In California, Poisonous Death Cap Mushrooms Are the Forager's Bane
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Re: In California, Poisonous Death Cap Mushrooms Are the Forager's Bane
#2As partially colorblind (like 10% of all men) picking mushrooms scares me.
Not saying I don't pick musrooms, only I only pick mushrooms I'm sure don't have any dangerous lookalikes.
Re: In California, Poisonous Death Cap Mushrooms Are the Forager's Bane
#3At the moment, I'm reading Euell Gibbons (Stalking the Faraway Places). I love his work, and he gathers mushrooms, but that's where I draw the line. Too much downside risk.
Re: In California, Poisonous Death Cap Mushrooms Are the Forager's Bane
#4Not mentioned in the article, but the victims are often people who grew up in other countries where it's safe to eat wild mushrooms. After moving here they keep the same habits and pick these poisonous mushrooms.
There were quite a few cases where asian immigrants mistook death caps for the edible Asian paddy straw mushroom, and got very sick.
Re: In California, Poisonous Death Cap Mushrooms Are the Forager's Bane
#5In the past decade or so here in Canberra, Australia, we've had a handful of fatalities in the local Chinese community. Death cap mushrooms can look similar to straw fungi, which is popular in Chinese cooking.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_phalloides#Similarity_...
Re: In California, Poisonous Death Cap Mushrooms Are the Forager's Bane
#6If you mistake any amanita, let alone a death cap, for any of the other mushrooms mentioned in the article -- hedgehog, matsutake, or chanterelle -- you're simply not paying enough attention to be picking mushrooms to be eaten.
Never mind the gills, which were mentioned in the article, the ring is a dead giveaway, and if you don't know what the ring is, again, you shouldn't be picking mushrooms to eat.
(The way that amanitas form and grow often leaves a tattered-looking membrane circling the middle of the stem. You can see it in the pictures in the article.)
I'm sorry that this lady got so sick. Luckily, she got a second chance, and hopefully she will learn more about what she's doing before she goes picking again.
Re: In California, Poisonous Death Cap Mushrooms Are the Forager's Bane
#7Given how hard wild mushrooms can be to identify, I'm surprised that there are people who pick and eat them.
Re: In California, Poisonous Death Cap Mushrooms Are the Forager's Bane
#8At the moment, I'm reading Euell Gibbons (Stalking the Faraway Places). I love his work, and he gathers mushrooms, but that's where I draw the line. Too much downside risk.
There are several wild mushrooms that are unique in appearance, or have only one or two problematic lookalikes that are easily tested. If you're interested in picking, you can look into them.
The "chicken of the woods" and "hen of the woods" are perfect starter mushrooms. (Although chickens' edibility when growing on softwoods is questioned, so it depends where you live.) There is nothing that bears any resemblance to them.
Chanterelles and porcini each have a few straightforward guidelines for distinguishing them.
Re: In California, Poisonous Death Cap Mushrooms Are the Forager's Bane
#9I have to say; when I was a kid (in Alberta, not California), the general advice was not to pick and eat mushrooms without significant knowledge. I don't really see the allure either, common table mushrooms are very tasty and plentiful.
I think this is just one of the Darwin award's new qualifying categories.
Re: In California, Poisonous Death Cap Mushrooms Are the Forager's Bane
#10Given how hard wild mushrooms can be to identify, I'm surprised that there are people who pick and eat them.
It isn't that hard, you just have to be careful not to overestimate your knowledge of the mushrooms where you are picking.
There are many varieties that can be visually identified with very high confidence after only moderate practice. Fortunately morels fall into this category, they're delicious. It's true that there are mushrooms that can be confused with morels, but it's also true that it doesn't take all that much practice to understand the differences.