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An unstoppable mushroom is tearing through North American forests

bbc.com

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Re: An unstoppable mushroom is tearing through North American forests

#51

Post by Pine_Mushroom »

3yr-i-frew-up wrote: post #27
Pine_Mushroom wrote: post #8

I had a mushroom farm in Northern Michigan some years ago and we grew Golden Oysters, among other species. I think our winters are too cold for them to really establish themselves, but I was hearing reports of them 'going native' in Southern Michigan as long ago as 15 years. Like the farmer in the article, I also wondered about the apparent lack of effort in growing native species. My area has a wonderful native oyst…

I've been thinking about farming in Michigan. If global warming takes off, we should have a nice environment and plenty of water to grow... I just can't imagine doing agriculture in 2026. I have a masters in Mechanical Engineering and 2 decades of experience. It just seems like something for uneducated people.

Michigan already has a pretty great environment for agriculture. I used to always hear we were second only to California in terms of output. If current climate disruptions continue(we've had two "once in a lifetime" catastrophic ice storms just this past year in my area) I may searching for 'greener pastures' myself.

Re: An unstoppable mushroom is tearing through North American forests

#52

Post by VoidWarranty »

eps wrote: post #24
zikduruqe wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm going out to search for morels this weekend I don't have any addictions in my life, but one. That's when morel season is in swing, I am in full hunt mode.

A friend of mine went to a local mushroom picking course and among things they mentioned that morels are difficult to cook from fresh, because of the gastro problems. Apparently, the advice was to dry them before using in recipes. What's up with that?

Superstition/caution.

They aren't 'difficult' to cook. They are dangerous to eat if uncooked (and thus undercooked).

While true morels themselves can be dangerous while uncooked, there are similar looking species that are both less and more dangerous.

Species of Gyromitra or "false morels" like Verpa Bohemica will commonly all be called "morels": both as an intentional cultural colloquialism or simple misidentification.

Depending on which hemisphere you live in, some Gyromitra species may be more dangerous than true morels. They can also be more dense and harder to cook thoroughly.

Most mushroom species will cause an upset stomach if undercooked. Drying is an effective way of reducing both dangerous and uncomfortable compounds. It's suggested for morels out of an abundance of caution, but it is not a necessary step.

(Note that not all compounds are destroyed! "Magic mushrooms" are famously traded dry for example!)

The advise to add an additional preparation step also increases the chance someone will notice the wrong species hiding in their ingredients. Undesirable species can have overlapping habitats and climates so its not uncommon for a careless or ignorant forager to pick the wrong thing.

Re: An unstoppable mushroom is tearing through North American forests

#53

Post by dade_ »

claytongulick wrote: post #39

I tried to read TFA to learn about what's going on. It's an article about an invasive species of mushroom, right? I'd like to be informed. The first sentence is: "The razor blade of the newly unpacked surgical scalpel glints in the late Autumn light." So I just immediately stopped reading. This style of writing is exhausting and too common. It's an article about mushrooms, not a spy action thriller. It feels like the…

I was hoping the mushroom grew razor blades, but immediately disappointed.

Re: An unstoppable mushroom is tearing through North American forests

#54

Post by claytongulick »

dade_ wrote: post #53
claytongulick wrote: post #39

I tried to read TFA to learn about what's going on. It's an article about an invasive species of mushroom, right? I'd like to be informed. The first sentence is: "The razor blade of the newly unpacked surgical scalpel glints in the late Autumn light." So I just immediately stopped reading. This style of writing is exhausting and too common. It's an article about mushrooms, not a spy action thriller. It feels like the…

I was hoping the mushroom grew razor blades, but immediately disappointed.

Lovecraft himself couldn't have imagined such a horror.

Re: An unstoppable mushroom is tearing through North American forests

#55

Post by zikduruqe »

eszed wrote: post #49
eps wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A friend of mine went to a local mushroom picking course and among things they mentioned that morels are difficult to cook from fresh, because of the gastro problems. Apparently, the advice was to dry them before using in recipes. What's up with that?

Morels contain several volatile compounds which cause gastric distress. (Forgive me for not looking it up at the moment, but one of them is/was a compenent of rocket fuel, which teenage me loved.) They have to be thoroughly cooked to burn those off. Or else dried. Specifically for soup - which is, arguably, their best use - most people won't saute morels long enough before adding liquid, so it's always best to use dr…

> Forgive me for not looking it up at the moment, but one of them is/was a compenent of rocket fuel, which teenage me loved.

It's hydrazine.

Re: An unstoppable mushroom is tearing through North American forests

#56

Post by idiotsecant »

eps wrote: post #24
zikduruqe wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm going out to search for morels this weekend I don't have any addictions in my life, but one. That's when morel season is in swing, I am in full hunt mode.

