Comments on: Little Brown Mushrooms: Careful Observation is Crucial in Mycology

By: jj_murphy

jj_murphy — Fri, 28 May 2010 19:16:35 +0000

Yes, finish the story about the old and bold mushroom forager, even if the end is tragic. I’m finding that many old foragers who make mistakes have grown up in other countries and do not realize that what looks like a familiar mushroom from “back home” is not the same thing.

With all the effort that mycologist have devoted to DNA analysis what we thought we knew about mushrooms has resulted in changing botanical names.

By: DrewMycophile

DrewMycophile — Fri, 28 May 2010 16:08:38 +0000

LBM’s are bad news, same with that pretty white mushroom with the veil ring…lol..words to live by “when in doubt, throw it out”….I need to tell the story about the old and bold mushroom forager……

By: JJ Murphy

JJ Murphy — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:36:43 +0000

Wow, Josh, that really surprises me.

All the scary poisoning stories I hear are usually about people from other countries who think what they see growing here is the same mushroom in their native country or very experienced mycologists who overlook a detail and end up paying the price.

I’ve never heard of “Friend Chicken” mushrooms. Did your friend mean Laetiporous sulphureous or something else?

I typically do not find mushrooms in enough abundance to fail to notice each and every one I put in my basket. Even so, I have thrown out edible mushrooms when in doubt.

By: Josh Hutchins

Josh Hutchins — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:07:49 +0000

Good thinking…..that reminds me. Yesterday, while on the bike path I ran into my friend Nancy, who proceeded to tell me that her and her husband ate a bunch of mushrooms off the bike path. They said that they were “Friend Chicken” mushrooms. This may be true…but I went over to look at the spot, and there were tons of these WHITE SPORED mushrooms, that were white on the stipe and on the gills, and lightish colored on the top of the cap. I told her that this was stupid… and to NEVER eat any mushroom unless you are 100% sure of it’s identity! I don’t think she realized the danger of her decision to eat a mushroom that she didn’t even know. There could have been an Amanita growing right next to the flush and she might have put one in the basket by accident. They were growing right under pine trees! Let’s not get excited about wild foraging, and keep to our wits when collecting!