Autumnal Forest delights

With the evenings becoming cooler and the dusk closing in earlier as each week passes, we can't help but rave about how atmospheric the autumn is in Samoëns.  Yes, it can be rainy and miserable at times, but with the dampness come the "fruits of the forest", as the locals call them.  Mushrooms.  Millions of mushrooms.

They're plentiful yet it takes work to find them in the forests around here, because every man and his dog is after them!  Good mushrooming sites are closely guarded secrets amongst the locals and even between family members.  Once you know where to find the goods, you tell no one, because a good harvest of fresh mushrooms is like finding gold.  This autumn our neighbours tell us that the French locals are outraged by the number of Swiss who're crossing the border to forage for French mushrooms!  It's an indication of just how highly prized wild mushrooms are in France.  Mushrooming is a very popular past time for the French, who love nothing more than spending a day wandering the great outdoors in search of (free) organic goodies that they can take home to cook a delicious meal with.  It's an activity perfectly aligned with the French culture - bringing together hand collected, seasonal, wild produce for traditional home cooking.

The fruits of our guests' labours

This week we had a delightful couple come to try their hands at mushroom foraging as an anniversay weekend getaway.  They were awestruck by the fiery display of autumn foliage that greeted them as they arrived in Samoëns, and chose a spectacular weekend to spend wandering deep into alpine forests on the hunt for edible mushrooms. Our lovely guide Aga followed her nose - and local tips - and they were rewarded with a healthy basketload of mushrooms at the end of the day!  Amongst the mushrooms collected are cèpes; meaty, flavoursome fungi that cannot be cultivated and only grow wild.  They're highly prized by the French, who eat them in creamy sauces, or simply fried in butter.  

All in all, autumn is a wonderful time of year for a cosy weekend in the mountains.  With no tourists around, it's a wonderful time to experience the area stripped of all artifice, as a simple farming village.  Here are a few more photos .. because we feel the need to share them!!