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Pure silliness. Wild mushrooms aren't for culinary daredevils, that's about the most extreme mischaracterization imaginable. It is very, very easy to avoid bei
by InclinedPlane 11y ago
Pure silliness. Wild mushrooms aren't for culinary daredevils, that's about the most extreme mischaracterization imaginable.
It is very, very easy to avoid being poisoned by wild mushrooms. There are many mushrooms that are very difficult to be confused with poisonous varieties, so you concentrate on those. You learn what you need to learn, you go out with people who are experienced, you make use of the resources available (which are significant), and you don't act dumb. Comparing a mushroom you found to a picture in a book and asking yourself whether it sort of looks similar? Is that how mushroom identification works? No, it really isn't. If that's the level you're at, then don't eat that mushroom. But it turns out, if you follow the guidelines, learn from people who are knowledgeable, and play it safe, mushroom hunting can be an incredibly fun and rewarding experience. Most of the difficult to identify wild fungi are random "little brown mushrooms" or such-like that are not particularly good to eat regardless, so not only is the risk lower with sticking to easily identified varieties, the reward is higher as well.
To categorize those who do it as thrill seekers or daredevils is to completely misperceive what's going on, pretty much in its entirety. There might be some folks out there who fit that characterization, but they are not the majority.
- dccoolgai 11y ago| make use of the resources available (which are significant) Like what? Been toying with the idea of getting into this hobby, but reddit /r/mycology hasn't really revealed much. Where does one start?
- Alex3917 11y agoGo on the NAMA website and find your local mycological association. They will have walks every Saturday or Sunday. Start going when the walks start up for the year, which is soon, and keep going until they end in November or whatever. By the end of the year you'll know most of the basic edible mushrooms.
- InclinedPlane 11y agoStart with the definitive reference: http://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Demystified-David-Arora/dp/0898151694/ http://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Demystified-David-Arora/dp/0... Take a class or find a friend who is already knowledgeable. Or you could try getting in touch with culinary foraging folks. You'll quickly find out that there are only a few species of mushrooms that people tend to forage for, and there are fairly easy ways to tell the good ones apart from the potentially dangerous ones. There are also only a handful of truly deadly mushrooms, once you have familiarity with both sets it becomes a lot easier to trust eating something you find out in the woods. Generally, avoid the "stereotypical" looking mushrooms (the "little brown mushrooms" and toadstools), and stick to the most distinctive and easiest to avoid confusing edible fungi.
- mordechai9000 11y agoI second your recommendation for the book. It's a joy to read, whether you are foraging for edibles or simply interested in learning about mushrooms.