parasol mushrooms

[wolf]

are these parasol mushrooms?if so how do i cook them?thanks

 

[yoshizakura]

If they are Parasol, They haven't opened up yet. When they do they look just like a Parasol.
Last week I tried a Parasol for the fisrt time. I identified it with my Food For Free Colins gem book and followed it's easy recipe:
Parasol Mushroom Fritters
Remove the stalks and wipe caps clean.
Dip the caps whole into flour, then batter and deep fry in oil for about 5 minutes.

They were horrible in my opinion. just tasted as though I'd fried a lump of earth.

 

[spamel]

Hehehe! At least you tried them, that's the main thing. Maybe you could try a different way of preparing them?

 

[wolf]

ive just read there suppose to be one of the best mushrooms to eat,suppose it depends on the person...cheeers anyway...

 

[Neil1]

Yeah, they are shaggy , see my post "a woodsmans lunch", I have preeped them in all sorts of ways (they make a wicked soup).
Neil

 

[Tantalus]

Extract from

Collins

Mushrooms of Great Britain and Europe
Shaggy Parasol
Macrolepiota rhacodes

............
Quote:
Habitat: Conifers, especially spruce....
Quote:
A good edible species but beware of var. bohemica.........(which) appears to be more or less indigestible, especially when gathered in very disturbed sites.


please be careful

Tant

 

[yoshizakura]

I don't know about disturbed sites, But my find was no where near conifers. I found mine at the edge of a field of grass.

I followed all the description carefully. My book says :
Found occasionally in wood margins,grassy clearings and roadsides.
It goes on to say it is among the best edible fungi.
So looking back it probably wasn't one of those.

The good news is I've ordered a Roger Phillips book so I should be better at identifying in the future (as long as the book gets here before the seasons end).

 

[Tantalus]

Book also says, bohemica reddens less than Macrolepiota rhacodes, which isnt terribly helpful if you have never found a Macrolepiota rhacodes.

But judging by your description of the taste it seems something wasnt right. The germans used to say a shaggy parasol tasted similar to a veal schnitzel, which isnt much help as veal is virtually unobtainable in this country as well.

I never thought they tasted like veal but i smoke 20 a day so that aint reliable, and the grass thing, well fungi grow in such a hidden way that the green pasture could have been pinewood in recent history.

Putting the taste and the grass together my guess without seeing the thing in situ is that you got one of the bohemicas, note these are not poisonous, just not tasty

Tant

 

[den]

Yeah, they are shaggy

At a glance id say they were parasol mushroom ( Lepiota procera) not shaggy parasols (lepiota rhacodes) which can cause stomach upsets in some.

Wolf was there any red staining when you cut into them?

Parasols are defiantly one of my favourite mushrooms.
I fry mine in garlic butter until soft but not crisp served on a bed of rocket. Any surplus I dry and use to flavour soups and stews.


Den

 

[stovie]

are these parasol mushrooms?if so how do i cook them?thanks

They are M. procera (parasol Mushroom) and not the shaggy variety. Note the DARK scaling on the cap (unlike the much paler scaling on the shaggy variety) and the distinctive banding of cracks around the stem.

The one most likely to cause confusion (and an upset stomach) is Lepiota cristata (stinking parasol) but it is distinctive by its sulphurous smell and dark stem. You would know it if you sniffed it

To cook the edible parasols, slice thickly, fry in butter for 1 min, lots of black pepper and serve on warm bread. Simple but delicious

 

[wolf]

cheers...