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Sunny_0ne

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Everything posted by Sunny_0ne

  1. The one thing I have learned so far is that I would NEVER eat a wild mushroom that someone else cooked unless I was willing to trust them with my life. Because that is what you are doing. And I have seen some people who are very careless with details who are enthusiastic about their mushroom hunting skills. Now, if I saw the mushrooms before they were cooked and was absolutely certain they were identified correctly, then I would enjoy them. For that reason, I also do not like to cook wild mushrooms for anyone but myself. And I am doubly careful before I offer them to hubby, too. There are other considerations, too. For instance, oyster mushrooms contain statins, and my body has zero tolerance for statins. So although I will still eat them in small amounts, I would not eat them regularly. So far I know that I have negative reactions to hen of the woods, honey mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms. And I'll probably discover more that are wonderful edibles for most people, but not for me. For that reason, my interest in mushrooms is tending more toward photographing and identifying them rather than trying to find out how many I can eat. So far I have not had a bad reaction to any bolete, so I regard them as relatively safe to experiment with, provided I am satisfied I have a close identification.
  2. Turick, I will share my experience. I have found ringless honey mushrooms that were good... and also some that made me very sick. Dave Fischer says it can depend on what trees they grow around, and if you find some that are okay, then others from that area will be okay. I did cook mine extremely well. In fact, I made spaghetti sauce that I simmered a long time from mine. So I personally am adding honies to mushrooms that I pass on.
  3. They say the honeys are harmful, but are considered a delicacy in the Ukraine. Anyway, some great photos of honeys in quantity. Scroll down to see how large they are. Are these the same honeys that grow over here? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2463280/Giant-Honey-Fungus-grows-Biddulph-Grange-Staffordshire.html
  4. I remember reading that a while back. It sounded spooky then. Now, I guess it still is for the trees.
  5. Dave, sorry to not reply. I think mine must be S. subluteus. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  6. Thank you for the book info! I'm headed to Amazon to order it now!
  7. Turick, some mushrooms are best preserved by partially cooking, then freezing. Others are best dehydrated. Some keep well. Some simply don't keep well, like puffballs. I would strongly discourage putting a mushroom in water in the refrigerator. I would expect it to make the mushroom spoil faster and it would certainly destroy the taste and texture. Keeping fresh mushrooms in a paper bag in the refrigerator is the method I prefer. It lets them breathe without building up moisture that will make them rot. My advice would be to buy a guidebook that also included recommendations for cooking and preserving the different kinds of mushrooms. The one I like best is Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America: A Field to Kitchen Guide by David Fischer. You might also check out Wildman Steve Brill's website. He has suggestions for cooking different types of mushrooms.
  8. That WAS funny, and it resonated with me. When I first started learning to identify wild edible mushrooms, I lucked onto a fallen log with a generous fruiting of oyster mushrooms. (My avatar photo) I checked every detail, took a spore print, and they were fine. So hubby and I enjoyed them. Not too long after that I found something that looked kind of like an oyster mushroom, only it was growing out of the center of a cut log instead of from the bark, had a longer, skinnier stalk than an oyster, and didn't really look like the other ones I had found. But I wanted it to be an oyster so badly that I convinced myself it was. After all, it was growing on the same log where I had found the oysters. And I didn't mess with taking a spore print this time. To make matters worse, I sliced it and served it raw on top of salad. Exactly 20 minutes later, hubby and I raced to the back deck where we -- well, there's no way to make it sound more graceful than it was -- puked our guts out. 24 hours later we were starting to get back to normal. Since then, I BELIEVE the warning not to eat a mushroom unless I know for SURE what I am eating! I'm a little more relaxed with boletes, but still will not eat one with red anything anywhere or that stains blue. So I pass up some blue stainers that are probably good edibles... but I haven't headed for the back deck railing lately either.
  9. Welcome, Rollo. I am from the Southeast, but I would recommend that you and your wife buy a couple of good field guides for wild mushrooms in the northwestern US and start looking through them. Have you checked for mushroom clubs in your area? They are a safe, fun way to learn. Someone from the NW should be along before too long and can probably be a lot more helpful to you.
