PNW Mushrooms
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You know the children of the seventies, they had their priorities, not that i would know anything about it. I only watched from the window of a passing bus and the occasional person who killed their liver and made it on the local news.
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Digital Latte
Rob and Tracy
Those are cool, can you eat the red one with white spots?......and not die or see things that aren't really there?
HoedadKid
New Member
Well, that's a tough one to answer. That mushroom is Amanitia muscaria- the famed, "deadly mushroom." It's the one that got painted on the outside of every cheap ceramic cookie jar from the 50s. And the one that Alice and Wonderland wouldn't have been the same without.
A. muscaria contains two infamous compounds- Amatoxins and Muscimol. Amatoxins are what everyone is afraid of ingesting and they have good right. Although, A. muscaria doesn't contain enough to most likely kill the average healthy adult- you'd wish you were dead if you ate one, though
Muscimol is the psychoactive compound contained in this mushroom that gives truth to the legend and lore about prancing through Fantasia land with fairies and elves. There have been, and still are some folks who have eaten this mushroom for these purposes. Through, it can NOT be recommended. Through a process I won't get into for safety's sake, their goal is to try and isolate the Muscimol while voiding the Amatoxins.
Shamen in the PNW and all over the planet have used this mushroom "safely" for centuries, BUT in no way would I ever consider eating this mushroom, or ever recommend that it be eaten... processed or not.
On a funny note- North American Natives would often wait for this mushroom to emerge in the fall to hunt elk. They believed that the elk were eating this fungi and were much easier to harvest when zoinked.
And on a sadder note- Lore goes that European Royalty used to have this mushroom fed to peasants. The Kings and Queens would then drink the urine of the extremely ill peasant, believing that the peasants liver would have filtered out all of the Amatoxins, and left some Muscimol.
A. muscaria contains two infamous compounds- Amatoxins and Muscimol. Amatoxins are what everyone is afraid of ingesting and they have good right. Although, A. muscaria doesn't contain enough to most likely kill the average healthy adult- you'd wish you were dead if you ate one, though
Muscimol is the psychoactive compound contained in this mushroom that gives truth to the legend and lore about prancing through Fantasia land with fairies and elves. There have been, and still are some folks who have eaten this mushroom for these purposes. Through, it can NOT be recommended. Through a process I won't get into for safety's sake, their goal is to try and isolate the Muscimol while voiding the Amatoxins.
Shamen in the PNW and all over the planet have used this mushroom "safely" for centuries, BUT in no way would I ever consider eating this mushroom, or ever recommend that it be eaten... processed or not.
On a funny note- North American Natives would often wait for this mushroom to emerge in the fall to hunt elk. They believed that the elk were eating this fungi and were much easier to harvest when zoinked.
And on a sadder note- Lore goes that European Royalty used to have this mushroom fed to peasants. The Kings and Queens would then drink the urine of the extremely ill peasant, believing that the peasants liver would have filtered out all of the Amatoxins, and left some Muscimol.
Digital Latte
Rob and Tracy
eeeewww, coulda done without the royal story, but alas such is the way. Now some of these just might be tasty in butter, are those morels I see?
I remember, in the 70's riding the bus from Portland State University to my home in the burbs. There was a pasture (now really big homes are there) and every year I would see people gather as if in pilgrimage to gather mushrooms, highly unlikely they were sauteed if you get my drift.
Great shots.
I remember, in the 70's riding the bus from Portland State University to my home in the burbs. There was a pasture (now really big homes are there) and every year I would see people gather as if in pilgrimage to gather mushrooms, highly unlikely they were sauteed if you get my drift.
Great shots.
HoedadKid
New Member
Yup. 1,3,8,12, and 13 are all Morchella
2 is Leucangium carthusianum the Oregon Black Truffle.
6,7, and 14 are Boletus edulis the King Bolete- porcini
9 and 10 are Polyozellus multiplex- the Blue Chanterelle
and 15 is Laetiporus coniferocola- Chicken Of The Woods
All of the above noted fungi are edible, delicious, and highly sought after.
Some even more valuable than those mushrooms they were gathering in the cow pasture, Janice
2 is Leucangium carthusianum the Oregon Black Truffle.
