Can I eat them there mushrooms?

k_nicole87
k_nicole87 Posts: 407 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So, I was pulling weeds out of my flower bed and noticed a ton of mushrooms growing around in there. I live in Ohio if that helps. I have tried searching online but I want to make absolutely sure they are safe to eat. Can anyone tell me of a website to go to or your experience with wild mushrooms? I am a mushroom freak and that's free food right there! :drinker:

Replies

  • rejectuf
    rejectuf Posts: 487 Member
    Find a local USDA agency near you and ask them. You could also try local park service employees.

    Basically, even a picture given to an expert often isn't enough to tell if it's safe. You'd want to see where it grew, all angles, etc. to really know it's safe to eat. Being wrong is a good way to die a painful death.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    Shrooms!
  • Kanuenue
    Kanuenue Posts: 253 Member
    The problem with mushrooms is the common white button mushroom from the grocery store looks almost exactly like a strongly toxic variety that grows wild. Mushrooms, delicious or deadly. Got to be careful. I wouldn't do it without an experts identification. Even internet resources are limited if you don't know what you are looking for and you may come to a premature conclusion.

    Ohio has a lot of outdoors-y stuff doesn't it? (I've never been, but I love the great lakes area for camping). Is there a local survivalist group? Like people who do foraging and living off the land kinda of thing. I would take the 'shrooms to them or a similar expert and see what they have to say.

    ETA: Universities are also a great source of specialized professionals who may have this info.
  • So_Much_Fab
    So_Much_Fab Posts: 1,146 Member
    Eat some. If you report back on this thread we'll all know they were safe. If not..well then.

    KIDDING!!
  • Unknown
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  • rowlandsw
    rowlandsw Posts: 1,166 Member
    Even in the wild some of the lethal and non lethal non button mushrooms look alike. I'd rather just stick with the ones from the store.
  • rejectuf
    rejectuf Posts: 487 Member
    Here's some information from one of the USDA's mushroom identification brochures:

    For those with sufficient experience, many of these species can be recognized from their photographs and short descriptions. However, this brochure is not intended to serve as a stand-alone identification guide and never should be used as such. Many of the species you encounter will appear similar and will not be easily identifiable without considerable experience, technical literature, and tools such as a compound microscope. And keep in mind that comparing specimens to photographs can lead to errors, as important characteristics such as smell, taste, color changes, habitat, and microscopic features cannot or might not be portrayed in a photo.

    When harvesting mushrooms to identify or eat, there are several things you should keep in mind. First, it is important to
    collect the entire mushroom and, if possible, to collect several specimens (a “collection”) that show a range of variation.
    Second, keep collections separate to reduce possible confusion when you return home at the end of the day.
    Third, take note of the surroundings in which you found each collection. Important details to record include tree species
    present, substrate the mushroom is growing on (wood, soil, moss, other mushrooms, etc.), and habit (e.g., is the
    mushroom growing singly, in groups, or a cluster?). Also make note of the color and odor of the mushroom and any color
    changes that may occur when you cut it in half or handle it.
  • squishycatmew
    squishycatmew Posts: 151 Member
    Do you have access to a Park Service, or a university with a mycology program? I've eaten wild mushrooms on a camping trip - but they were identified by a Mycology graduate student who was on the trip because… I don't actually know why , it was a herpetology/vertebrate natural history course co-field trip, but everyone in the Bio dept tends to take friends on overnight trips if they can, and I actually loved the mushrooms, which I rarely like, so yay.
  • jchite84
    jchite84 Posts: 467 Member
    I also live in Ohio. There are a fair number of safe and toxic mushrooms in the state. Unfortunately, some look very similar. I have a couple of mushroom identification books, but TBH, I've never been brave enough to go mushrooming alone. In order to verify a mushroom you look at cap shape and color, collared or uncollared, ribbed under cap or smooth under cap, and spore color (white or black), some mushrooms will be identical except for one minor difference (spore color or collar), and the difference could be toxic. I would recommend looking for a mushrooming group or find somebody who regularly goes hunting/collecting to show you safe varieties.
  • Archon2
    Archon2 Posts: 462 Member
    IMO, it is not worth the risk without knowing for sure. Yeah, if you know of an expert that you trust, then show them. Otherwise...what are you saving? Maybe five or ten dollars on mushrooms at most you know are safe from the supermarket? :)
  • Elsie_Brownraisin
    Elsie_Brownraisin Posts: 786 Member
    I'd be wary.

