Here in the NorthWest (US) we are in the middle of the mushroom season.
It's one of the best since I moved here - chanterelles, boletas, birch
boletas, lactarius, russulas, and many more edible mushrooms. The
chanterelles are the most popular with the pickers, and most pick 2-3
gallons on an outing of about 3 hours. What fun! Yesterday, my husband
and I found 31 shaggy parasols, in my opinion, tastier than any other
mushrooms. We had a feast for supper last night, and the rest will be
dehydrated to reconstitute later in the winter. I already have several
containers with sauted chanterelles in the freezer, and hoping to round
off my mushrooming season with a good find of matsutaki this weekend.

Does anyone else on this group pick wild mushrooms for cooking?

Magdalena Bassett

"Magdalena Bassett" > wrote in message
...
> Here in the NorthWest (US) we are in the middle of the mushroom season.
> It's one of the best since I moved here - chanterelles, boletas, birch
> boletas, lactarius, russulas, and many more edible mushrooms. The
> chanterelles are the most popular with the pickers, and most pick 2-3
> gallons on an outing of about 3 hours. What fun! Yesterday, my husband and
> I found 31 shaggy parasols, in my opinion, tastier than any other
> mushrooms. We had a feast for supper last night, and the rest will be
> dehydrated to reconstitute later in the winter. I already have several
> containers with sauted chanterelles in the freezer, and hoping to round
> off my mushrooming season with a good find of matsutaki this weekend.
>
> Does anyone else on this group pick wild mushrooms for cooking?
>
> Magdalena Bassett

Does your family know where to find your last will & testament?

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

> "Magdalena Bassett" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>Here in the NorthWest (US) we are in the middle of the mushroom season.
>>It's one of the best since I moved here - chanterelles, boletas, birch
>>boletas, lactarius, russulas, and many more edible mushrooms. The
>>chanterelles are the most popular with the pickers, and most pick 2-3
>>gallons on an outing of about 3 hours. What fun! Yesterday, my husband and
>>I found 31 shaggy parasols, in my opinion, tastier than any other
>>mushrooms. We had a feast for supper last night, and the rest will be
>>dehydrated to reconstitute later in the winter. I already have several
>>containers with sauted chanterelles in the freezer, and hoping to round
>>off my mushrooming season with a good find of matsutaki this weekend.
>>
>>Does anyone else on this group pick wild mushrooms for cooking?
>>
>>Magdalena Bassett
>
>
> Does your family know where to find your last will & testament?


Yes, but you're not in it, so what's it to you?

Magdalena

"Magdalena Bassett" > wrote in message
...
> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>
>> "Magdalena Bassett" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>>>Here in the NorthWest (US) we are in the middle of the mushroom season.
>>>It's one of the best since I moved here - chanterelles, boletas, birch
>>>boletas, lactarius, russulas, and many more edible mushrooms. The
>>>chanterelles are the most popular with the pickers, and most pick 2-3
>>>gallons on an outing of about 3 hours. What fun! Yesterday, my husband
>>>and I found 31 shaggy parasols, in my opinion, tastier than any other
>>>mushrooms. We had a feast for supper last night, and the rest will be
>>>dehydrated to reconstitute later in the winter. I already have several
>>>containers with sauted chanterelles in the freezer, and hoping to round
>>>off my mushrooming season with a good find of matsutaki this weekend.
>>>
>>>Does anyone else on this group pick wild mushrooms for cooking?
>>>
>>>Magdalena Bassett
>>
>>
>> Does your family know where to find your last will & testament?
>
>
> Yes, but you're not in it, so what's it to you?
>
> Magdalena

Heard an interview with some mushroom expert from Cornell a couple of years
ago. He said even the best mushroom hunters occasionally make a mistake.

"Magdalena Bassett" > schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
> Here in the NorthWest (US) we are in the middle of the mushroom season. It's
> one of the best since I moved here - chanterelles, boletas, birch boletas,
> lactarius, russulas, and many more edible mushrooms. The chanterelles are the
> most popular with the pickers, and most pick 2-3 gallons on an outing of about
> 3 hours. What fun! Yesterday, my husband and I found 31 shaggy parasols, in my
> opinion, tastier than any other mushrooms. We had a feast for supper last
> night, and the rest will be dehydrated to reconstitute later in the winter. I
> already have several containers with sauted chanterelles in the freezer, and
> hoping to round off my mushrooming season with a good find of matsutaki this
> weekend.
>
> Does anyone else on this group pick wild mushrooms for cooking?
>
Yes, every year.

Even some of the poisonous ones.Toadstools, cut up and simmered in milk
kill flies.

Cheers,

Michael Kuettner

Magdalena Bassett wrote:
> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

>>> Does anyone else on this group pick wild mushrooms for cooking?
>>>
>>> Magdalena Bassett
>>
>>
>> Does your family know where to find your last will & testament?
>
>
> Yes, but you're not in it, so what's it to you?
>
> Magdalena

I think he was making a tongue in cheek comment about the potential
risks of wild mushrooms?
It certainly isn't something I'd be comfortable eating. I just don't
know enough about mushrooms to feel safe?

Here in the Beaujolais we are having a mushroom season to beat any that
I have seen. There are mushrooms growing in places I have never seen
them growing in before. Luckily we have neighbours that know what they
are picking so can take advice when we aren't sure.

