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The left ginger woman is actually part of the club. You can see the robes in the rubbish bin behind her and she has a ring on in the top picture.
Good eye!
Nah I just remember seeing this pointed out by someone before.
Good memory !
Still. I enjoyed the detail I never would have discovered!
Everyone needs a Paul Stamets on speed dial for emergency mycological classification.
Which one? Eh, forget the question. It doesn’t really matter, I’d take both the Star Trek or the real-life Stamets anytime.
Star Trek, real life OR Lemmy Stamets.
Hey, Paul, should I eat this mushroom I found?
There are moments where hunting mushrooms in the wild can be very dangerous.
OG loot boxes
You don’t know whether you pulled a legendary until the trees start talking
And the ground waving
and a field mouse with tiny wings and a trunk perched on the top of your beer bottle drinking from it
All mushrooms are edible once.
And you can look at the Sun through a telescope twice in your life
Some will go excellent with pasta and kill you…
This is why you get mushrooms from the market. And why I avoid “functional mushrooms” because poisoning is a function.
Where I live mushrooms from the market are ridiculously expensive. That’s why it’s so common to go mushroom picking yourself. It’s a nice outdoors-y way to spend your time and it’s not that difficult if you get a primer from someone seasoned at it. And some mushrooms you’ll just find a ton without much effort.
it’s not that difficult if you get a primer from someone seasoned at it.
Random thought - this is a rare case where survivorship bias works in my favor. The best mushroom mentors really are the ones that haven’t died.
Or at the very least, the very worst mushroom mentors aren’t around to teach me…
some of the tastiest mushrooms can never be bought “from the market”.
They are rare and their “gatherers” keep their territories as a secret.
It could be both…
Thank god I absolutely hate the taste and texture of mushrooms.
I do too… except for shiitake mushrooms, which I absolutely love.
Other than that, I have yet to have a mushroom I really like. Some of them (like the white kind they put on pizza) I would rate as tolerable.
I mean thw stuff they put on pizza barely has any taste at all. At least here. It’s the texture that is disgusting.
Yeah, I’m not a fan of the texture either. But I can tolerate it.
Shiitake mushrooms though… nothing similar in taste or texture. They do have to be prepared by someone who knows how to prepare them right because it does take a little experience, and they’re also expensive unless you want to get them dried and reconstitute them, but those aren’t nearly as good.
That said, if I am in a restaurant and I see them on offer, I will order them.
Portabellos are super disgusting to me. They taste like dirt and have a mouthfeel like dirt too.
Have you tried Lion’s Mane? Has a meaty texture, you might dig it.
Lions mane and chicken of the woods. Grill em, hit em with some garlic butter and lemon pepper. Pretty dang good imo.
I have not, but I will look into it at some point, thanks.
Don’t know about portabellos. Not sure the same mushrooms even grow here as where you are. We mostly eat ones we pick outselves. I never liked going mushroom picking.
Portabellos are super disgusting to me.
Interesting note that you may not know, surprised me when I learned it way back.
Those little white mushrooms that are everywhere, that are on pizza and you get in the store and portabellos (and cremini, if you’ve had those)? Same mushroom species! Just picked at different stages in their life cycle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agaricus_bisporus
When immature and white, this mushroom may be known as:
- common mushroom
- white mushroom[11]
- button mushroom[11]
- cultivated mushroom[12]
- table mushroom
- champignon (French for mushroom) de Paris
The above is what most people in the US think of if one talks about a “mushroom”.
When immature and brown, it may be known variously as:
- Swiss brown mushroom
- Roman brown mushroom
- Italian brown mushroom
- cremini (also crimini) mushroom[13][14]
- chestnut mushroom (not to be confused with Pholiota adiposa)
- baby bella[13]
I’ve seen creminis occasionally.
When marketed in its mature state, the mushroom is brown with a cap measuring 10–15 cm (4–6 in).[14] This form is commonly sold under the names portobello,[14][15] portabella,[16] or portobella. The etymology is disputed.[14][15]
Those are commonly sold as stuff like meat substitutes on burgers.
I think that shiitakes are probably the most-commonly-available species other than that that I’ve seen commercially available.
My own favorites are powdered porcini – I don’t like the smell before being cooked, but they’re great at adding umami to cooked dishes, and the power is easy to get online – and wood ear mushrooms. Wood ears have very little taste, but a neat crunchy texture. I do 'em with olive oil. I can only get them occasionally, fresh, when stores in the area carry them.
