Culinary insights from Mrs Ephemery.
Poor man’s kidneys can be eaten any time after they emerge. However, the best time to harvest them is when they’ve grown a good network of blue veins and the stalks have gone properly lurid. If they actually glow in the dark then they are going over, but you can still eat them even when a bit mushy.
Take your poor man’s kidneys and cut them into rough chunks. This will allow you to spot and remove any worms – you really don’t want to eat the worms even if they have stopped moving. Once properly prepared, poor man’s kidneys can be fried, boiled or added to dishes. They don’t taste much like proper kidneys but do have a slightly meaty flavour.
Edit: Just to clarify, it’s been pointed out to me that people might think I’m talking about a poor man’s kidneys rather than the toadstool. Much the same preparations apply to non-mushrooms, but if it’s a real kidney you have to wash it thoroughly so that it doesn’t taste too much like a decomposing shark. Don’t eat the worms.
(Image and text by Nimue)
