several tubs • Keep apart the mushrooms you know and the ones you are unsure of. ◦ You can use the plastic punnets that grapes and stone fruit come in. Put different mushrooms in different punnets. • A knife ◦ One of the small paring knives from the kitchen is fine. • A brush ◦ For example a toothbrush or a small paintbrush. • A mushroom book ◦ You can also drop by the mushroom inspection (Soppkontrollen) and ask for a copy of the brochure https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OpmkNhLq7UpE0fRVeacO5qAEnZUpiKVl/view. Sustainable gathering: – Cut or pinch off the stem – never pull up the root. – Leave some mushrooms behind. Written by: Eteutehilde

Hedgehog mushroom. Photo: Gina Wigestrand

Text: Hilde Grøtte

Next steps

• Cep — another mushroom
• Winter chanterelle — another mushroom
• Chanterelle — another mushroom
• Foraging — mushroom foraging
• Food from nature — mushrooms — preparation

Learn more

• Artsdatabanken — species, status, Red List
• SNL — Norwegian botany — encyclopaedic
• Sopp- og Nyttevekstforbundet — courses and inspection
• Botanisk forening — Norwegian botany community