Mom forages her own dinner and eats poisonous mushrooms

By Pius Bentgens via SWNS

A mom forages for her own dinner and eats poisonous mushrooms.

Madara Riley, 38, discovered foraging aged six after watching her grandparents pick fungi in her native Latvia.

After moving to Mansfield, Nottingham, Madara taught her partner, Matthew Riley, 44, and her two children - Camellia, 16, and Riley, 11 - how to find food outside.

Now the mom-of-two forages "luxury" mushrooms for her dishes - some of which fetch up to £80 a tub online when sold in powder form.

Other ingredients she forages for her "gourmet meals" include edible plants for salads, herbs for seasoning, and nettles for medicinal use.

Madara claims strangers have accused her of being "too poor" to afford food, but she insists she's the one "living in luxury."

Through years of experience identifying fungi, Madara even specializes in making certain poisonous mushrooms safe to eat.

Madara, a quality assurance officer and fungi expert, originally from Latvia, said: "British people are terrified of mushrooms.

"They're fungi-phobic.

"They don't know about the incredible properties and health benefits each mushroom can bring to your diet.

"Some people are shocked when I pick poisonous mushrooms but I am trained and know how to prepare them correctly so they are safe to eat.

"The mushrooms I pick are rare and usually expensive if bought.

“Other people have thought that I’m too poor to afford my own food - but if anything, I'm the one that is living in luxury."

After discovering foraging at a young age, Madara brought her knowledge with her when she moved to the UK in 2004.

But she was shocked to see the perception of foraging within the English countryside.

Madara, said: "I thought it was a universal skill that everyone had learned, but no one in the UK seemed to forage.

"I always knew I wanted my children to learn this skill.”

Madara said she lost interest in foraging after undergoing a divorce, but her love was rekindled when she met her current partner, Matthew, a team leader of a print company, in 2013.

She now takes her two children, from her previous relationship, out on the weekend to the local woods to forage and “soak up” nature.

“We walk in the woods every weekend,” Madara said.

“I’ve scared people on walks while climbing out of the bush with a basket.

“Since I've gotten back into foraging, I’ve felt at home here.

“Sometimes my family joins me, but my husband and I usually have this agreement.

“He watches Liverpool on the telly, and I go off to the woods to forage.

“The kids usually moan at first when I drag them to the woods, but once they’re in the woods they’re so excited.”

Madara's favorite mushroom is the honey fungus, which she prepares with a "rich" double cream sauce.

Honey mushroom, which is usually available online in a powder form, can sell for up to £80 per tub.

While foraging, Madara looks for a number of 'luxurious' items like sweet mole plant which can be made into garlic mustard, miners lettuce, and morel mushrooms, which she serves dipped in hot butter.

She even picks some fungi that most British foragers would avoid - because they’re poisonous.

She said: "These ingredients are rare and not used often - so I think they're a luxury.

"I get creative making beautiful dishes with rich ingredients, like butter and cream, to celebrate the flavor.

"I even know which poisonous mushrooms you can eat, and when prepared correctly, can be delicious in things like a curry."

Madara began sharing her knowledge with walking groups and now she offers sessions to those looking to learn more about the world of fungi.

She said: “I’m going walk anyway, if a group of people want to come with me that’s lovely, I love sharing the knowledge.

“I never ask for payment, but I tell them if they really found it useful, they can tip me a pound or two for chocolate or fuel.

“I would encourage people to go foraging and photograph the mushrooms from all angles and come back and discover more about their findings.

"Learning and spending time in nature is always healthy."