Unfortunately this is just a by-product of the crap weather we have had
this year so far. Here we are in October and the parsley has just
decided to start growing properly ! Not a gardening year to be
remembered with any fond memories

S

"Goomba38" > schrieb
> Magdalena Bassett wrote:
>> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>
>>>> Does anyone else on this group pick wild mushrooms for cooking?
>>>>
>>>
>>> Does your family know where to find your last will & testament?
>>
>>
>> Yes, but you're not in it, so what's it to you?
>>
>
> I think he was making a tongue in cheek comment about the potential risks of
> wild mushrooms?
> It certainly isn't something I'd be comfortable eating. I just don't know
> enough about mushrooms to feel safe?

You're absolutely right. People not knowing enough about
mushrooms shouldn't pick them.
I've picked them for 36 years now and never had any problems.
A note to beginners :
When in doubt, photograph the bugger and look in a book.
Don't pick the shroom.
When you pick clustered shrooms like chantarelles, always
leave a few in place. Otherwise, no shrooms next year.
Don't pick shrooms which show snail or insect bite.
They're past sell-by-date.

Cheers,

Michael Kuettner

Goomba38 wrote:

> I think he was making a tongue in cheek comment about the potential
> risks of wild mushrooms?
> It certainly isn't something I'd be comfortable eating. I just don't
> know enough about mushrooms to feel safe?

In addition, the last place you want to go for advice with life and
death consequences is usenet.

--
Reg

Or anywhere where people talk about "shrooms" !


> In addition, the last place you want to go for advice with life and
> death consequences is usenet.
>

Peter A > wrote:

>This may surprise you, JSB, but some people actually have the
>intelligence and knowledge to pick and enjoy wild mushrooms without the
>slightest risk.

Of the people I know who pick mushrooms there's exactly two I trust to
that level. I don't myself pretend to be able to know mushrooms
that well.

I don't necessarily trust unknown restaurants in the U.S. that
serve wild mushrooms, either.

Steve

Peter A wrote:

>
> This may surprise you, JSB, but some people actually have the
> intelligence and knowledge to pick and enjoy wild mushrooms without the
> slightest risk.
>
I don't dispute that there are people with the intelligence and plenty
of knowledge of mushrooms, but I do dispute that it is without any
risk. ALL wild mushrooms carry a risk of misidentification for whatever
reason? Knowledgeable pickers have been known to make mistakes.

"Peter A" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> says...
>> "Magdalena Bassett" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > Here in the NorthWest (US) we are in the middle of the mushroom season.
>> > It's one of the best since I moved here - chanterelles, boletas, birch
>> > boletas, lactarius, russulas, and many more edible mushrooms. The
>> > chanterelles are the most popular with the pickers, and most pick 2-3
>> > gallons on an outing of about 3 hours. What fun! Yesterday, my husband
>> > and
>> > I found 31 shaggy parasols, in my opinion, tastier than any other
>> > mushrooms. We had a feast for supper last night, and the rest will be
>> > dehydrated to reconstitute later in the winter. I already have several
>> > containers with sauted chanterelles in the freezer, and hoping to round
>> > off my mushrooming season with a good find of matsutaki this weekend.
>> >
>> > Does anyone else on this group pick wild mushrooms for cooking?
>> >
>> > Magdalena Bassett
>>
>> Does your family know where to find your last will & testament?
>>
>>
>>
>
> This may surprise you, JSB, but some people actually have the
> intelligence and knowledge to pick and enjoy wild mushrooms without the
> slightest risk.
>
>
> --
> Peter Aitken

Even the best can make mistakes, Peter. Except you, of course.

Peter A wrote:
>

> This may surprise you, JSB, but some people actually have the
> intelligence and knowledge to pick and enjoy wild mushrooms without the
> slightest risk.


I know a few guys who know their mushrooms. I don't. If I am every inclined
to go mushroom picking I will get some proper instruction and save myself
from anything from a mild buzz to death.

Goomba38 > wrote:

>I don't dispute that there are people with the intelligence and plenty
>of knowledge of mushrooms, but I do dispute that it is without any
>risk. ALL wild mushrooms carry a risk of misidentification for whatever
>reason? Knowledgeable pickers have been known to make mistakes.

Not only that, but identical-looking mushrooms can have a
small fraction of poison mushroom genes in them, which can
cause a level of toxins that will stress your liver but
not necessarily make you feel sick.

Note that your liver has to be more than 90% damaged before
you feel any symptoms.

Steve

Michael Kuettner wrote:

> You're absolutely right. People not knowing enough about
> mushrooms shouldn't pick them.
> I've picked them for 36 years now and never had any problems.
> A note to beginners :
> When in doubt, photograph the bugger and look in a book.
> Don't pick the shroom.
> When you pick clustered shrooms like chantarelles, always
> leave a few in place. Otherwise, no shrooms next year.
> Don't pick shrooms which show snail or insect bite.
> They're past sell-by-date.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Michael Kuettner



Yes, you're correct. It's very important to learn from experienced
pickers. I learned from my Grandfather and my Father, who to this day
bests me in his finds. He can walk through a paved parking lot and find
edible mushrooms

I'm a member of a local chapter of the Mycological Society and we often
foray together. It's a great way to learn from experienced pickers and
to learn the local woods and local spiecies. Even without mushrooms,
it's a great thing to go climbing through the incredibly wild forests of
the Olympic Wilderness. My husband does not pick, but he goes with us
for the pleasure of the forest.

