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Some more Ontario mushrooms!


Natasha

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Today I found some mushrooms, and I am hoping to get a confirmation on ID.

1. Grew as a solitary and paired from an injured box elder tree, looked like it grew from where a branch was once. I thought it looked like an oyster. It had a nearly central stalk, bending upwords from its attachment to the tree. It has a strong smell, which I can't describe, and a white spore print.

Acording to http://www.mushroomexpert.com it is: Hypsizygus ulmarius, sometimes called the "elm oyster," is edible.

Would you parboil it and then sautee it? Has anyone had thees, and how did you prepare them?

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2. The second one, I found, also grew on a tree, at about eye level, I could not identify a tree, all the leafs were off. The mushrooms grew in a cluster, redish brown caps, 2-8cm in diameter, sticky to touch, and slipery when wet, with creamy yellowish gills. The stems are dark brown and velvety to touch. The spore print is white. So far what I have found, it seems to be some North American variety of the shiitakes. If these are shitakes, what would be the best way to prepare them?

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3. These ones I found last week in a grassy open area. One grew on its own the the other two together. I am almost surten that these are saggy manes. The caps were very fragile, and split very easely. And I could peal stings off the cap, like string cheese sticks. The stem was white and hollow. It had very tight thin gills and the spore print was black. By the next day it was a black inky mess.

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4. The last ones are a mistery mushroom. My son found them growing in bunches under the leafes by an oak tree (I think, I included a pickture of the leafes). The cap is beige/brown, is light aroung the outer perimiter, 2-6 cm in diameter. The stem is white and the gills are also white. When I washed one, the cap became very slimy. The spore print is white.

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No. 2 looks like the velvet foot mushroom, Flammulina velutipes. They're supposed to be edible but not great, but I haven't tried them yet.

No. 3 does look like shaggy manes, but they are less shaggy than the ones I'm used to seeing. Also, I can't tell what size they are; shaggy manes are normally pretty large.

Check them out on MushroomExpert.com to verify.

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I agree Natasha, that mushroom number 1 exhibits many characteristics of Hypsizygus ulmarius. The growth on living Box Elder is a particularlt telling trait. Nice job presenting several good details. I just checked my notes, and I had eaten H. ulmarius back in 1989.... "Good flavor, a little tough", is what I have in my notes.

I agree with vitog that number 2 looks like Flammulina velutipes, the Velvet Foot. This is a cool/cold weather mushrooms. I've Put caps of F. velutipes into stir-fries and it is an okay edible. There are a few cool/cold weather wood-inhabiting mushrooms that should not be eaten. Galerina marginata (also called G. autumnalis) is deadly. It has rusty brown spore print.

Number 3 certainly looks like Coprinus comatus, the Shaggy Mane. One should take care to not confuse this mushroom with Coprinus atramentarius, which causes a very bad reaction for some people if consumed before, with, or after consuming alcohol. This bad alcohol reaction has been reported for individuals who consumed the alcohol up to 5 days before or after the mushroom. Some manuals warn that the Shaggy Mane may also sometimes cause sickness if consumed along with alcohol. I know of one person who used to collect Shaggy Manes, but once got very sick after eating a whole plate full along with an entire bottle of wine. It is not clear to me whether or not he may have mistakenly mixed in some Alcohol Inkies (C. atramentarius) with his Shaggy Manes. The Shaggies and Alcohols do look fairly similar. Or perhaps this person ate Shaggies that were beginning to "turn". According to what I have read, when a Shaggy Mane begins to turn dark/black it should not be eaten. I have enjoyed eating Shaggies with totally white flesh many times.

I am not especially confident in IDing number 4. But it looks like one of the late-season Hygrophorus species. These type mushrooms are generally viscid (slimy), especially when wet. The sliminess may disappear during dry weather. I usually find these types growing under pine trees. Bessette/Bessette/Fischer (Mushrooms of North America) report Hygrophorus subsalmonius as growing under oak. Some of the slimy Hygrophorus species are eaten. I do not rate any of them very highly. Some folks around here in PA enjoy H. flavodiscus, and I have run into a few mushroomers over the years who eat H. fuligineus. Nice job with the photos. Notice the decurrent gills, which means the attachments run partly down the stalks. Spore prints for Hygrophorus are all white. The similar Gomphideus species (slimy-capped with decurrent whitish-gills) have blackish spore prints.

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No. 2 looks like the velvet foot mushroom, Flammulina velutipes. They're supposed to be edible but not great, but I haven't tried them yet.

No. 3 does look like shaggy manes, but they are less shaggy than the ones I'm used to seeing. Also, I can't tell what size they are; shaggy manes are normally pretty large.

Check them out on MushroomExpert.com to verify.

Thank you Vitog! I think I might try my velvet foot mushrooms, I parboiled them already, will probably sautee them with onions. Will let you know how they turn out.

The cap of my shaggy manes were about 8-12 cm long and the stems were quite long, at least 16 cm long to where I cut them, and more left in the ground, and about 1.5-2 cm wide and hollow. I agree they were pretty large. I only found three, not enought to make anything with, but it was great to studdy them, and confirm my ID for next time.

