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I'm a retired biologist and have always enjoyed finding edible wild plants (and animals, but they're a lot harder to "pick"...).
Up in my original homeland of Canada, I spent a lot of time in central British Columbia, in those dry Ponderosa Pine - Aspen - Grassland & Forest bio-communities. There are shaggy manes, Chanterelles, Morels, Agaricus spp. (Agarici?) and many others. Fascinating. Now I'm on the dry side of the Washington State Cascades, and I have many different kinds right here in my lawn and garden, including, (gasp!) those cute little Psilocybe spp.
Anyone else out there share this interest? Any really good websites? (I have found a few, plus the usual assortment of books).
I'm considering selling one of my (too many) hunting rifles and buying myself a nice dissecting microscope. That way I can also check out spore shapes @ about 100X or above, and can really get into the micro-structures! Otherwise IDing some of these species can be a bit tricky to ID, right? And the consequences of a bad ID could be, well... "unfortunate"!
Anyone with a good source for the choice 'shrooms? You know; just your anecdotal stories; you don't have to tell us all the exact location (just DM me though...) and I don't necessarily mean Psilocybins.... but hey; why not huh?
"They're strictly medicinal, your honor! But say; why is your hair multi-colored and constantly changing, and why are you floating 3 feet off the bench...?"
I'm a retired biologist and have always enjoyed finding edible wild plants (and animals, but they're a lot harder to "pick"...).
Up in my original homeland of Canada, I spent a lot of time in central British Columbia, in those dry Ponderosa Pine - Aspen - Grassland & Forest bio-communities. There are shaggy manes, Chanterelles, Morels, Agaricus spp. (Agarici?) and many others. Fascinating. Now I'm on the dry side of the Washington State Cascades, and I have many different kinds right here in my lawn and garden, including, (gasp!) those cute little Psilocybe spp.
Anyone else out there share this interest? Any really good websites? (I have found a few, plus the usual assortment of books).
I'm considering selling one of my (too many) hunting rifles and buying myself a nice dissecting microscope. That way I can also check out spore shapes @ about 100X or above, and can really get into the micro-structures! Otherwise IDing some of these species can be a bit tricky to ID, right? And the consequences of a bad ID could be, well... "unfortunate"!
Anyone with a good source for the choice 'shrooms? You know; just your anecdotal stories; you don't have to tell us all the exact location (just DM me though...) and I don't necessarily mean Psilocybins.... but hey; why not huh?
"They're strictly medicinal, your honor! But say; why is your hair multi-colored and constantly changing, and why are you floating 3 feet off the bench...?"
Happy Hunting! (We put the "fun" in fungi!)
Rifleman! I am a fungal! I moved to the Six Rivers Nat'l Forest just to feast on fabulous fungi found around here.
We have oysters by the ton in the late summer, then comes fall with chanterelles, matsutake, various boletes, amanitas, sulphur shelfs and more. In the early spring, we have craterellus, and then morels in late spring. Life is so good here.
I tried to buy a used microscope from Humboldt State but had no luck.
That would be very cool to ID mushrooms microscopically.
Once you learn enough mushroom taxonomy, you will usually be able to ID the family by sight, and then key them out to genus, and if you are lucky, to species. There are so many different mushrooms out there.
Common mushrooms are easy. As you know, many of the tasty edibles are easily identified, but I often find unusual mushrooms that I can't even key to genus. Many of them are unknown.
I like mushrooms but have always been too scared to risk getting the wrong one in the wild or even my yard. I have seen a half a dozen different kinds, just this late spring. I do eat edible flowers and purslane from my yard.
I like mushrooms but have always been too scared to risk getting the wrong one in the wild or even my yard. I have seen a half a dozen different kinds, just this late spring. I do eat edible flowers and purslane from my yard.
Mushroom hunting is the kind of thing where a little education goes a long way. My six favorite edibles, are chanterelles, craterellus, oyster mushrooms, matsutakes, hedgehogs, and morels and are so distinctive that once you have picked them a few times, you would not confuse them with anything else.
Others, belonging to the Amanita family are more difficult to identify, and a mistake can be fatal. Most cases of fatal mushroom poisoning are from this family of mushrooms.
Button mushrooms, crimini, and portabellas are all members of the Agaricus family. There are so many members of this family, they can be hard to identify. A mistaken ID in this family is not likely to kill you, but can make you sick.
Porcini mushrooms are members of the Bolete family, and there are several tasty members of this family. But, accurate ID takes practice, as there are poisonous boletes.
