Is There a Wild Mushroom Expert In the House? *** includes two pics ***

I came across these piles while taking a walk through the 'borhood. Can someone identify?






More pics in this thread in the photo group.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=280x42374

some variety of inkycaps. But not 100% sure. :hi:

I walked past the mounds last night, and they were almost 100% black.

...either "Smokey Woodbines" or "Blind Screaming Paralytic Deathcaps"....but I'm not quite sure which....

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I'm a mushroom fanatic, but the idea of hunting them for myself scares the bejeezus out of me. Zero room for margin of error there...

He refused to ever tell anyone how to do it safely, citing that lack of a margin of error.

His mushroom hunts always resulted in wonderful Sunday dinners. but he was always very mysterious (almost Zen) about his methods or even where he went. For all I know, it could have been some mushroom grower's outlet store! :)

I'm only starting to appreciate mushrooms. Until recently, I wouldn't touch a mushroom if it had no psychedelic properties.

Usually the other poisonous mushrooms will have a nasty flavor.

Amanita muscaria mushrooms cause poisoning because they develop looking like the white button mushrooms in the store (but can be distinguished from them if you cut them in half) and have no odd flavor to tip you off that they're inedible.

The top photo looks like puffballs. A lot of varieties are edible. The bottom photo looks like generic brown woods mushies, could be nice or nasty with no middle ground.

As always, you need to consult an experienced mushroom hunter before you eat any of them. The website for the national Mycological Society is here: http://www.msafungi.org/ They have branches in most areas where wild mushrooms are abundant.

usually white and puffy, and inedible? Also avoid any with any tinge or ring of red color to them, no? That's all I know. Husband used to know more about them, specifically which ones to avoid! Been a long time since he was in college.

but you need to harvest them before they get to the "puff" stage.

The color range is also quite wide.

I have gone out harvesting wild mushrooms with a branch of the Mycological Society of America. Their help was very much appreciated and the mixed wild mushrooms on toast were wonderful.

I would strongly suggest getting a book of mushroom types before you harvest anything, and I'd suggest you get in touch with the Mycological Society before you eat them.

I have no idea.

But I would say do NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES THINK OF EATING THEM without expert help. Poison ones are often almost identical to safe ones, and you have to know what the the tiny differences are.

The mushroom book and several experts I used to know all said that mushroom identifying is far too tricky to do with pictures and descriptions. For instance, some 'shrooms have to left on black paper overnight and the spores checked for color. The book seemed to make the whole identification process seem even more difficult than it really is in order to scare you a little more even after the the warnings.

can cause a horrible death. There is no cure. I believe these are death caps or The Destroying Angel. According to victims they even have a great taste. The poisoned seems alright for 24 hours.

morel picking all the time. We'd also eat puff balls. Mushrooms in any shape or form are simply yummy.

The first mushroom our family ever tasted. Mom went with a friend out into the woods and brought home a big basket, but before she got home she became lost in the woods and never went again. Those mushrooms were unforgettable! Nominate for best mushroom EVAH!

I found morels growing in a corner of our somewhat damp basement.

Sadly, because it was a bit dark in that corner, I wasn't sure what it was, so I sprayed them with a water/bleach solution that I was spraying the walls with to combat mildew.

They never grew back.

From the patch, take a couple of representative samples and go to your local university and see if there's a botanist that can identify them for you (unless you have a local mushroom club or something). I'd be more comfortable getting a second opinion from someone - as knowledgable as people are on this list, you don't want to screw with these things. Show them in person to a professional.

If they say they're okay, I'd be more comfortable going back to the patch and trying some.

Better yet, find someone you know but secretly don't like, and invite them over, and give them a mushroom appetizer. Beg forgiveness for not eating because you have an upset stomach from eating at Olive Garden that afternoon, and see if they croak in the next 48 hours. If not, then you're probably okay.

Barring that, though, take some samples to your local university. Most professors are happy to share their expertise if you don't wear out your welcome.

if you really really want to know for sure

and since we are both of an age where there have been a fair number of past relationships, talk of these old ones came up.

I've been a widow three times," she said.

"Oh? That's terrible. What happened?"

"My first husband died from eating poison mushrooms."

"And the second?"

"It was horrible-- he died from poison mushrooms, too."

"Wow! That is horrible. What about the third?"

"He fell down the basement stairs. He wouldn't eat the mushrooms."

http://www.okwildcrafting.com/okmush.html

The external links cover more than mushrooms common to OK.