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Safe mushrooms?

drewmbarrdrewmbarr Posts: 3
in Problem solving
Hi, I have a small back garden in London which I am trying to allow wild plants and such to grow in. I have noticed some small mushrooms appear and I am worried about whether or not they are poisonous as I have three small children. They are small, slimy-brown, quite dark brown when wet, with a beany-hat shape to them, and a think stem around 3cm to 4cm tall. Should I get rid of them or leave them to grow?
Thank you for any advice offered.   
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Posts

  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    How old are the children?
  • GemmaJFGemmaJF Posts: 2,286
    If the children are of talking age, explain to them never to eat mushrooms in the wild, that it takes an expert to identify which are safe.

    It is far better they see them and are told it is something not to eat then removing them, if they are old enough to understand.

    As they are the reproductive part of a much larger fungus underneath the ground, they will likely come back year on year.
  • GemmaJFGemmaJF Posts: 2,286
    Treeface said:
    GemmaJF said:
    If the children are of talking age, explain to them never to eat mushrooms in the wild, that it takes an expert to identify which are safe.
    i.e tell them that they will die if they eat them. That depends on them being "old enough" in your judgment to know what death is.

    Quite, I can only relate my own experience of a somewhat feral upbringing in a large garden, where being told not to eat something because the chances are it would kill you, was sufficient to survive the experience. I'm sure it is where I got my love for playing in soil, still do.  :)
  • GemmaJFGemmaJF Posts: 2,286
    Well I suppose we'll just have to wait for the non-expert opinions on whether they are deadly or not, then it will turn into a discussion on cats. Think I'll step out of it at this point. My sister used to eat coal, sure she was told not to as well.
  • drewmbarrdrewmbarr Posts: 3
    Thanks for your replies. My daughter is four. You may tell her not to eat something but... I might just lift them to be on the safe side. I was hoping to leave the garden as wild as possible and just let what grew prosper.
  • GemmaJFGemmaJF Posts: 2,286
    I think to be honest, if a child is too young to know, they ought to be supervised in the garden at all times. She does sound a little young to fully grasp simply being 'told'.

    The advantage of older children seeing and being told, is if they are out in the wider countryside at any time, they know things that look 'nice' are not always edible.
  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,841
    Small, slimy brown fungi don't sound terribly attractive to eat, even for a four year old. Most mushrooms don't taste good, a few are dangerous and a few are delicious. A photo of the offending articles would help in identification but I suspect that your specimens are in the first category.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited July 2020
    When @WonkyWomble and her brother were young and living a pretty free life in the countryside we established that fungi growing wild were ‘toadstools’ and might make you sick (ie vomit) unless identified as ‘edibles’ by an expert. 

    The ones we bought and ate regularly from the greengrocer were ‘mushrooms’. 

    That seemed to be enough to enable them to keep themselves safe once they were old enough to be in the garden unsupervised. 

    I found that the term ‘sick’ was more effective than ‘die’.  They had experience of vomiting and didn’t like it ... they were far too young to have a concept of death as it applies to them ... I’ve a feeling I read that only kicks in about mid twenties, which is why older soldiers are of less use on the front line. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • drewmbarrdrewmbarr Posts: 3
    I discovered what they are when I opened the curtains from an upstairs window and noticed they formed a circle in a ring of darker grass - what's commonly know as a 'fairy-ring'. They are fairy-ring mushrooms - other wise known as fairy ring champignons, marasmius oriades. A gourmet mushroom, said to be great tasting, which I intend to eat this evening, when the children are asleep and I can have them all to myself. 
  • tui34tui34 Posts: 3,493
    I have three small children. They are small, slimy-brown, quite dark brown when wet, with a beany-hat shape to them,  @drewmbarr  Goodness!!
    A good hoeing is worth two waterings.

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