If you stick just to the first six mushrooms I mentioned, you can enjoy a bounty of delicious mushrooms in the rainy seasons of the Pacific Northwest with little risk. You don't have to become a professional mycologist.
anyhow, I also pick the inky caps; the shaggy manes, but coincidnetally I also have found, ehre in central Wa, the alcohol inky cap, which does not havwe the haggy outer covering, and, if consumed iwth alcohol, is a tad bit (near lethally..) hard on your liver.
but htose inky cap shaggies? wodnerful. It's worth it to find and eat them.
Yeah, Sizzly, I REALLY want a dissection microscope as well. I've found new ones are quite reasonably priced from Celestron,(the telescope people; they used to sell direct to me wholesale, but possibly not any more) and I'm going to see if they will wholesale me one. Maybe if I rell 'em I'm doing some educational work, which I could do with my local kids...
If you are interested, I'll look into two. I really enjoyed having access at the "U" to a good Nikon Dissection scope to look at bugs, plant parts and spores.
I have some meadow Agaricus in my back yard (it used to be a horse pasture), but I can't get beyond the basic determinations, and some are supposed to possibly make you sick. I should grab a digi-pic and post it, huh?
Books I use:
The Mushroom Trail Guide by Phyliss G. Glick (big on spore prints)
and...
Mushrooms by Thomas Læssøe and Gary Lincoff. Smithsonian Handbooks.
good photos and a good key, but the Agaricsu may neecgheir own field guide.
BTW, as to the question on the psilocybins; (Strophariacea) No, they are often found on their own. There is a dung psilocybe, but certainly not all of them. Possibly the ex-horse pasture chemistry of my pasture is good for them?
anyhow, I also pick the inky caps; the shaggy manes, but coincidnetally I also have found, ehre in central Wa, the alcohol inky cap, which does not havwe the haggy outer covering, and, if consumed iwth alcohol, is a tad bit (near lethally..) hard on your liver.
but htose inky cap shaggies? wodnerful. It's worth it to find and eat them.
Yeah, Sizzly, I REALLY want a dissection microscope as well. I've found new ones are quite reasonably priced from Celestron,(the telescope people; they used to sell direct to me wholesale, but possibly not any more) and I'm going to see if they will wholesale me one. Maybe if I rell 'em I'm doing some educational work, which I could do with my local kids...
If you are interested, I'll look into two. I really enjoyed having access at the "U" to a good Nikon Dissection scope to look at bugs, plant parts and spores.
I have some meadow Agaricus in my back yard (it used to be a horse pasture), but I can't get beyond the basic determinations, and some are supposed to possibly make you sick. I should grab a digi-pic and post it, huh?
Books I use:
The Mushroom Trail Guide by Phyliss G. Glick (big on spore prints)
and...
Mushrooms by Thomas Læssøe and Gary Lincoff. Smithsonian Handbooks.
good photos and a good key, but the Agaricsu may neecgheir own field guide.
BTW, as to the question on the psilocybins; (Strophariacea) No, they are often found on their own. There is a dung psilocybe, but certainly not all of them. Possibly the ex-horse pasture chemistry of my pasture is good for them?
Not so easy to crag the laptop out into the woods though. Fall's coming! Enjoy the 'shrooms!
Anyhow, sorry for the delay!
I don't see a lot of inky caps around here, or many of genus coprinus at all. There are a few mushrooms I don't see here, and I don't know why.
There are no hedgehogs, candy caps, or winter chanterelles. Also, not many agaricus.
I wonder if it is related to the history of heavy logging in this area.
I would be very interested in getting a microscope if the price is right.
That would be so awesome!
You really must get "Mushrooms Demystified" by David Aurora. You would enjoy his style of writing, he is very entertaining.
Perhaps this thread should be moved to the food forum, or hobbies.
I don't see a lot of inky caps around here, or many of genus coprinus at all. There are a few mushrooms I don't see here, and I don't know why.
There are no hedgehogs, candy caps, or winter chanterelles. Also, not many agaricus.
I wonder if it is related to the history of heavy logging in this area.
I would be very interested in getting a microscope if the price is right.
That would be so awesome!
You really must get "Mushrooms Demystified" by David Aurora. You would enjoy his style of writing, he is very entertaining.
Perhaps this thread should be moved to the food forum, or hobbies.
that is indeed a great book on the subject, i have a copy in a box somewhere.
the pictures will make you LOL.
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Here shroomy shroomy shroomy!
