5 ms·

Just delete this comment. If you're not an expert on mushrooms, picking mushrooms is basically playing Russian roulette. Telling people to do so is wildly irres

Just delete this comment. If you're not an expert on mushrooms, picking mushrooms is basically playing Russian roulette. Telling people to do so is wildly irresponsible.

codr7 7y ago
Precious few mushrooms are truly poisonous. And I've picked and eaten A LOT of supposedly dangerous ones, as well as other plants; something I suspect most people speaking out on the subject haven't. As a matter of fact, I just got some red amanitas out of the freezer that I picked a few days ago. I'm going to fry them in butter with onions and garlic and make a lovely shroom sandwich. Like amanitas, liberty caps have a very distinctive look. Soak them in water for a while if at all unsure, and only eat a small amount to begin with. The really dangerous stuff is pushed by "science" and the people who come up with this FUD to sell their artificial, truly poisonous and addictive chemical cocktails for awesome profits instead.
- amanaplanacanal 7y ago
  I love mushrooms, and pick and enjoy both edible and psychedelic types, but this advice is frankly terrible. Russian roulette indeed.
kls 7y ago
While I tend to agree with you, it also depends on your region. In the US south you can take one look at the psychedelic mushroom picture that grows here and pretty readily identify it. It also only grows in cow poop, so if you see one that looks like the picture, and it's growing in cow poop it's a magic mushroom. In other areas it may not be that simple, that being said, it's pretty sage advice to not just go out and pick mushrooms to eat. Personally I never did them or any other hallucinogen, but helped gather them for my friends when I was a kid. My dad is slightly schizophrenic and everyone says he was never the same after they scored some LSD in the 60's. While I am fine, save some depression and ADD, I figured with the family history why risk it, and with the anxiety disorder that comes from depression the thought of having a panic attack while hallucinating pretty much guarantees that it would happen. The one time I tried pot, was an absolute nightmare and that's not even a true hallucinogenic, just has some properties.
newnewpdro 7y ago
No need to go overboard here. It's perfectly safe to pick any mushroom. You can take them home, take a spore print, dry them, and carefully identify them with the help of the internet at your leisure. All that's important is that you know not to eat them until you've done so. And when you do think you've identified them, and want to eat them, first eat a small amount just to play it safe. Picking mushrooms is not playing Russian roulette. It's completely harmless, no mushroom kills you on contact, you're being ridiculous. It's actually a quite fun hobby to forage and collect mushrooms when in season, take them home and try classify them. Even if you just throw them all away afterwards. In the process you've dispersed their spores too.

Just delete this comment. If you're not an expert on mushrooms, picking mushrooms is basically playing Russian roulette. Telling people to do so is wildly irresponsible.

codr7 7y ago

Precious few mushrooms are truly poisonous. And I've picked and eaten A LOT of supposedly dangerous ones, as well as other plants; something I suspect most people speaking out on the subject haven't. As a matter of fact, I just got some red amanitas out of the freezer that I picked a few days ago. I'm going to fry them in butter with onions and garlic and make a lovely shroom sandwich. Like amanitas, liberty caps have a very distinctive look. Soak them in water for a while if at all unsure, and only eat a small amount to begin with. The really dangerous stuff is pushed by "science" and the people who come up with this FUD to sell their artificial, truly poisonous and addictive chemical cocktails for awesome profits instead.

amanaplanacanal 7y ago
I love mushrooms, and pick and enjoy both edible and psychedelic types, but this advice is frankly terrible. Russian roulette indeed.

kls 7y ago

While I tend to agree with you, it also depends on your region. In the US south you can take one look at the psychedelic mushroom picture that grows here and pretty readily identify it. It also only grows in cow poop, so if you see one that looks like the picture, and it's growing in cow poop it's a magic mushroom. In other areas it may not be that simple, that being said, it's pretty sage advice to not just go out and pick mushrooms to eat. Personally I never did them or any other hallucinogen, but helped gather them for my friends when I was a kid. My dad is slightly schizophrenic and everyone says he was never the same after they scored some LSD in the 60's. While I am fine, save some depression and ADD, I figured with the family history why risk it, and with the anxiety disorder that comes from depression the thought of having a panic attack while hallucinating pretty much guarantees that it would happen. The one time I tried pot, was an absolute nightmare and that's not even a true hallucinogenic, just has some properties.

newnewpdro 7y ago

No need to go overboard here. It's perfectly safe to pick any mushroom. You can take them home, take a spore print, dry them, and carefully identify them with the help of the internet at your leisure. All that's important is that you know not to eat them until you've done so. And when you do think you've identified them, and want to eat them, first eat a small amount just to play it safe. Picking mushrooms is not playing Russian roulette. It's completely harmless, no mushroom kills you on contact, you're being ridiculous. It's actually a quite fun hobby to forage and collect mushrooms when in season, take them home and try classify them. Even if you just throw them all away afterwards. In the process you've dispersed their spores too.