Huh! TIL.
have you tried Pleurotus? It’s texture and taste is quite similar but relatively weaker.
It grows on wood like shiitake.
I have not. Thanks.
I thought I hated mushrooms but it turns out the most common grocery store mushroom is just the worst kind. Crimini/button/portabello it’s all Agaricus bisporus and it sucks. Enoki mushrooms opened my eyes and so far I’ve liked every single mushroom I’ve tried that isn’t that dogshit A bisporus rubbery mud.
I guess. But I don’t think my family ever had bought mushrooms apart from shiitake and truffles. All the rest were hand picked in the forest.
I used to hate the texture, but if cooked right they will be tender (canned mushrooms are probably better added near the end of cooking). Gumminess can also be masked by balancing it with other food (particularly meat, vegetables like potato/squash/broccoli) to chew against/alongside it.
Probably doesn’t help if you don’t like the taste, though that could just come down to mushroom variety if not also what dish it’s in (spices etc).
My family loves mushrooms so there are many types they eat. And I don’t like any of them.
I once went for pizza with my gf and had to help her eat hers as well (she can never eat a whole pizza herself). She sadly ordered one with mushrooms and even after taking them off I could not eat more than one piece without getting a strong feeling that I am going to throw up.
Admittedly the mushrooms had quite a strong taste (not the typical ones put on pizza, those barely have any taste hut I still remove them). They left so much of the taste behind it almost made me puke. I just cannot stomach the taste. I have however noticed the mushroom soup my grandma makes (not the cream type) does not have such a strong mushroom taste so I can eat it with just picking out the shrooms.
Read a mushroom textbook 30-years ago, so take this as you will, but it’s damned easy to test.
Chip a tiny chunk off with your tooth. Wait 45-mintues. Heart burn, feel weird? Stop. No? Take a bigger chunk. Rinse and repeat.
People act like the tiniest bit of fungus will kill them dead. Not unless your liver has failed, and then you got worse problems.
Anybody know how to trip on Aminata Muscaria? Sure is a lot in the woods around here.
A muscaria isn’t so much a “trip” as it isn’t hallucinogenic, it’s more of a deleriant and disassociative. Also it’s gonna give you stomach cramps. People generally don’t eat them for fun.
The better advice is if you don’t know what something is, don’t put it in your mouth at all. If someone was to try this when they are desperate for food, usually if alone and lost, they could make a bad situation even worse.
There are quite a few stories or people eating death caps (Amanita phalloides), especially after cooking and not being able to detect anything off until they need to go to the hospital.
Aminita muscaria has been used medicinally for years and has some really good potential. If you really want to trip though, just stick with psilocybin. Ibotenic acid is a neurotoxin and there is not a reliable way to test dosages at home. The last dosage advice I read was just eat a half mouthfull and you should be good if your stomach doesn’t cramp up to all hell. (The companies that have been pumping out muscimol gummies recently are shady as fuck if you were wondering.)
The aminita family is still super interesting though and deserves a ton more research.
If someone was to try this when they are desperate for food, usually if alone and lost, they could make a bad situation even worse.
To add to this, people can go for a very long time without food. We have the convention in of eating multiple times a day in modern society, but if a human needs to live off of fat stores – and, later, muscle – they can do it for quite a while, unless they’re very emaciated.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angus_Barbieri's_fast
Angus Barbieri (1938 or 1939 – 7 September 1990) was a Scottish man who fasted for 382 days,[1] from 14 June 1965 to 30 June 1966. He subsisted on tea, coffee, sparkling water, vitamins and yeast extract while living at home in Tayport, Scotland, frequently visiting Maryfield Hospital for medical evaluation. Barbieri went from 456 pounds (207 kg) to 180 pounds (82 kg), losing 276 pounds (125 kg) and setting a record for the length of a fast.[2]
Water is different – a human can’t go for very long without water. Maybe a week or so, though people have gone longer (albeit that unpleasant things are going to be happening to them). IIRC, the world record is some guy in Austria that got accidentally forgotten about in a jail cell, though he was able to get some condensed water from the walls of his cell.
kagis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andreas_Mihavecz
Eighteen days later on 19 April, an officer who had unrelated business in the basement opened his cell after noticing the stench that was emanating from it.[4] Mihavecz needed several weeks to regain his health.[2]
But most people are not really in immediate need of food.
Aminita Muscaria can be eaten. There was either a vice article, or video about it. I recall thin slices and frying them was part of the technique.
I imagine it’s a stomach cramps and vomiting kind of high like poorly prepared peyote/mescaline.