6,7, and 14 are Boletus edulis the King Bolete- porcini
9 and 10 are Polyozellus multiplex- the Blue Chanterelle
and 15 is Laetiporus coniferocola- Chicken Of The Woods
All of the above noted fungi are edible, delicious, and highly sought after.
Some even more valuable than those mushrooms they were gathering in the cow pasture, Janice
Some even more valuable than those mushrooms they were gathering in the cow pasture, Janice
You know the children of the seventies, they had their priorities, not that i would know anything about it. I only watched from the window of a passing bus and the occasional person who killed their liver and made it on the local news.
So are these edible. They were about the size of a 1/2 pound burger hold the mustard I get the impression that they aren't. But you are the closest to an expert that I've come across.
2 'rooms with a forest view by Janice L, on Flickr
I get the impression that they aren't. But you are the closest to an expert that I've come across. 2 'rooms with a forest view by Janice L, on Flickr
HoedadKid
New Member
Thanks Christena... lol.
So, Janice, here's the deal. I belong to another online forum that is PNW mushroom specific. And what I tell everybody is that they should NEVER trust someones word online about mushroom edibility. Here's why- 1) Photo id's can be very tough. The difference between the bad and good can be very slim at times. Mushroom identification really has to be done in person. 2) You just don't REALLY know who you are talking with online. Trusting someone online with something as fragile as mushroom edibility is just too risky.
I know, this all seems like irrational thinking and overly cautious, but I've seen the horror stories. luckily though, mycology is one of my professions. I am accredited and write for a reputable magazine on this stuff.
I'm not recommending that you eat those mushrooms, but if I had found them in the woods, I would pick them for the table. They LOOK to me like the delicious Lepiota rachodes.
I hope I don't seem to nuts about all this, but I would hate to see someone get extremely ill on my account... or anyones account for that matter.
Thanx for sharing that photo!
Cheers-
Tobiah
So, Janice, here's the deal. I belong to another online forum that is PNW mushroom specific. And what I tell everybody is that they should NEVER trust someones word online about mushroom edibility. Here's why- 1) Photo id's can be very tough. The difference between the bad and good can be very slim at times. Mushroom identification really has to be done in person. 2) You just don't REALLY know who you are talking with online. Trusting someone online with something as fragile as mushroom edibility is just too risky.
I know, this all seems like irrational thinking and overly cautious, but I've seen the horror stories. luckily though, mycology is one of my professions. I am accredited and write for a reputable magazine on this stuff.
I'm not recommending that you eat those mushrooms, but if I had found them in the woods, I would pick them for the table. They LOOK to me like the delicious Lepiota rachodes.
I hope I don't seem to nuts about all this, but I would hate to see someone get extremely ill on my account... or anyones account for that matter.
Thanx for sharing that photo!
Cheers-
Tobiah
Me, too.
HoedadKid
New Member
Please don't let me discourage you from the world of wild edible food. It's statistically, with a little knowledge, way safer to eat out of the woods than it is to eat off of the shelf. If you want to try a gourmet wild something, just do a little research. With a little knowledge, there is a WORLD of amazing food out there. And despite what some might say, there are very few mushrooms in this world that can actually kill a grown adult.
The horror stories I referred to above, were products of stupidity and lack of any knowledge. It doesn't take much to become extremely proficient at harvesting a particular food, safely.
Morels, Chanterelles, Porcini, Hedgehogs, Truffles, are all unmistakable with a very minor amount of knowledge. All that stuff everyone pays buku bucks for? It's right here in our own backyard.
My point above was that trusting an internet stranger to id a mushroom for the table via a picture, should never be SOLELY relied upon.
Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora is the bible. It's worth a look. Think about it. The only reason you aren't scared to eat blackberries in the woods is because your parents taught you how to id them. There a million "poison" berries out there, you don't stop eating the good ones though. In fact, there are way more "poison" berries than their are "poison" mushrooms in North America.
Mycophobia was instilled upon the U.S. in the early fifties during the white bread and canned corn generation. "Don't touch that toad-stool, Jimmy Bob. It's poisonous!"