Magdalena Bassett

"Dave Smith" > schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
> Peter A wrote:
>>
>
>> This may surprise you, JSB, but some people actually have the
>> intelligence and knowledge to pick and enjoy wild mushrooms without the
>> slightest risk.
>
>
> I know a few guys who know their mushrooms. I don't. If I am every inclined
> to go mushroom picking I will get some proper instruction and save myself
> from anything from a mild buzz to death.

Well said.
The failure to get proper instruction can kill people.
And the failure to know about the propagation habits of
mushrooms can kill the mushrooms.

Cheers,

Michael Kuettner

Magdalena Bassett schrieb :
> Michael Kuettner wrote:
>
>> You're absolutely right. People not knowing enough about
>> mushrooms shouldn't pick them.
>> I've picked them for 36 years now and never had any problems.
>> A note to beginners :
>> When in doubt, photograph the bugger and look in a book.
>> Don't pick the shroom.
>> When you pick clustered shrooms like chantarelles, always
>> leave a few in place. Otherwise, no shrooms next year.
>> Don't pick shrooms which show snail or insect bite.
>> They're past sell-by-date.
>>
>
> Yes, you're correct. It's very important to learn from experienced pickers. I
> learned from my Grandfather and my Father, who to this day bests me in his
> finds. He can walk through a paved parking lot and find edible mushrooms
>
Same here. My grandfathers taught me the "lore".
Especially leaving some mushrooms in place for reproduction.

> I'm a member of a local chapter of the Mycological Society and we often foray
> together. It's a great way to learn from experienced pickers and to learn the
> local woods and local spiecies. Even without mushrooms, it's a great thing to
> go climbing through the incredibly wild forests of the Olympic Wilderness. My
> husband does not pick, but he goes with us for the pleasure of the forest.
>
I'm thrilled about the newer knowledge about the symbiosis between
mushroom mycel and trees. Truffles being the most prominent examples.

Plus the widening in our knowledge, that not only trees are in symbiotic
relationship with mushrooms.

Cheers,

Michael Kuettner

Magdalena Bassett schrieb :
> Michael Kuettner wrote:
>
>> You're absolutely right. People not knowing enough about
>> mushrooms shouldn't pick them.
>> I've picked them for 36 years now and never had any problems.
>> A note to beginners :
>> When in doubt, photograph the bugger and look in a book.
>> Don't pick the shroom.
>> When you pick clustered shrooms like chantarelles, always
>> leave a few in place. Otherwise, no shrooms next year.
>> Don't pick shrooms which show snail or insect bite.
>> They're past sell-by-date.
>>
>
> Yes, you're correct. It's very important to learn from experienced pickers. I
> learned from my Grandfather and my Father, who to this day bests me in his
> finds. He can walk through a paved parking lot and find edible mushrooms
>
Same here. My grandfathers taught me the "lore".
Especially leaving some mushrooms in place for reproduction.

> I'm a member of a local chapter of the Mycological Society and we often foray
> together. It's a great way to learn from experienced pickers and to learn the
> local woods and local spiecies. Even without mushrooms, it's a great thing to
> go climbing through the incredibly wild forests of the Olympic Wilderness. My
> husband does not pick, but he goes with us for the pleasure of the forest.
>
I'm thrilled about the newer knowledge about the symbiosis between
mushroom mycel and trees. Truffles being the most prominent examples.

Plus the widening in our knowledge, that not only trees are in symbiotic
relationship with mushrooms.

Cheers,

Michael Kuettner

Magdalena Bassett schrieb :
> Michael Kuettner wrote:
>
>> You're absolutely right. People not knowing enough about
>> mushrooms shouldn't pick them.
>> I've picked them for 36 years now and never had any problems.
>> A note to beginners :
>> When in doubt, photograph the bugger and look in a book.
>> Don't pick the shroom.
>> When you pick clustered shrooms like chantarelles, always
>> leave a few in place. Otherwise, no shrooms next year.
>> Don't pick shrooms which show snail or insect bite.
>> They're past sell-by-date.
>>
>
> Yes, you're correct. It's very important to learn from experienced pickers. I
> learned from my Grandfather and my Father, who to this day bests me in his
> finds. He can walk through a paved parking lot and find edible mushrooms
>
Same here. My grandfathers taught me the "lore".
Especially leaving some mushrooms in place for reproduction.

> I'm a member of a local chapter of the Mycological Society and we often foray
> together. It's a great way to learn from experienced pickers and to learn the
> local woods and local spiecies. Even without mushrooms, it's a great thing to
> go climbing through the incredibly wild forests of the Olympic Wilderness. My
> husband does not pick, but he goes with us for the pleasure of the forest.
>
I'm thrilled about the newer knowledge about the symbiosis between
mushroom mycel and trees. Truffles being the most prominent examples.

Plus the widening in our knowledge, that not only trees are in symbiotic
relationship with mushrooms.

Cheers,

Michael Kuettner

Michael wrote on Mon, 15 Oct 2007 22:48:53 +0200:


MK> "Dave Smith" > schrieb im
MK> Newsbeitrag ...
??>> Peter A wrote:
??>>>
??>>> This may surprise you, JSB, but some people actually have
??>>> the intelligence and knowledge to pick and enjoy wild
??>>> mushrooms without the slightest risk.
??>>
??>> I know a few guys who know their mushrooms. I don't. If I
??>> am every inclined to go mushroom picking I will get some
??>> proper instruction and save myself from anything from a
??>> mild buzz to death.

MK> Well said.
MK> The failure to get proper instruction can kill people.
MK> And the failure to know about the propagation habits of
MK> mushrooms can kill the mushrooms.

