July 26, 2010 6:34 am
This is the first time I’ve seen mushrooms in any kind of volume since May.
Mushroom identification is important. In this case, the mushroom may be Boletus bicolor, or it may be Boletus sensibilis. Most mycologists agree that the first is a choice edible and the second is likely to cause stomach upset. My friends and fellow mycologist/foragers Joe and Kathy Brandt are convinced that Boletus sensibilis is perfectly fine to eat.
The two mushrooms are very hard to tell apart. One of the identifying characteristics is whether the mushroom stains blue slowly or quickly. Boletus bicolor stains slowly; Boletus sensibilis turns blue instantly.
I took these photos while the mushroom turned blue:
(more…)
May 19, 2010 6:19 pm
Look carefully at this photo:
How many different genus/species are represented?
Not how many total mushrooms are in the picture, but how many different species are represented?
May 11, 2010 5:06 pm
If I’m standing in grove of ash trees or tulip trees, or elms, why do the morels fruit near only one tree and not the others in the grove? One theory is that the mycelia travel underground until they hit an obstacle, which causes them to fruit and bypass the obstacle by spreading spores.
That seems plausible. For me, the hunt for morels is really more fun than eating them, although I have learned that rehydrated dried morels have more intense flavor than fresh ones.
This year, I notice “twin” morels fruiting in several places. I don’t remember noticing that in past years. This year, the morels fruited two weeks earlier than last year, but until a few days ago, I had not found enough for one meal.
I typically do not find large communities of morels. But even finding one here and a few there can add up.
So imagine my surprise when I came home from a recent hike with enough morels to dry and to share. No one has ever said that morels are associated with sweet gum trees, but that seemed to be the dominant tree in this morel-rich location.
I’m not hunting morels for competition or to sell, so looking for them becomes a kind of meditation. Also, it seems the more I share, the more I find.
May 7, 2010 9:19 pm
A friend gifted me some pokeweed shoots (Phytolacca americana). I’ve never found it early enough to harvest. I’m putting it through my test for wild edibles. So far, so good.
I’ve also harvested the ingredients for wild flower blossom salad, these blooms are almost past peak; I gathered these at the end of May last year.
I’m saving the milkweed shoots, nettles and mushrooms I found for another meal.
I’m also testing “Wildman” Steve Brill’s technique of preserving black locust flower blossoms by freezing them. With luck, I’ll have a sweet treat during the cold winter months.
May 4, 2010 2:15 pm
While the focus of COMA events is mycology, most of my fellow members are passionate naturalists. The results of the first COMA walk of this season have been published on the COMA website by our President, Dianna Smith.
April 30, 2010 8:07 am
This is the Coprinellus micaceus my friend Peter found in a sand/dirt pit.
These mushrooms are edible, but only under certain conditions. By the time I confirmed my identification, they were already too decomposed to eat. The other warning is that you cannot have consumed alcohol if you’re going to eat these fungi.
Deliquescence or autodigestion is the enzymatic process by which the gills dissolve into an inky black ooze.
What made these fungi interesting is that they have very long stems because they were growing in a sand/dirt pit under a wood plank for probably several weeks, trying to reach the surface.
I have been told that there is a chemical quality to what was once known as the genus Coprinus, which is a lot like the drug given to alcoholics to dissuade them from drinking. I don’t have empirical evidence.
April 20, 2010 7:59 am
Biology Professor Tom Volk has that rare ability to make complex ideas fun. His passion and his profession are dedicated to understanding how mushrooms decompose wood – and now plastics.
While visions of morels dance in the heads of most mycologists, I’m beginning to find the subject of bioremediation – the way in which fungi break down matter to release elements like carbon and nitrogen for other organisms to use – as exciting as mycophagy.
As he pulls up his sleeve revealing the tubes tattooed on his arm, representing hyphae, which help fungi digest, then ingest food, my hand is taking notes and my mind is captivated by his storytelling style and audience appropriate delivery.
Anyone who can get me excited about mushrooms as more than food, is a true rock star of the mushroom world. So what is the Law of Microbial Infallibility? (more…)
March 20, 2010 5:44 pm
This year, COMA‘s Mushroom University is designed to help students see details of fungi that would be easy to overlook in the field. While our focus is on non-gilled basidiomycetes – chanterelles, jelly fungi, coral fungi, toothed fungi and gasteromycetes – many of the lessons we are learning apply to all kinds of mushrooms.
Most of us will be in the field somewhere, collecting and observing members of the fungi family. We will have two questions about everything we find:
What is this mushroom? and Can I eat it? (more…)
January 29, 2010 12:56 pm
I collected a large amount of tree ear (Auricularia auricula) and black jelly roll (Exidia glandulosa) mushrooms during this past week’s January thaw. Of course they may all be Exidia glandulosa.
As mycology evolves and knowledge is gained, much of what was once published is now being revisited. I’ve been enjoying my first fungi of 2010 in a rich mushroom soup perfect for a bitter cold winter days.
When everything else is dormant or frozen, it’s nice to find something new to go with my pine needle tea.
December 17, 2009 8:30 am
Any opportunity to hear Gary Lincoff speak is a worthwhile investment. You’re learning without even realize it while being entertained.
Know Your Mushrooms
, the DVD gives you a chance to see this remarkable award-winning film.
I’m not a DVD collector, so I don’t fork over the cash unless the product is worth watching over and over.