    You could ask your local ranger/council/forestry (? I'm not from the US) if they run mushroom walks or find a guide and also read lots of books for next autumn. But for right now, leave them alone.

    I have eaten some c*ap in my lifetime, but even KFC doesn't carry the risk of shutting down my internal organs over an agonising period of a few days, with a slim of chance survival, even with immediate medical attention :noway:
  • MysteriousMerlin
    MysteriousMerlin Posts: 2,270 Member
    Eat some. If you report back on this thread we'll all know they were safe. If not..well then.

    KIDDING!!

    YOLO, amirite?!
  • freakhazerd2424
    freakhazerd2424 Posts: 611 Member
    Mushrooms are extremely dangerous and hard to tell what's safe. Throw them out and if you want some spend a few bucks at the store
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    IMO, it is not worth the risk without knowing for sure. Yeah, if you know of an expert that you trust, then show them. Otherwise...what are you saving? Maybe five or ten dollars on mushrooms at most you know are safe from the supermarket? :)

    This. The wrong ones can kill you.
  • k_nicole87
    k_nicole87 Posts: 407 Member
    Eat some. If you report back on this thread we'll all know they were safe. If not..well then.

    KIDDING!!


    :drinker:
    On my tombstone, please include "she died eating what she loved"

    Let the assumptions begin!
  • pipertargaryen
    pipertargaryen Posts: 303 Member
    This isn't helpful, but:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDSwXXq6wRc
  • k_nicole87
    k_nicole87 Posts: 407 Member
    You guys are right. Best to just avoid them. I buy some many mushrooms as it is, I should have stock in a mushroom company.
  • w734q672
    w734q672 Posts: 578 Member
    Sure. This is America, you can do whatever you want.
  • jchite84
    jchite84 Posts: 467 Member
    Historically there have been some pretty sizable mushroom farms in Northeastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania (the part of Ohio I am from). I looked into starting a mushroom farm, but the infrastructure was going to cost a lot to realize profit in a very reasonable amount of time. But....if you'd like to invest, then you know where to find me :)
  • Archon2
    Archon2 Posts: 462 Member
    I'm glad you reconsidered, OP :)

    Edible mushrooms are very good for you, low cal, and good source of hard to get minerals and such.

    I was worried that your yard mushroom might be immature deathcaps which can look like the safe button kind from the store!

    "Food" for thought: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2014/02/most_dangerous_mushroom_death_cap_is_spreading_but_poisoning_can_be_treated.html

    Edit: added link
  • k_nicole87
    k_nicole87 Posts: 407 Member
    I'm glad you reconsidered, OP :)

    Edible mushrooms are very good for you, low cal, and good source of hard to get minerals and such.

    I was worried that your yard mushroom might be immature deathcaps which can look like the safe button kind from the store!

    They don't look like the ones in the store. I just saw them and thought, hey, can we eat those? But I wouldn't even attempt it unless someone could tell me 100% that they were ok.

    I have thought about putting down some cow poop and having a SUPER awesome stir fry! :wink:
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
    I love mushrooms too~ I have a weird obsession with collecting mushroom cookbooks...

    Can you take a photograph at least so we can make some more uneducated guesses? XD
  • VTRutz
    VTRutz Posts: 52 Member
    I always look at it this way... if they don't look like animals/bugs have eaten them, there is probably a reason. Mushrooms are so tricky. I would TOTALLY be the first to kick the bucket come world apocalypse where foraging is necessary to survive.

    Unless I could forage the whole foods.
  • k_nicole87
    k_nicole87 Posts: 407 Member
    I love mushrooms too~ I have a weird obsession with collecting mushroom cookbooks...

    Can you take a photograph at least so we can make some more uneducated guesses? XD

    I will when I get home tonight! Be on standby. I likely will pick them and throw them out though. But you know, for fun guessing reasons.
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
    I used to pick wild mushrooms in the woods with my grandmother... I still remember the wonderful sight and smell of them sautéing in butter until they were golden in a cast-iron skillet on her old cabin stove. Mmmmmmmm... ::: fades off into lovely memories of 5-year-old bliss :::

    Yeah, no way in hell I'd eat the ones that grow in my backyard. She knew what she was doing, what to look for, and where to go to find them. Most of that ish is scary poisonous.

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