I worked in a scientific research establishment that had an
active mycological society. Mostly, an outing of the society
consisted of a good long walk picking any mushroom that looked
interesting. On return an "expert" divided the collection into
three heaps: edible, inedible and poisonous. Everyone carefully
examined the result and then chucked the whole lot out and went
to a bar for a few beers! We did learn to recognize one or two
and I have eaten inkcaps and unripe puffballs, even a rare morel
or two.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

One time on Usenet, "Michael Kuettner" > said:
> "Goomba38" > schrieb

> > I think he was making a tongue in cheek comment about the potential risks of
> > wild mushrooms?
> > It certainly isn't something I'd be comfortable eating. I just don't know
> > enough about mushrooms to feel safe?
>
> You're absolutely right. People not knowing enough about
> mushrooms shouldn't pick them.
> I've picked them for 36 years now and never had any problems.
> A note to beginners :
> When in doubt, photograph the bugger and look in a book.
> Don't pick the shroom.
> When you pick clustered shrooms like chantarelles, always
> leave a few in place. Otherwise, no shrooms next year.
> Don't pick shrooms which show snail or insect bite.
> They're past sell-by-date.

Excellent advice all around, Michael, especially about the
chanterelles. I used to pick them with my family as a kid. I can still
identify them (and a few other edibles), but I haven't been picking in
a long time...

--
Jani in WA

"James Silverton" > schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:yFQQi.3642$0k2.1152@trnddc05...
> Michael wrote on Mon, 15 Oct 2007 22:48:53 +0200:
>
>
> MK> "Dave Smith" > schrieb im
> MK> Newsbeitrag ...
> ??>> Peter A wrote:
> ??>>>
> ??>>> This may surprise you, JSB, but some people actually have
> ??>>> the intelligence and knowledge to pick and enjoy wild
> ??>>> mushrooms without the slightest risk.
> ??>>
> ??>> I know a few guys who know their mushrooms. I don't. If I
> ??>> am every inclined to go mushroom picking I will get some
> ??>> proper instruction and save myself from anything from a
> ??>> mild buzz to death.
>
> MK> Well said.
> MK> The failure to get proper instruction can kill people.
> MK> And the failure to know about the propagation habits of
> MK> mushrooms can kill the mushrooms.
>
> I worked in a scientific research establishment that had an active mycological
> society. Mostly, an outing of the society consisted of a good long walk
> picking any mushroom that looked interesting. On return an "expert" divided
> the collection into three heaps: edible, inedible and poisonous. Everyone
> carefully examined the result and then chucked the whole lot out and went to a
> bar for a few beers! We did learn to recognize one or two and I have eaten
> inkcaps and unripe puffballs, even a rare morel or two.
>
Well, that was a waste. Why throw away edible mushrooms ?
And even poisonous ones ?
I've cooked up a mixture of Amanitha pantherina and Amanita muscaria
which seems to work against the various illnesses of our roses.
But I'll have to spray that for some years before claiming that it was
anything but luck.
But it surely kills snails ...

Cheers,

Michael Kuettner

"Little Malice" > schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
> One time on Usenet, "Michael Kuettner" > said:
>> "Goomba38" > schrieb
>
>> > I think he was making a tongue in cheek comment about the potential risks
>> > of
>> > wild mushrooms?
>> > It certainly isn't something I'd be comfortable eating. I just don't know
>> > enough about mushrooms to feel safe?
>>
>> You're absolutely right. People not knowing enough about
>> mushrooms shouldn't pick them.
>> I've picked them for 36 years now and never had any problems.
>> A note to beginners :
>> When in doubt, photograph the bugger and look in a book.
>> Don't pick the shroom.
>> When you pick clustered shrooms like chantarelles, always
>> leave a few in place. Otherwise, no shrooms next year.
>> Don't pick shrooms which show snail or insect bite.
>> They're past sell-by-date.
>
> Excellent advice all around, Michael, especially about the
> chanterelles. I used to pick them with my family as a kid. I can still
> identify them (and a few other edibles), but I haven't been picking in
> a long time...
>
Ah, I've found new places here in FL and across the border.
Where needle trees and leaf trees intermingle, you'll get
chantarelles.
Now it's deer season over here. Deer tastes best with some
mushrooms...

Cheers,

Michael Kuettner

Magdalena Bassett > wrote:

> Here in the NorthWest (US) we are in the middle of the mushroom season.
> It's one of the best since I moved here - chanterelles, boletas, birch
> boletas, lactarius, russulas, and many more edible mushrooms. The
> chanterelles are the most popular with the pickers, and most pick 2-3
> gallons on an outing of about 3 hours. What fun! Yesterday, my husband
> and I found 31 shaggy parasols, in my opinion, tastier than any other
> mushrooms. We had a feast for supper last night, and the rest will be
> dehydrated to reconstitute later in the winter. I already have several
> containers with sauted chanterelles in the freezer, and hoping to round
> off my mushrooming season with a good find of matsutaki this weekend.
>
> Does anyone else on this group pick wild mushrooms for cooking?

I've been doing it my whole life and still do whenever I'm lucky enough
to find myself in Finland. I pick boletus edulis, boletus scaber (I
suppose that is what you call "birch boletus"), boletus aurantiacus,
chanterelles, morels, lactarius deliciosus, lots of other mushrooms and,
yes, even the various russulas, which are nothing special but still are
generally better than most any cultivated mushrooms.

