Apologies if this has been done before, but there seem to be a lot of new members about asking questions about edible fungi (its that time of year), so I thought I'd post up some guidelines on how to be sensible about harvesting wild mushrooms.
I'm no fungi expert, but I have been collecting them for over 20 years, and I'm still alive, so I reckon I know a bit about it.
These are rules for the UK, as I am aware that continentals have the excellent system of pharmacists who are trained to do fungus identification for you. Wish we had that over here.
Rule 1. There are no quick and easy rules. Either you know what it is, or you don't. If you don't, or there is any uncertainty at all, DON'T EAT IT.
Get a book, go on a course, get someone to teach you. Learn a few that you can recognise reliably, and proceed from there Learn the deadly ones too, so you know what to avoid.
Being 'sure' isn't good enough. 100% certainty that the mushroom you intend to eat is safe is the only acceptable level of safety. Learning to say "I don't know/I'm not sure" and then leaving it behind is probably the most important skill of all. You'll miss out on a treat now and then by doing that, but you will also avoid nasty mistakes. I've made those mistakes, and I'd recommend that you avoid them.
2. Never eat a wild mushroom raw, or in the field. Take it home, and double check it against your reference source (book, friend, etc). Check twice, eat once. That way you avoid mistakes. This simple rule has saved me from eating something unpleasant many times.
3. Check every single specimen that you take. Just because the previous 25 were all field mushrooms doesn't mean that number 26 isn't a Death Cap.
4. Only pick what you intend to eat.
5. Never pick more than a third (half at most) of the available crop. Leave young specimens behind (especially because they can be hard to identify). It can be tempting to take more when you find something nice, but sticking to this rule ensures a crop for next year.
6. Be careful handling fungi, as some can be nasty if you wipe your eye etc. I always carry handwash gel to use after I have handled anything I'm not certain of.
7. If you eat these fungi, make sure someone else knows you have done so. If you feel ill any time in the 6-12 hours afterwards, let someone know, or just get yourself some medical help. Some people recommend always leaving one specimen uncooked and uneaten so that others can see what it was you ingested.
I don't want to be alarmist about picking wild fungi, as there are many more edible ones than dangerous ones, but the dangerous ones are potentially fatal, and I know of at least two serious poisoning cases in my local area in the last week or so.
All that said, picking wild fungi can give a whole new set of wonderful taste experiences, and there are certainly some treats to be had.
I hope this helps, and feel free to add your own rules.
Enjoy!
I'm no fungi expert, but I have been collecting them for over 20 years, and I'm still alive, so I reckon I know a bit about it.
These are rules for the UK, as I am aware that continentals have the excellent system of pharmacists who are trained to do fungus identification for you. Wish we had that over here.
Rule 1. There are no quick and easy rules. Either you know what it is, or you don't. If you don't, or there is any uncertainty at all, DON'T EAT IT.
Get a book, go on a course, get someone to teach you. Learn a few that you can recognise reliably, and proceed from there Learn the deadly ones too, so you know what to avoid.
Being 'sure' isn't good enough. 100% certainty that the mushroom you intend to eat is safe is the only acceptable level of safety. Learning to say "I don't know/I'm not sure" and then leaving it behind is probably the most important skill of all. You'll miss out on a treat now and then by doing that, but you will also avoid nasty mistakes. I've made those mistakes, and I'd recommend that you avoid them.
2. Never eat a wild mushroom raw, or in the field. Take it home, and double check it against your reference source (book, friend, etc). Check twice, eat once. That way you avoid mistakes. This simple rule has saved me from eating something unpleasant many times.
3. Check every single specimen that you take. Just because the previous 25 were all field mushrooms doesn't mean that number 26 isn't a Death Cap.
4. Only pick what you intend to eat.
5. Never pick more than a third (half at most) of the available crop. Leave young specimens behind (especially because they can be hard to identify). It can be tempting to take more when you find something nice, but sticking to this rule ensures a crop for next year.
6. Be careful handling fungi, as some can be nasty if you wipe your eye etc. I always carry handwash gel to use after I have handled anything I'm not certain of.
7. If you eat these fungi, make sure someone else knows you have done so. If you feel ill any time in the 6-12 hours afterwards, let someone know, or just get yourself some medical help. Some people recommend always leaving one specimen uncooked and uneaten so that others can see what it was you ingested.
I don't want to be alarmist about picking wild fungi, as there are many more edible ones than dangerous ones, but the dangerous ones are potentially fatal, and I know of at least two serious poisoning cases in my local area in the last week or so.
All that said, picking wild fungi can give a whole new set of wonderful taste experiences, and there are certainly some treats to be had.
I hope this helps, and feel free to add your own rules.
Enjoy!