A friend of mine went to a local mushroom picking course and among things they mentioned that morels are difficult to cook from fresh, because of the gastro problems. Apparently, the advice was to dry them before using in recipes. What's up with that?

That advice makes no sense but it is way easier to cook with dried mushrooms. Maybe that's where the folk wisdom came from. When you us mushrooms your goal is to remove as much mushroom juice as possible and replace it with fats oils etc. When you start off dried it's easier

Re: An unstoppable mushroom is tearing through North American forests

#57

Post by chucksta »

3yr-i-frew-up wrote: post #27
Pine_Mushroom wrote: post #8

I had a mushroom farm in Northern Michigan some years ago and we grew Golden Oysters, among other species. I think our winters are too cold for them to really establish themselves, but I was hearing reports of them 'going native' in Southern Michigan as long ago as 15 years. Like the farmer in the article, I also wondered about the apparent lack of effort in growing native species. My area has a wonderful native oyst…

I've been thinking about farming in Michigan. If global warming takes off, we should have a nice environment and plenty of water to grow... I just can't imagine doing agriculture in 2026. I have a masters in Mechanical Engineering and 2 decades of experience. It just seems like something for uneducated people.

There are all kinds of degrees for farming

Re: An unstoppable mushroom is tearing through North American forests

#58

Post by IAmBroom »

The author starts out depicting themselves as some sort of cloning scientist... and clearly not only isn't that, but isn't very informed on mushrooms.

Many, if not most, wood-decaying mushrooms (those that break down dead wood) rely on killing nematodes to supply nitrogen, which is otherwise short supply in their diet. They use adaptations that resemble glue pads, tripwire nooses, or even hydro-pumped harpoons to trap the "helpless nematodes" (oh, the humanity! Won't somebody think of the worms?). It's not rare; it just wasn't known until circa 2000. And it's not unique to the invading fungus; our native oysters were where this discovery was first made.

Spare me the "poor defenseless prey animal" BS, and tell me about the known or suspected ecological impact - the reduction in fungal diversity is relevant, at least.

Re: An unstoppable mushroom is tearing through North American forests

#59

Post by HelloMcFly »

whicks wrote: post #43
HelloMcFly wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kudzu's threat has been long overstated. It thrives especially near forest edgelands which are always visible on highways, so concern of prevalence was partially based on individual sampling error. In reality, its presence in southern forests is higher than desired but still not disastrous (~0.1% of southern forestland), which is a fraction of worse invasives: Japanese honeysuckle (4.4%) and Asian privet (1.4%).

Genuinely curious, source for this? > ~0.1% of southern forestland), which is a fraction of worse invasives: Japanese honeysuckle (4.4%) and Asian privet (1.4%). Sample size of 1 here (I know), but I've spent a meaningful portion of my life outdoors in the south and I have _never_ seen swaths of the landscape covered with Japanese Honeysuckle or Asian Privet like I have Kudzu. It absolutely dominates _everything_ in…

You won't see swaths of honeysuckle or privet because it grows in the understory throughout the entire forest, choking out natives. Part of their destructive power is that they bloom earlier than most natives in spring, essentially stealing the available sunlight in those golden weeks before the overstory leafs out and reduces sunlight in the understory.

I guarantee you that if you've spent a meaningful portion of your life outdoors in the south you have seen Japanese Honeysuckle at the least, it is everywhere. But it's not a dramatic/easily identifiable shower like kudzu.

The data I'm citing is from my textbook for my Ohio Citizen Volunteer Naturalist program I did in the Fall semester, it cites the US Forest report but doesn't give a link. I think it's from this report [PDF warning]: https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/gtr/gtr_srs178/gtr_srs178_3...

EDIT: Another good read (https://gardenrant.com/2023/10/kudzu-not-the-evil-creeper-we...) which links to a very popular article from the teens: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/true-story-kud...

Re: An unstoppable mushroom is tearing through North American forests

#60

Post by IAmBroom »

VoidWarranty wrote: post #52
eps wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A friend of mine went to a local mushroom picking course and among things they mentioned that morels are difficult to cook from fresh, because of the gastro problems. Apparently, the advice was to dry them before using in recipes. What's up with that?

Superstition/caution. They aren't 'difficult' to cook. They are dangerous to eat if uncooked (and thus undercooked). While true morels themselves can be dangerous while uncooked, there are similar looking species that are both less and more dangerous. Species of Gyromitra or "false morels" like Verpa Bohemica will commonly all be called "morels": both as an intentional cultural colloquialism or simple misidentificati…

> some Gyromitra species may be more dangerous than true morels.

People have died from eating them; they contain a powerful liver poison. Even claiming they are 'called "morels"' is ridiculous and irresponsible.

> Note that not all compounds are destroyed!

Mushrooms, like all matter, is made of "compounds". Dehydration is typically used to remove the dreaded dihydrogen monoxide!

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