Victor

Magdalena Bassett wrote:
> Michael Kuettner wrote:
>
>> You're absolutely right. People not knowing enough about
>> mushrooms shouldn't pick them.
>> I've picked them for 36 years now and never had any problems.
>> A note to beginners :
>> When in doubt, photograph the bugger and look in a book.
>> Don't pick the shroom.
>> When you pick clustered shrooms like chantarelles, always
>> leave a few in place. Otherwise, no shrooms next year.
>> Don't pick shrooms which show snail or insect bite.
>> They're past sell-by-date.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Michael Kuettner
>
>
>
> Yes, you're correct. It's very important to learn from experienced
> pickers. I learned from my Grandfather and my Father, who to this day
> bests me in his finds. He can walk through a paved parking lot and find
> edible mushrooms

My mother could do that and my older brother can. I never developed an
eye for finding them. I always remember as a kid we could be out on the
shortest trip and my mother would ask my father to stop. After a short
trip into a wooded area she would collect a bag full of mushrooms.

>
> I'm a member of a local chapter of the Mycological Society and we often
> foray together. It's a great way to learn from experienced pickers and
> to learn the local woods and local spiecies. Even without mushrooms,
> it's a great thing to go climbing through the incredibly wild forests of
> the Olympic Wilderness. My husband does not pick, but he goes with us
> for the pleasure of the forest.
>
> Magdalena Bassett

On Oct 15, 3:19?pm, Goomba38 > wrote:
> Magdalena Bassett wrote:
> > JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
> >>> Does anyone else on this group pick wild mushrooms for cooking?
>
> >>> Magdalena Bassett
>
> >> Does your family know where to find your last will & testament?
>
> > Yes, but you're not in it, so what's it to you?
>
> > Magdalena
>
> I think he was making a tongue in cheek comment about the potential
> risks of wild mushrooms?
> It certainly isn't something I'd be comfortable eating. I just don't
> know enough about mushrooms to feel safe?

People who brag about feasting on wild mushrooms in large quantities
don't know much aboout mycology either. Intelligent gatherers belong
to to a recognized mycological society. They never go gathering
alone, always in groups so they can get at least two others to
corroborate identification. And still they only eat at most one or
two specimens and wait 24 hours before indulging further. And if
there is any doubt the most one should eat is a small piece about the
size of a single peanut. It doesn't matter how many years experience
one has with wild mushrooms sooner or later they will make a serious
error. For knowlegeable mushroom gatherers the eating is the very
least important aspect of foraging, outdoor commraderie and the
discovery is far more important.

Found this ten foot diameter patch in my back yard yesterday:
http://i21.tinypic.com/v7gv46.jpg

Thousands of pea sized mushrooms:
http://i21.tinypic.com/35a7p4x.jpg


Sheldon

Victor Sack wrote:

> Magdalena Bassett > wrote:
>
>
>>Here in the NorthWest (US) we are in the middle of the mushroom season.
>>It's one of the best since I moved here - chanterelles, boletas, birch
>>boletas, lactarius, russulas, and many more edible mushrooms. The
>>chanterelles are the most popular with the pickers, and most pick 2-3
>>gallons on an outing of about 3 hours. What fun! Yesterday, my husband
>>and I found 31 shaggy parasols, in my opinion, tastier than any other
>>mushrooms. We had a feast for supper last night, and the rest will be
>>dehydrated to reconstitute later in the winter. I already have several
>>containers with sauted chanterelles in the freezer, and hoping to round
>>off my mushrooming season with a good find of matsutaki this weekend.
>>
>>Does anyone else on this group pick wild mushrooms for cooking?
>
>
> I've been doing it my whole life and still do whenever I'm lucky enough
> to find myself in Finland. I pick boletus edulis, boletus scaber (I
> suppose that is what you call "birch boletus"), boletus aurantiacus,
> chanterelles, morels, lactarius deliciosus, lots of other mushrooms and,
> yes, even the various russulas, which are nothing special but still are
> generally better than most any cultivated mushrooms.
>
> Victor


I love the thrill of finding them more than anything else. Mushrooming
seems to be in my genes. In early fall I can smell them on the wind, I
swear. I start moaning "mushrooms, mushrooms" and my husband knows I
will be disappearing some days, leaving a map with directions to where
I'm going. When I visit with my Parents in Poland, I try to time it for
the Fall, to go picking mushrooms with my Dad. I love that time with him.

My Mother, who makes dozens of jars of marinated wild mushrooms each
year, makes special jars with baby russulas, which look like tiny
muscarias By now, all friends and family have been served those, but
occasionally a new unsuspecting victim arrives at my Parents's house.
It's so much fun to see the politeness fighting with life-preservation
instinct. She tells them after a few seconds, but lets them suffer for a
bit

Magdalena Bassett

James Silverton wrote:
>
> I worked in a scientific research establishment that had an
> active mycological society. Mostly, an outing of the society
> consisted of a good long walk picking any mushroom that looked
> interesting. On return an "expert" divided the collection into
> three heaps: edible, inedible and poisonous. Everyone carefully
> examined the result and then chucked the whole lot out and went
> to a bar for a few beers! We did learn to recognize one or two
> and I have eaten inkcaps and unripe puffballs, even a rare morel
> or two.


I have to chuckle whenever I hear about morels. I have never had one but my
father claimed to love them. He had grown up in a small town about 50 miles
from Toronto, moved to the city as a teen and then to the suburbs when I
was a kid. Every year we were dragged off to his home town to pick morels.
He knew all the spots where they grew... or so he claimed. We never found
one. I never tasted one. On the rare occasion that I see them in the stores
I think about those morel hunting expeditions and pass them by.

