Blue Foot: A Majestic Mushroom for Cold Seasons

The Blue Foot, or Lepista nuda, is a remarkable mushroom, recognizable by its lilac to purple hues. This mushroom appears mainly during the autumn and winter months, taking advantage of the first frosts to initiate its fruiting. 

Table of Contents :

1) The Identity of the Blue Foot: A Mushroom with Multiple Names

Part of the Clitocybe genus, the Blue Foot is known by several popular names: bare agaric, blavoun, bare tricholoma or even bare rhodopaxilla. Historically, it was classified under the names Tricholoma nudum and Rhodopaxillus nudus before being officially recognized under its current name, Lepista nuda.

Hat

Conical in shape in its youth, the Pied Bleu hat measures between 5 and 15 cm in diameter. With age, its margins spread, and its surface, initially smooth and purple, turns dirty brown as it ages. This hat is slightly hygrophanous, which means that it changes its appearance depending on the humidity in the air.

Blades

The blades, thin and tight, are an intense purple color when young. They gradually take on brown or ocher hues as they age, and are easily detached from each other.

Foot

The foot is cylindrical, relatively bulbous at the base, fleshy and fibrous. A marked purple color, it is striped with whitish fibrils which give it a distinctive streaked appearance.

Chair

The flesh of the Pied Bleu is tender, thick in the cap and more fibrous in the stem. Initially purple, it becomes lilac over time. It gives off a pleasant fruity smell, and its flavor is sweet, sometimes slightly tangy.

2) Ecology of the Blue Foot: A Child of the Forests

The Bluefoot grows mainly in deciduous and coniferous forests, preferring soils rich in organic debris such as dead leaves and pine needles. This mushroom has the particularity of growing in " witch's rings ", a natural formation where mushrooms grow in a circle. It appears at the beginning of winter, generally after an initial cold snap or frost.

3) Nutritional Values ​​and Medicinal Properties

Pied Bleu, in addition to being tasty, has interesting nutritional and medicinal properties. Rich in vitamin B, it also has antibacterial and antifungal properties. However, it is crucial to consume it well cooked, because raw it contains hemolysins, molecules that can attack red blood cells. Once properly prepared, Pied Bleu retains a crunchy texture and exquisite flavor.

Source : wikipedia

4) Cultivating Blue Foot: A Process to Master

Commercial cultivation of Pied Bleu follows methods similar to those used for button mushrooms. Its production is generally concentrated between August and November, after a period of frost and cold. To ensure fruiting in the fall, it is essential to plant the mycelium early in the spring. If this is not done, the mushroom will not fruit until the following summer.

What You Will Need

• Mycelium : A 3 kilo bag of mycelium can cover a plot of 1.5 meters by 1.5 meters.
• Substrate: +-1/4 see 1/2 cubic meter, equivalent to an area of ​​9 square meters with a depth of 10 centimeters. Use composted hardwood leaves and composted manure/straw.
• Cardboard without dyes containing heavy metals.

Cultivation Methods

Method 1: Outdoor Cultivation

• Preparing the growing bed: Dig a bed of soil 20 to 25 cm deep. Fill it with compost of various organic materials, then add the mycelium to the top 10 centimeters. Finally, also add the casing soil, as described previously.
• Planting and watering: Add 7-8 centimeters of substrate, mixing in a generous amount of mycelium. Compact the surface to eliminate air pockets and water lightly.
• Monitoring growth: Colonization of the mycelium should take between 6 to 12 months, depending on the weather and the time of sowing. It is recommended to create your growing containers in the spring for fruiting in the fall.

Method 2: Cultivation in Bins (Indoor)

Even if Lepista nuda is usually grown outdoors, its indoor cultivation is also possible thanks to research carried out by INRA, which has made it possible to develop more commercial techniques since the 2000s.

• Preparation of the substrate: Soak the substrate for 2 days so that it is well hydrated, then drain.
• Containerization: Fill the pots with the substrate, leaving 5 centimeters below the edge for the casing layer. Store out of direct sunlight.
• Fructification: Once the substrate has been colonized, cover it with casing soil. A cold shock is necessary to initiate fruiting. The addition of certain nematodes can also stimulate fruiting by mimicking natural conditions.

Gobetage Soil Recipes

To encourage the fruiting of Pieds Bleus, it is recommended to use casing soil, which can be prepared in several ways:

• Sphagnum casing soil: Mix 1.3 kg of dry sphagnum moss with 3 liters of water and add 2 tablespoons of hydrated lime.
• Balanced soil: Use potting soil with a balanced pH, mixed with mature compost rich in micro-organisms.
• Garden soil: As a last resort, soil from your garden can also be used for casing.

5) Recipe: Blue Feet Gratin

Here is a delicious way to cook Pieds Bleus:

• Ingredients :
• 500 g Blue Feet, cleaned and sliced
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 200 ml of crème fraîche
• 100 g grated cheese (parmesan or gruyere)
• 50 g of butter
• Salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste
• Fresh parsley for garnish
• Method :
• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Sauté the onions and garlic in the butter until golden. Add the Blue Feet and sauté them until they are tender.
• In a gratin dish, place a layer of potatoes, add some of the sautéed mushrooms, then repeat the operation until the ingredients are used up.
• Pour the crème fraîche over everything, then season with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.
• Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the gratin is golden and the potatoes are cooked through.
• Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot.