Mushroom question?

[NY_Treeguy]

Two years ago, right here in NY, two people died as a result of picking mushrooms along the NYS Thruway rest stops. Must have been a lot of them growing there. Both cases made the papers and the news. They didn't seem to have much problems finding the bad ones.

Amanita phelloides. Death Cap or Destroying Angel. Looks EXACTLY like an edible found in Eastern Europe. Nearly everyone who mistakenly eats these is from Eastern Europe. Supposedly delicious. Once you eat it, liver damage begins within hours, painful death 3-5 days later. No treatments or antidote.

[NY_Treeguy]

I am no exspert on fungi by any means, but know a lot of the above to be false,myth old wives tale etc.
I would suggest doing a lot of reading rather than "repeating".
The gent that mentioned the "elephant ears", I forget the Latin name. They are listed as poisonous in Europe and have caused a lot of deaths there, though there are no know deaths caused by it in North America.
I knew two brothers that looked for these exclusive and preferred them over morels, as mentioned I said knew as in past tense. Both passed with liver and kidney issues at a fairly early age. The elephant ears are known to carry toxins that settle in the organs.
I love hen of the woods, how ever they don't like me. 4-6 hours and I will
purge everything in my system, rest of the family never had any issues.
My ex had an uncle that had lived in Oregon for years, he kept me in mushrooms about ten months out of the year.
There are a lot more clubs around the country on this subject than most know about. Do a quick search and you may be surprised what you come up with.

Dont quote me but I believe the amanita, death angel may be the only easily found deadly poisonous mushroom in North America. There are several that will make you think you are dying.
Then there are some that are fine if cooked and mildly poisonous if eaten raw.
Morels are questionable if eaten raw, depends on what source you look at.

Many mushrooms will make you, purge if you eat them and drink alcohol together. I have that sensitivity with many wild mushrooms. Antibuse, a drug used to treat alcoholism, was developed from the shaggy mane mushroom.

The death cap is the most common deadly mushroom in N. America. I have years of mycology experience, access to a microscope, make spore prints before consuming anything, and STILL sometimes just chuck stuff because I can't be 100% sure.

[JSH]

Tree guy I had forgotten all about the spore prints. I always found those very interesting and educational.
There was alcohol involved the first time. I realized what I did and stayed away from it the last time, end results were the same and I just leave them any more. When I first got interested there were lots of the hen of the woods in certain areas around me. I hardly see them anymore. I was told Asian folks seem them out.
Correct me if I am wrong, not all ugly fungi are inedible or poisonous, my exs uncle I believe harvested the inky caps before mature? I have slept since then and don't recall exactly.
Another were I believe what he called horse mushrooms. The free in a circle and were as good if not better than the button mushrooms from the store only bigger.
My all time favorite, chantrels, excellent sauté in butter with onion and garlic then over a steak. Make morels like eating weeds.
Second favorite are the oyster mushrooms.

[44man]

I depend on two, moral and giant puff ball but have eaten oyster shrooms but They don't taste as good. I find Dryads saddle a lot and only the edges are used, the rest is like an oak log. But the taste is not worth picking them.

[dale2242]

I am an novice mushroom hunter.
Mushroom hunting has been one of my favorite hobbies for years.
I have many mushroom identification books. 7-8 I think.

I have found "All That the Rain Promises and More..." A hip pocket guide to western mushrooms by David Arora to be the best to ID them here in Southern Oregon.....dale

[condorjohn]

I'm sure dale2242 will attest that here in western Oregon one of the best mushrooms is the Chanterelle.
They are delicious...

[44man]

My friend had a party and got out of sorts. Found shrooms in his yard. Cooked them and said they were super but everyone purged from both ends for days!
I find inky caps in my yard but never drink when eating them. Does not mix. They are great if fried right away but NO BOOZE. Some will make you very sick but a few will put you in the ground FAST.
I hunted with a friend that had to take pills every day because his stomach lining was shot. He ate shrooms his father picked and wound up in the hospital and given the last rites but pulled through.
Don't fool around, even pictures in a book are not good enough.

[NY_Treeguy]

Tree guy I had forgotten all about the spore prints. I always found those very interesting and educational.
There was alcohol involved the first time. I realized what I did and stayed away from it the last time, end results were the same and I just leave them any more. When I first got interested there were lots of the hen of the woods in certain areas around me. I hardly see them anymore. I was told Asian folks seem them out.
Correct me if I am wrong, not all ugly fungi are inedible or poisonous, my exs uncle I believe harvested the inky caps before mature? I have slept since then and don't recall exactly.
Another were I believe what he called horse mushrooms. The free in a circle and were as good if not better than the button mushrooms from the store only bigger.
My all time favorite, chantrels, excellent sauté in butter with onion and garlic then over a steak. Make morels like eating weeds.
Second favorite are the oyster mushrooms.

JSH,

Inky Caps are the mushrooms that WILL make you hurl if eaten with alcohol. Atibuse is the synthetic formulation of Commatin, a compound found in shaggy manes and inky caps.

Horse mushrooms are very closely related to the button mushrooms you buy in the store but there are some poisonous look-alikes so I shy away.

Not many chanterelles in my neck of the woods. Oysters are best when collected from beech logs, IMHO. There is one oyster with a purple spore print that is poisonous, but not deadly.

I have edible boletes in my yard every spring and fall. Since I put down lawn chemicals I will not eat them.

[NY_Treeguy]

I am an novice mushroom hunter.
Mushroom hunting has been one of my favorite hobbies for years.
I have many mushroom identification books. 7-8 I think.

I have found "All That the Rain Promises and More..." A hip pocket guide to western mushrooms by David Arora to be the best to ID them here in Southern Oregon.....dale

Anyone wanting to try and collect mushrooms should start with David Aurora's larger book, "Mushrooms Demystified." Read everything before the ID section TWICE.

[Polecat]

any mushroom that grows on wood ,logs stumps are ok most are to tough but are safe just don't taste good.

[JWT]

In addition to the morels and shaggymanes, my Dad used to talk about "stickytops" that they would find while bird hunting. They used to cook them up with diner as a treat.

[44man]

Pictures would help. Many of the best from wood are fall shrooms. Oyster, hen of the woods, beartooth, etc. But I grow ****ake all year.
There is Driads saddle that looks like a pheasants tail, edible at the edges because the rest is like solid oak.
Never fool around. I find inky caps and they need picked and cooked real fast but if you have a drink, you will regret it.

[mozeppa]

i've eaten giant puff ball 'shrooms .....good!