Question for LadyFisher on mushrooms

[FlyFlopper]

LadyFisher,
Your article on recovery caught my attention when you talked about finding and eating wild mushrooms. I have always been somewhat leary of eating wild mushrooms because I don't know how to identify the good ones or the bad ones. Is the book that you mention a good reference for telling the difference? I would love to become more educated on this topic, so any mushroom aficianados (sp) please chime in at will.
I wish your recovery efforts to be speedy and complete.

[dudley]

The book I like and use is;
The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms
Full color plates, thumb tab guide to shapes, and full descriptive text.
Very easy to understand
I carry mine with me any time I'm "afield"

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

In my opinion you should be very very careful with mushroom picking. Make doubly sure what you think you have is really what your have.

A book is a good starting place but really before you actually eat a wild mushroom at least for the first time you should get someone who really knows shrooms to okay your find. There are deadly mushrooms that mimic safe ones. My brother in law became very ill when he cooked some shaggy manes because he accidently got a tiny deadly one mixed in the batch when he made soup. He had gathered mushrooms most his life. When Bill got so sick His friends, fellow pickers, examined the left over mushrooms at his home. Examination of the Shaggy manes he had gathered showed up one tiny little white mushroom stuck on the side of one of the shaggys and another one laying in the bottom of the box. It turned out they were very potent toxin carrier.
Only quick action getting him to the Hospital saved his life.
Bill recovered but now is super careful.

[dudley]

Sorry to hear of your brother-in -law's problem Gnu Bee
I think people are more leery or even afraid of mushrooms than they are of snakes and spiders
There's really no need
With a good field guide you can most likely make a positive ID
If you're not positive, leave them alone
It's as simple as that
I've been 'shroomin' for about 20 years, no classes, no mentors.... no problems
I only gather what I'm sure of, and even then I'm careful to only try a little of something new.

Oh, and most of the really nasty ones are white.... I'm real careful about white...

[Bamboozle]

I'd sleep with a cobra before I'd pick and eat a wild 'shroom.

You guys are WAY braver than me!

I do all my wild mushroom hunting in isle 1 of my local supermarket or take drive down to Kennett Square, PA and pick 'em at the 'shroom farm.

Bon App?tit!

[J Castwell]

LF actually took a class from the Dr. who wrote the book. I had the book too when we met. We both have had an interest in the things. I think we have at least six books and very often cross check anything we find. Some are so distinctive that it would be very hard to make a mistake, others we leave alone, period. Adventuristic mushroom eaters do not often live long enough to reproduce.
If you are interested, take an adult education class (both of you), buy SOME books, only eat ones that you ABSOLUTELY KNOW ARE SAFE. But,,, if you find a batch of helvella lackanosa or (one of my favorite along with morels,) a nice big nutty flavored fairy ring, go for it.

[Humber Brad]

Peterson's Field Guides are also very good quality books, generally. The Natural History Society here in Newfoundland has a Mushroom Foray every year with car loads of experts. There may be a group in your area, in which case, do what I'm doing and tag along as a volunteer so you can learn from the "pros"

[arend003]

one thing to remember with mushrooms.. there are alot of old mushroom pickers and a lot of bold mushroom pickers but there are NO old BOLD mushroom pickers. I will pick morels .. but that and puff balls is it ..
Tom

[CRAPPIECAT]

I'm with Bamboozle,

I hunt mine on aisle 1, and I do love my shrooms!

Carl

[FlyFlopper]

Wow! Great advice guys! I may just side with Castwell on this one and look for an adult education course for the wife and I. Sounds like it could be interesting and fun to be with folks who like digging around in the woods. Thanks for all the replies.