As fall arrives in Russia, Poland, Germany, Italy and France, the woods rustle with mushroom hunters. Within days of a rainfall, the undergrowth will be popping with delicious free food. Take care, though, that you know what you're picking. I read a Russian news agency report when I was a Moscow correspondent that a particular mushroom was now officially edible, so long as you boiled it once, tossed away the water, boiled it again in a fresh supply, jettisoned that, then fried it in butter. Which by my reckoning made at least three very sick testers before they found the safe formula.

Mushrooms show up at the farmers markets in town. But if you're off on a driving jaunt through Pennsylvania, include Chester County in your tour. Kennett Square is the self-styled 'Mushroom Capital of the World'.

C.P. Yeatman & Sons mushroom farm have an outlet, The Mother Earth Country Store, selling shiitake, cremini, enoki, maitake, button and portobello in season, weekdays at 600 Baker Station Rd, West Grove, PA, 610 869 3595.

The most common mushroom varieties are also sold by Sher Rockee Mushroom Farm, 170 Sher Rockee Lane, Lincoln University, PA, 610 869 8048.

You can order Kennett Square mushrooms by mail from Oakshire Mushroom Farm. Call 800 255 2077.

Marché aux Delices sells them fresh, dried and frozen, call 888 547 5471.

To grow shiitake yourself, though no more than a handful have ever appeared for me, buy a shiitake log from Merymede Mushrooms, Rte. 621, Amissville, VA, 540 937 5478. They also sell the mushrooms between mid-April and mid-November.

Fungi Perfecti, 800 780 9126 will send you a catalog of all the different exotic mushrooms they will supply to grow yourself - everything from reishi to morels.

But if you can't get hold of any of these, fry up a bunch of thinly sliced supermarket mushrooms or Portabellos with garlic and pile them onto a slice of hot toast, sprinkle with plenty of black pepper and parsley and eat in front of the TV, wrapped up in a comforter.

Related Information...