365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Mycology 101
Day 358: It's autumn, and the wild mushrooms are springing up everywhere, so I want to post a warning for any of you who are thinking of gathering Nature's provender for your dinner table. There are many species of 'shroom which are very difficult to tell apart, and a mistaken identification can kill you, or make you very sick either now or in the long term by causing organ damage. Some are so lethal that a single mispicked mushroom can contaminate the edibles in your basket, so be sure you know what you're doing when you go collecting.
I don't mean to put you off mushroom hunting. In fact, there are a dozen or so delicious "beginner species" which can hardly be mistaken for anything else, and I'll put my Chanterelles up against your Portobellos or Shiitakes any day. They fry well, and make a delicious cream of mushroom soup. That said, if I'd found one growing alongside this Amanita, I'd have left it right there in the interest of living long enough to enjoy another season of picking what I know to be safe to eat.
Labels:
Amanita,
Longmire campground,
MORA,
mushroom,
mushroom hunting
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment