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wild-mushrooms
Julian Howden
Posts: 5
in Fruit & veg
Hi,
Can anyone tell me if these mushrooms I picked this evening are edibe?
0
Posts
Julian, I doubt anyone is going to commit themselves to saying yes, but those look like a fine example of edible Field mushrooms (Agaricus campestris) to me. All I will say is that I would eat them! I always do this test first: I take a small piece of one and place it inside my mouth between bottom lip and teeth for two minutes. If there is any burning sensation, I don't risk it.
used to pick loads of mushies when i was a kid on the banks of the river dee (cheshire) when fishing ps nice with some moorhens eggs
They look edible to me - but I'm not suggesting you eat them. Any smell of aniseed? If so, not good.
I agree with Bob, but break a piece off, if it smells of carbol it is not edible, otherwise, enjoy!
It was nice knowing you Julian.
Pathetic humour sorry. I don't know anything about mushrooms but can think of a few folks I'd feed toadstools to.
Thanks to you all for you responses.
I have broke them in half and there is not a strong smell of any of the comments given to me. I will try a sample over the weekend, because there was another load of them in the garden last night. Who needs dark rooms to grown mushrooms.
The taste and smell tests suggested are absolutely not safe! Sorry for shouting but some of the deadliest mushrooms will easily pass these tests. There are lots of other "old housewives tale" tests which won't save you either such as if animals eat them they are OK for humans, if you can peel them then they are safe etc. Taste and smell can be used to help identify particular species but they are not safety tests.
The safest method is to use a genuine bona-fide expert if you can find one. (Living in France or Italy makes this easier, try the local pharmacist in these countries) Failing that you can try identifying them using several good books. I cross-reference using at least three books and will also check several sites on the web. I also limit my consumption to a few species which I can reliably identify. Any doubt and the're out!
One useful and easy test you can make is to take a spore print. Place the cap gills down on a piece of paper overnight. In the morning you should have a nice pattern of spores which you can inspect for colour to aid identification.
Your photos look like field mushrooms as others have said. However I don't have them in front of me to make further checks and more importantly you don't know me so how could you trust an internet stranger to identfiy something which might cause you serious harm?
The most likely source is that someone may have used spent mushroom compost in the garden and this will often still have viable spores in it giving you an unexpected but welcome crop. If you have pastures near by then this may be the source of the spores. Exactly where mushrooms grow can help with identification too.
Sorry to say this (well really no I'm not) DON'T BE STUPID! If you are not sure whether they're safe or not don't eat them!
Even putting a bit in your mouth risky! As stated above even the "simple" tests are not to be trusted, and if you did eat a poisonous one don't bank on the hosp having an antidote for them as some don't even have one and you'll suffer an agonising slow death!
I agree totally with Steephill - Do Not Eat Wild Mushrooms unless YOU know they are safe, or unless you have had them verified BY AN EXPERT who has seen them in the flesh!
I have eaten many wild mushrooms, but only under the circumstances above - whilst others are of course well-meaning, mushrooms cannot be identified by a picture alone.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Rubbish, I have been collecting mushrooms for years and there is NO poisonous mushroom that looks like that. I have several wild mushroom books and have looked these up. It is a very clear picture and they are definitely field mushrooms! Carbolic mushrooms are not poisonous, but they taste horrible and you would spit them out after one bite!