Michael Kuettner wrote:

>> Same here. My grandfathers taught me the "lore".
> Especially leaving some mushrooms in place for reproduction.


In my family it's traditional to sacrifice the very first mushroom you
find, regardless of it's beauty, and crumble it to the four winds.

Also, I have been told to always cut them, never pull them, which could
harm the mycelium.

> I'm thrilled about the newer knowledge about the symbiosis between
> mushroom mycel and trees. Truffles being the most prominent examples.

When I was little, my Grandpa took me mushrooming and he would
constantly say things like: sandy soil, lots of young oaks - there will
be boletas here. Or, disturbed ground, fir trees, wet moss - look for
chanterelles. Birch boletas, those brown-, or orange-headed beauties on
strong, heathered legs are a sure bet - they almost never grow anywhere
else, except birch or aspen groves. My Father would always go for the
slippery jacks and such boletas in young pine woods with grassy areas.
The shaggy parasols love horse manure and will find their way to your
compost heap, and so on. Fun, huh?

> Plus the widening in our knowledge, that not only trees are in symbiotic
> relationship with mushrooms.

Exactly, especially people. Many mushrooms are very beneficial in
fighting tumors, and other ilnesses. Naturopaths prescribe dried wild
mushroom supplements, and many cuisines add dried or fresh mushrooms to
their winter dishes to improve flavors. I'm sure mushrooms will be our
answer to meat in the future. Anyone who had the pleasure of tasting a
shaggy parasol cutlet knows that flavor-wise, meat has nothing on them.

> Cheers,
>
> Michael Kuettner


Nice to meet another mycohead.

Magdalena Bassett

"JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote in message
...
> "Magdalena Bassett" > wrote in message
> ...
>> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>>
>>> "Magdalena Bassett" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>
>>>>Here in the NorthWest (US) we are in the middle of the mushroom season.
>>>>It's one of the best since I moved here - chanterelles, boletas, birch
>>>>boletas, lactarius, russulas, and many more edible mushrooms. The
>>>>chanterelles are the most popular with the pickers, and most pick 2-3
>>>>gallons on an outing of about 3 hours. What fun! Yesterday, my husband
>>>>and I found 31 shaggy parasols, in my opinion, tastier than any other
>>>>mushrooms. We had a feast for supper last night, and the rest will be
>>>>dehydrated to reconstitute later in the winter. I already have several
>>>>containers with sauted chanterelles in the freezer, and hoping to round
>>>>off my mushrooming season with a good find of matsutaki this weekend.
>>>>
>>>>Does anyone else on this group pick wild mushrooms for cooking?
>>>>
>>>>Magdalena Bassett
>>>
>>>
>>> Does your family know where to find your last will & testament?
>>
>>
>> Yes, but you're not in it, so what's it to you?
>>
>> Magdalena
>
> Heard an interview with some mushroom expert from Cornell a couple of
> years ago. He said even the best mushroom hunters occasionally make a
> mistake.

I'm still waiting to hear of a single mistake in the Russian branch of my
family.
Got some 80 year olds (plus) out there, not a single upset tummy, and three
generations of mushroom hunters behind them, all doing find.

Of course, people occasionally make mistakes and pour rat poison instead of
salt, too. Or grab their baby and use it as a weapon instead of using a
club
(see alt.true-crime).

Would love to know more about exactly where to look - no mushrooms here
in SoCal, none when I'm in Utah, either, at least not near where I live.


--
~A~
========================
susAn tAylor hAkobe
SoCal <-------->SoUtah commuter


>
>

A. wrote:

> I'm still waiting to hear of a single mistake in the Russian branch of my
> family.
> Got some 80 year olds (plus) out there, not a single upset tummy, and three
> generations of mushroom hunters behind them, all doing find.
>

Same here. I don't know of a single person in my family, or extended
community, where my parents live, who died from eating poisonous
mushrooms. I figured it's been at least 17 generations since my family
landed in Poland and by now the ones with the unobservant genes went the
Darwin way

I wonder if it's true that good mushroomers are also good proofreaders.I
see typos as often as I see mushrooms

> Of course, people occasionally make mistakes and pour rat poison instead of
> salt, too.

Or eat processed food, or meat with hormones, or fishmeal-fed chicken
meat from farms in China.

>
> Would love to know more about exactly where to look - no mushrooms here
> in SoCal, none when I'm in Utah, either, at least not near where I live.

I picked some in Santa Barbara years ago, but the Northwest is it.

Magdalena Bassett

One time on Usenet, "Michael Kuettner" > said:
> "Little Malice" > schrieb im Newsbeitrag
> ...
> > One time on Usenet, "Michael Kuettner" > said:
> >> "Goomba38" > schrieb

> >> > I think he was making a tongue in cheek comment about the potential risks
> >> > of wild mushrooms?
> >> > It certainly isn't something I'd be comfortable eating. I just don't know
> >> > enough about mushrooms to feel safe?

> >> You're absolutely right. People not knowing enough about
> >> mushrooms shouldn't pick them.
> >> I've picked them for 36 years now and never had any problems.
> >> A note to beginners :
> >> When in doubt, photograph the bugger and look in a book.
> >> Don't pick the shroom.
> >> When you pick clustered shrooms like chantarelles, always
> >> leave a few in place. Otherwise, no shrooms next year.
> >> Don't pick shrooms which show snail or insect bite.
> >> They're past sell-by-date.