Erowid should have articles/instructions for preparing Aminita Muscaria, just read some trip reports there. They often include basic steps.
P.S Make sure your mushrooms have ALL the anatomy and colours, and spore print colour of the variety you’re looking for.
poorly prepared peyote/mescaline
Wait, there’s a way to not destroy your stomach?
I followed the work of some A.M. groups for a bit and they have basically proven it can be eaten without dying. The question is, what benefits do the different A.M. compounds have? Unfortunately, everything I heard or read from those groups was anecdotal and not formalized. Admittedly, I am a year or so behind on my fungi studies so there may be new info out there.
Speaking of anecdotal, my experience with psilocybin has been phenomenal. Granted, I don’t eat much anymore, but I don’t really need to. Studies do support its use for PTSD treatment for vets (me) and for recovering addicts and alcoholics (also me). I only mention this as there are likely thousands of undiscovered compounds in mushrooms that may be phenomenal for mental health The evidence (anecdotal or not) is looking good for A.M.
Alas, there are risks.
Mycophobia is too real y’all.
So not mushroom for error. 🫤
Which ones go well with pasta and will kill me the in-laws are visiting and I need an excuse not to be here
Some taste excellent and will kill you!
“And these, will go great with a pizza AND kill you.”
¿Por qué no los dos?
Ruleta rusa
From a species that drinks industrial solvents for fun… It doesn’t seem quite so implausible.
I do some light general foraging in the forest I live in and mushrooms are a seasonal treat. And I often have Shaggy Mane mushrooms growing in my yard, (don’t worry, I do not use fertilizer or herbicides ever). And fresh chanterelle mushrooms are an edible gift from the gods.
Like most things in life, mushroom hunting isn’t super dangerous, (if you mess up the odds are it won’t kill you outright but they will make you wish it had), but it does take some learning and practice.
There’s a few top edible mushrooms that look like nothing else. Good starting point
Chanterelle mushrooms are a good one. Delicious, easy to identify, and don’t have a deadly lookalike.
That is one of the recommend ones in my Mushroom foraging book: Morels, Inky Caps, Cauliflower Mushroom, Chicken of the Woods, Oysters Mushrooms, Chanterells, Giant Puffballs, King Bolete, Black Trumpet and Hen of the Woods.
Jack O’Lantern Mushrooms: A Poisonous Chanterelle Look A Like
Jack O’Lantern mushrooms also known as foxfire mushrooms or Omphalotus species, are a poisonous mushroom commonly confused with edible chanterelles.
Not deadly, sounds like – but also not fun! Be careful out there, junior mycologist club members!
“Lookalike” is a relative term for sure. With just a little bit of practice one would never confuse the two. It’s always best to learn side-by-side with someone who can show you what to look for.
A good rule is this: If you have to double-check with a book (or an app or whatever) to identify the mushroom, you do NOT know it well enough to risk eating it.
Chicken of the Woods is another easy, (and VERY tasty), to identify mushroom for beginners once they know what to look for. There are many different types of look a likes, but they are extremely fibrous and chewing and piece of wood would be tastier.
My Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest Guide has a series of top edibles in my region. Morels, Inky Caps, Cauliflower Mushroom, Chicken of the Woods, Oysters Mushrooms, Chanterells, Giant Puffballs, King Bolete, Black Trumpet and Hen of the Woods. All are suppose to be easy to identify without a deadly look alike. I haven’t gotten a chance to try anyone yet but hopefully this year.
I would still recommend going out with an experienced forager until you are comfortable. They can at least offer up good extra information as you hunt them.
Mushroom hunting is fun and tasty, but it does require care, knowledge, and experience. So be safe out there!
For sure. There is a mycology society I might join to help with that. I do a lot of foraging of plants in my yard and neighborhood. So I got to help me look up things as practice. Its been fun and no issues so far
Don’t shaggy mane grow on manure substrate? They are probably coming up around dog poo or your leach field/septic tank. Delicious mushroom either way!
Not in my yard. While I have hunting dogs, they aren’t allowed to run free in the yard without supervision during training exercises. But I do have plenty of deer shit-- I live in the middle of a fairly remote forest.
Most of the shaggy manes grow on a clay hillside that gets lots of leaves in the fall. And they grow nowhere else on my 5 acres of lake shore. The wild raspberries grow everywhere like weeds though. And I don’t get bumper crops every year. Sometimes there are none, (wet years), sometimes a small handful, (most years), and sometimes they cover that hillside, (dryer years).