  10. In doing a search, I just ran across this absolutely fascinating, old thread from 2010 on blanching mushrooms. I had never heard of doing it. I will definitely try it now, especially on the suilli that are everywhere now. Wow! Such fantastic things we newbies to the forum missed out on!
  11. jdcooper, sorry to take so long to answer you. I've been sick and am way behind on everything! You asked which book I use. I have dozens of mushroom books, but my all time favorites (and just about the only ones I use) are anything by Alan Bessette or Roody. The ones I use most often are: Mushrooms of the Southeastern United States by Bessette, Roody In fact, I lost my first copy and bit the bullet to buy another one. It's an expensive book, so that shows you how much I value it. The ID keys and photos are wonderful. North American Boletes: A Color Guide to the Fleshy Pored Mushrooms by Bessette, Roody Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians by William C. Roody (another very favorite) And my favorite beginner/intermediate mushroom guide of all time (that I started with and frequently refer to): Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America by David Fischer and Alan Bessette I also go to Michael Kuo's mushroom expert website a lot. I also have his book 100 Edible Mushrooms, but it is definitely not one of my favorite books.
  12. MM, what is that gorgeous book that you photographed the page from? I think jdcooper posted a photo from the same book the other day. I have a library of fantastic books, but those illustrations are superb! I want to get that book, too!!!
  13. AWESOME photos!!! My favorite posts are picture threads by enthusiastic mushroom students. Yours always delight me!
  14. I'm a relative newbie, and there is no way on earth I would eat a white mushroom with an enlarged base whether it looked like a volva to me or not. Amanita poisoning is an awful way to die. Do get into the habit of taking spore prints, though. It's the one thing that we beginners can do to eliminate what a mushroom is not, even if we can't determine exactly what it is. Good luck!
  15. Ladyflyfsh, I just ran across this article (with lots of pictures) of growing oyster mushrooms in a laundry basket. All of the mushrooms are growing out the side. My guess would be that the bucket doesn't allow enough air to reach the coffee grounds. Just an uneducated guess on my part, but check out these laundry basket photos, although these are being grown on straw, it appears. http://milkwood.net/2012/08/12/growing-mushrooms-in-a-laundry-basket/ This is my favorite small-scale video on growing oysters in zip lock bags on coffee grounds and straw. No mess at all and would produce about the amount I could use. I admire your tenacity in your project!
  16. Thanks, jdc. Your last photo looks just like the ones in my book. My confusion was the small ring on mine. It doesn't look as dark or as robust. Anyway, at this point, I am content to know that it is a suillus. You are right about the season. They are everywhere here! BTW, I think I may have found something similar to the orange polypore you posted in another thread. Mine was too far gone to tell much about it, but the color reminded me of yours.
  17. That's the best comment on medicinal mushrooms I've ever read! LOL! I always love to see your photos. But I have a slow connection, so appreciate the shorter threads, too.
  18. Here's another bolete I found today. Under pines. NW Georgia. It had a lilac hue to it, but when I brought it inside, all traces of lilac have disappeared. Pure white flesh. Non-staining. It has a white pore surface. I'm trying to get a spore print without much luck. No taste (or maybe my taster is off.)
  19. Am wondering if this suillus is a slippery jack. Under pines. Fairly small.
  20. I found 3 of these in my yard this morning. In grass. Not far from pines, but also some deciduous shrubs nearby. I didn't take a spore print, but the pore layer was olive. No taste. Soft flesh. I peeled the pore layer off because it was past prime. I plan to eat these just to see if they are good. Pore layer showing. It was olive, but looks brown in this photo. With pore layer removed:
  21. Welcome, jdcooper. I also live in NW Georgia. I haven't found anything like that, so I'm also anxious for someone to identify it. It's a small board, so sometimes it takes a while for someone who knows to show up.
  22. I can't help you with ID, but I sure enjoyed seeing your photos.
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