> > Excellent advice all around, Michael, especially about the
> > chanterelles. I used to pick them with my family as a kid. I can still
> > identify them (and a few other edibles), but I haven't been picking in
> > a long time...

> Ah, I've found new places here in FL and across the border.
> Where needle trees and leaf trees intermingle, you'll get
> chantarelles.

The place we used to get them was like that, lots of firs and
salal, but professional pickers decimated them, then someone cut
down most of the trees... *sigh*

> Now it's deer season over here. Deer tastes best with some
> mushrooms...

--
Jani in WA

"Little Malice" > wrote in message
...
> One time on Usenet, "Michael Kuettner" > said:
>> "Little Malice" > schrieb im Newsbeitrag
>> ...
>> > One time on Usenet, "Michael Kuettner" > said:
>> >> "Goomba38" > schrieb
>
>> >> > I think he was making a tongue in cheek comment about the potential
>> >> > risks
>> >> > of wild mushrooms?
>> >> > It certainly isn't something I'd be comfortable eating. I just don't
>> >> > know
>> >> > enough about mushrooms to feel safe?
>
>> >> You're absolutely right. People not knowing enough about
>> >> mushrooms shouldn't pick them.
>> >> I've picked them for 36 years now and never had any problems.
>> >> A note to beginners :
>> >> When in doubt, photograph the bugger and look in a book.
>> >> Don't pick the shroom.
>> >> When you pick clustered shrooms like chantarelles, always
>> >> leave a few in place. Otherwise, no shrooms next year.
>> >> Don't pick shrooms which show snail or insect bite.
>> >> They're past sell-by-date.
>
>> > Excellent advice all around, Michael, especially about the
>> > chanterelles. I used to pick them with my family as a kid. I can still
>> > identify them (and a few other edibles), but I haven't been picking in
>> > a long time...
>
>> Ah, I've found new places here in FL and across the border.
>> Where needle trees and leaf trees intermingle, you'll get
>> chantarelles.
>
> The place we used to get them was like that, lots of firs and
> salal, but professional pickers decimated them, then someone cut
> down most of the trees... *sigh*
>
>> Now it's deer season over here. Deer tastes best with some
>> mushrooms...
>
> --
> Jani in WA

Eight deer in my yard tonight -- deer season soon here, too.
Gotta get out my orange cap to step out the door.
Dee Dee

In article <yFQQi.3642$0k2.1152@trnddc05>,
"James Silverton" > wrote:

> I worked in a scientific research establishment that had an
> active mycological society. Mostly, an outing of the society
> consisted of a good long walk picking any mushroom that looked
> interesting. On return an "expert" divided the collection into
> three heaps: edible, inedible and poisonous. Everyone carefully
> examined the result and then chucked the whole lot out and went
> to a bar for a few beers! We did learn to recognize one or two
> and I have eaten inkcaps and unripe puffballs, even a rare morel
> or two.
>
> James Silverton
> Potomac, Maryland

Why were the edible ones chucked?
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
Notes about our meals in Tuscany have been posted to
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com; 10-16-2007

Melba's wrote on Thu, 18 Oct 2007 07:22:10 -0500:

??>> I worked in a scientific research establishment that had
??>> an active mycological society. Mostly, an outing of the
??>> society consisted of a good long walk picking any mushroom
??>> that looked interesting. On return an "expert" divided the
??>> collection into three heaps: edible, inedible and
poisonous.
??>> Everyone carefully examined the result and then chucked
??>> the whole lot out and went to a bar for a few beers! We
??>> did learn to recognize one or two and I have eaten inkcaps
??>> and unripe puffballs, even a rare morel or two.
??>>
??>> James Silverton
??>> Potomac, Maryland

MsJ> Why were the edible ones chucked?

Among scientists in unrelated fields, the problem was a lack of
confidence in the abilities of the "expert". "Edible" was
regarded as an opinion and people get cautious when their own
safety is concerned :-) Still, there were some interesting hikes
involved.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

I-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.Jim.Silverton.at.verizon.not

On Oct 15, 4:31?pm, (Steve Pope) wrote:
> Peter A > wrote:
>
> >This may surprise you, JSB, but some people actually have the
> >intelligence and knowledge to pick and enjoy wild mushrooms without the
> >slightest risk.
>
> Of the people I know who pick mushrooms there's exactly two I trust to
> that level. I don't myself pretend to be able to know mushrooms
> that well.
>
> I don't necessarily trust unknown restaurants in the U.S. that
> serve wild mushrooms, either.

Restaurants in the US aren't serving *wild* mushrooms, they serve
various types of cultivated mushrooms. There are many types of
mushrooms that are cultivated these days, not just your generic
"button/"champignon mushrooms. Many of the upscale produce emporiums
sell an array of "wild" (cultivated) mushrooms. even the typical
stupidmarkets now sell a variety of cultivated mushrooms. And of
course there is even a much larger variety of fungi that one can buy
dried (which is the typical type used at high end upscale eateries),
dehy 'shrooms ain't cheap, a pound of dried morels can easily run $200

Sheldon.