In Europe, almost every rural family harvests a wide variety of mushrooms for the table as they are a large staple food. And quite good for you, too. Wild mushrooms contain more Vitamin D than almost any other food... something that a majority of Americans are extremely deficient of.
Eat Well- It's amazing what it can do for you...
Cheers!
Tobiah
The horror stories I referred to above, were products of stupidity and lack of any knowledge. It doesn't take much to become extremely proficient at harvesting a particular food, safely.
Morels, Chanterelles, Porcini, Hedgehogs, Truffles, are all unmistakable with a very minor amount of knowledge. All that stuff everyone pays buku bucks for? It's right here in our own backyard.
My point above was that trusting an internet stranger to id a mushroom for the table via a picture, should never be SOLELY relied upon.
Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora is the bible. It's worth a look. Think about it. The only reason you aren't scared to eat blackberries in the woods is because your parents taught you how to id them. There a million "poison" berries out there, you don't stop eating the good ones though. In fact, there are way more "poison" berries than their are "poison" mushrooms in North America.
Mycophobia was instilled upon the U.S. in the early fifties during the white bread and canned corn generation. "Don't touch that toad-stool, Jimmy Bob. It's poisonous!"
In Europe, almost every rural family harvests a wide variety of mushrooms for the table as they are a large staple food. And quite good for you, too. Wild mushrooms contain more Vitamin D than almost any other food... something that a majority of Americans are extremely deficient of.
Eat Well- It's amazing what it can do for you...
Cheers!
Tobiah
HoedadKid
New Member
Oh and btw... mushrooms from the store are not a sure thing. I was in Portland last year and saw mushrooms that have an extremely strong laxative effect, labled as Morels. Indeed, they were not.
So like with any other food, we are all ultimately responsible for knowing what we are putting in our bodies.
(steps down from soapbox)
Thanx for indulging me...
So like with any other food, we are all ultimately responsible for knowing what we are putting in our bodies.
(steps down from soapbox)
Thanx for indulging me...
HoedadKid
New Member
Here's a few from a photo-study that I did yesterday on 3 Oregon Truffles. These all sell for between 150-500 smackers/lb. The aroma ranges from garlicy heaven, to chocolate malt, to aged cheese, depending on species.
All shots were done in a soft-box. ISO 100, 1/8-1/30, f. 4.5. Processed with CS2
C.A.W.
Cheers.
I hope y'all aren't scared of me now due to my mushroom edibility rant above Passion breeds extremely strong opinions in me. I respect everyone's individual comfort levels and preferences, though. I try to sway common mycophobia too often, me thinks. I just love me some good gourmet food, and wish y'all good eats!
Bon appetit.
The Oregon Brown Truffle- Calapooia brunneum
View attachment 4519
Oregon Brown
View attachment 4520
Oregon Winter White Truffle- Tuber oregonense
View attachment 4521
The Oregon Black Truffle- Leucangium carthusianum
View attachment 4523
Oregon Blacks
View attachment 4524
All shots were done in a soft-box. ISO 100, 1/8-1/30, f. 4.5. Processed with CS2
C.A.W.
Cheers.
I hope y'all aren't scared of me now due to my mushroom edibility rant above
Passion breeds extremely strong opinions in me. I respect everyone's individual comfort levels and preferences, though. I try to sway common mycophobia too often, me thinks. I just love me some good gourmet food, and wish y'all good eats!Bon appetit.
The Oregon Brown Truffle- Calapooia brunneum
View attachment 4519
Oregon Brown
View attachment 4520
Oregon Winter White Truffle- Tuber oregonense
View attachment 4521
The Oregon Black Truffle- Leucangium carthusianum
View attachment 4523
Oregon Blacks
View attachment 4524
HoedadKid
New Member
Thanks, Janice.
I love that quote as well.
Morels are indeed, hollow. Some species are thicker than others, but always a hollow stipe and cap
Lots of good spring spots to find 'em up by you as well. Sandy River, The Delta, The Columbia... all great. Great big yellow Morchella esculenta.
I love that quote as well.
Morels are indeed, hollow. Some species are thicker than others, but always a hollow stipe and cap
Lots of good spring spots to find 'em up by you as well. Sandy River, The Delta, The Columbia... all great. Great big yellow Morchella esculenta.
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