In article >,
(Victor Sack) wrote:

> Magdalena Bassett > wrote:
>
> > Here in the NorthWest (US) we are in the middle of the mushroom season.
> > It's one of the best since I moved here - chanterelles, boletas, birch
> > boletas, lactarius, russulas, and many more edible mushrooms. The
> > chanterelles are the most popular with the pickers, and most pick 2-3
> > gallons on an outing of about 3 hours. What fun! Yesterday, my husband
> > and I found 31 shaggy parasols, in my opinion, tastier than any other
> > mushrooms. We had a feast for supper last night, and the rest will be
> > dehydrated to reconstitute later in the winter. I already have several
> > containers with sauted chanterelles in the freezer, and hoping to round
> > off my mushrooming season with a good find of matsutaki this weekend.
> >
> > Does anyone else on this group pick wild mushrooms for cooking?
>
> I've been doing it my whole life and still do whenever I'm lucky enough
> to find myself in Finland. I pick boletus edulis, boletus scaber (I
> suppose that is what you call "birch boletus"), boletus aurantiacus,
> chanterelles, morels, lactarius deliciosus, lots of other mushrooms and,
> yes, even the various russulas, which are nothing special but still are
> generally better than most any cultivated mushrooms.
>
> Victor

Victor, I had a note from my cousin early in the week. He said he and
his wife had "been in forest and we find many podpinka. Some older but
clean. Olga now has much work and all flat smelle to podpinka." I don't
know how Olga is drying hers; her mother-in-law (Milan's mom)
jerry-rigged a terrific dryer: metal screen on four legs, set so it
would sit maybe 18" above the stove surface. Maria would set a fire in
the wood stove and the heat would rise to dry the mushrooms. Clever,
those Rusins.

Mostly what I picked when I was a kid were boletus (I didn't know the
formal name then and have no idea what version we hunted). We'd
usually find them near rotted fallen oaks. Sometimes in cow pastures,
sometimes in woods. Mom was always excited to find a nice "chicken of
the woods." When I visited in 1992 I learned of sosn'ak (dunno if
spelling is correct) ‹ described to me by Cousin Maria as "the ones that
grow near pine trees."

Lynne Rossetto Kasper's weekly newsletter, "Weeknight Kitchen," features
a recipe this week for Scrambled Eggs with Wild Mushrooms. I wrote of
fond memories hunting the fungi, some to be dried (as Olga has done),
some to be canned, some to be enjoyed fresh, scrambled with eggs, hot or
sweet peppers, and onions, then put between toasted bread (or not) for a
sandwich. That's a treat I've not enjoyed in a very long time.

--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
Notes about our meals in Tuscany have been posted to
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com; 10-16-2007

Goomba38 wrote:
> Peter A wrote:
>
> > This may surprise you, JSB, but some people actually have the
> > intelligence and knowledge to pick and enjoy wild mushrooms without the
> > slightest risk.
>
> I don't dispute that there are people with the intelligence and plenty
> of knowledge of mushrooms, but I do dispute that it is without any
> risk. ALL wild mushrooms carry a risk of misidentification for whatever
> reason? Knowledgeable pickers have been known to make mistakes.

Absolutely... it's typically the so-called experts who more often
suffer poisoning and even death. With mushroom gathering a little
knowledge is deadly... a little knowlege gives one a false sense of
security, as evidences by such asshole comments as Peter's "without
the slightest risk", obviously total nonsense. Mushrooms are great
chameleons, the poisonous types very often mimic those that are safe
(they often grow together), and for identification much depends on at
which stage of development they're encountered. As a case in point, I
posted my recent mushroom picture to alt.nature.mushrooms for
identification, to date no one there has been able to tell me what it
is (so far two guesses, which when checked against images on the net
are obviously incorrect). But of course many, especially on usenet,
hold themselves out to be fungi experts when in fact they know no more
than you and I. Anyone with $20 can buy a mushroom field guide, spend
a few hours studying the pictures and familiarizing themselves with
the scientific names and then get on their computer and hold
themselves out as experts, when in fact they've never actually been
out in the field, let alone ever eaten any but canned button
'shrooms.

http://tinyurl.com/2hj4of

http://www.amazon.com/National-Audub.../dp/0394519922


http://tinyurl.com/2w8r2

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/pp/not...04/gpin004.htm


http://tinyurl.com/3bxugl

http://academic.evergreen.edu/projec.../phm/index.htm

I've actually been an active member of a mycology society (Brooklyn
Botanic Gardens), even been on more than a dozen field trips... I know
just enough to know that very few people on this planet are
knowlegeable when it comes to identifying mushrooms.


Sheldon

On Oct 15, 5:08?pm, "James Silverton" >
wrote:
> Michael wrote on Mon, 15 Oct 2007 22:48:53 +0200:
>
> MK> "Dave Smith" > schrieb im
> MK> ...
> ??>> Peter A wrote:
> ??>>>
> ??>>> This may surprise you, JSB, but some people actually have
> ??>>> the intelligence and knowledge to pick and enjoy wild
> ??>>> mushrooms without the slightest risk.
> ??>>
> ??>> I know a few guys who know their mushrooms. I don't. If I
> ??>> am every inclined to go mushroom picking I will get some
> ??>> proper instruction and save myself from anything from a
> ??>> mild buzz to death.
>
> MK> Well said.
> MK> The failure to get proper instruction can kill people.
> MK> And the failure to know about the propagation habits of
> MK> mushrooms can kill the mushrooms.
>
> I worked in a scientific research establishment that had an
> active mycological society. Mostly, an outing of the society
> consisted of a good long walk picking any mushroom that looked
> interesting. On return an "expert" divided the collection into
> three heaps: edible, inedible and poisonous. Everyone carefully
> examined the result and then chucked the whole lot out and went
> to a bar for a few beers! We did learn to recognize one or two
> and I have eaten inkcaps and unripe puffballs, even a rare morel
> or two.

Exactly.