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I agree Natasha, that mushroom number 1 exhibits many characteristics of Hypsizygus ulmarius. The growth on living Box Elder is a particularlt telling trait. Nice job presenting several good details. I just checked my notes, and I had eaten H. ulmarius back in 1989.... "Good flavor, a little tough", is what I have in my notes.

I agree with vitog that number 2 looks like Flammulina velutipes, the Velvet Foot. This is a cool/cold weather mushrooms. I've Put caps of F. velutipes into stir-fries and it is an okay edible. There are a few cool/cold weather wood-inhabiting mushrooms that should not be eaten. Galerina marginata (also called G. autumnalis) is deadly. It has rusty brown spore print.

Number 3 certainly looks like Coprinus comatus, the Shaggy Mane. One should take care to not confuse this mushroom with Coprinus atramentarius, which causes a very bad reaction for some people if consumed before, with, or after consuming alcohol. This bad alcohol reaction has been reported for individuals who consumed the alcohol up to 5 days before or after the mushroom. Some manuals warn that the Shaggy Mane may also sometimes cause sickness if consumed along with alcohol. I know of one person who used to collect Shaggy Manes, but once got very sick after eating a whole plate full along with an entire bottle of wine. It is not clear to me whether or not he may have mistakenly mixed in some Alcohol Inkies (C. atramentarius) with his Shaggy Manes. The Shaggies and Alcohols do look fairly similar. Or perhaps this person ate Shaggies that were beginning to "turn". According to what I have read, when a Shaggy Mane begins to turn dark/black it should not be eaten. I have enjoyed eating Shaggies with totally white flesh many times.

I am not especially confident in IDing number 4. But it looks like one of the late-season Hygrophorus species. These type mushrooms are generally viscid (slimy), especially when wet. The sliminess may disappear during dry weather. I usually find these types growing under pine trees. Bessette/Bessette/Fischer (Mushrooms of North America) report Hygrophorus subsalmonius as growing under oak. Some of the slimy Hygrophorus species are eaten. I do not rate any of them very highly. Some folks around here in PA enjoy H. flavodiscus, and I have run into a few mushroomers over the years who eat H. fuligineus. Nice job with the photos. Notice the decurrent gills, which means the attachments run partly down the stalks. Spore prints for Hygrophorus are all white. The similar Gomphideus species (slimy-capped with decurrent whitish-gills) have blackish spore prints.

Thank you Dave for sharing your knowledge. It's been pretty exiting learning about the wild eddible mushrooms. As I was washing the mushrooms, especially the Hygrophorus (does it have a common name?) they smelled just like the mushrooms we used to pick when I was a kid back in Siberia. We would pick so many, my mom would have to fill the bath tub to soak and wash them from all the dirt and debris stuck on them. It was a pleasant memory.

The Hypsizygus ulmarius, does it have any dangerous look a likes?

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I don't know of any dangerous look-alikes with the Hypsizyges ulmarius.

But I would approach the ones which MAY be Hygrophorus with caution. You need to be certain of your ID. We have not even discussed any SPECIES name for this collection. The species names I mentioned are probably only relatives of your collection. There are hundreds of Hygrophorus species found in North America. And there are plenty of white-gilled mushrooms that grow on the ground which are not Hygrophorus.

If one wishes to eat wild mushrooms, then the person who makes the collection needs to be certain of the ID. As mentioned within the leading comments for this thread, ID by internet picture/communication is often not completely reliable.

Natasha, my mentioning "Hygrophorus" should cause you to do some research about Hygrophorus mushrooms. You should look for more information regarding the different types of Hygrophorus mushrooms that may be found in your area. This is why it is a good idea to use several manuals. And, if possible, joining a local mushroom club will help you get additional information about mushrooms that you collect in your area.

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I don't know of any dangerous look-alikes with the Hypsizyges ulmarius.

But I would approach the ones which MAY be Hygrophorus with caution. You need to be certain of your ID. We have not even discussed any SPECIES name for this collection. The species names I mentioned are probably only relatives of your collection. There are hundreds of Hygrophorus species found in North America. And there are plenty of white-gilled mushrooms that grow on the ground which are not Hygrophorus.

If one wishes to eat wild mushrooms, then the person who makes the collection needs to be certain of the ID. As mentioned within the leading comments for this thread, ID by internet picture/communication is often not completely reliable.

Natasha, my mentioning "Hygrophorus" should cause you to do some research about Hygrophorus mushrooms. You should look for more information regarding the different types of Hygrophorus mushrooms that may be found in your area. This is why it is a good idea to use several manuals. And, if possible, joining a local mushroom club will help you get additional information about mushrooms that you collect in your area.

I completely agree with you, Dave. I collect mushrooms for mostly studdy purpuses. And would defenetly not eat any of them if I was not 100% surten of it's ID, not worth the risk. And by all means, I did not assume the ID on the ones you mentioned that may be Hygrophorus. I have been doing some more reserch on them and still not 100% sure, at this point they are only familiar to some I picked over 20 years ago on a different continet.

However, I did cook the Hypsizygus ulmarius, the "elm oyster" and the Flammulina velutipes, "Velvet Foot" (and only because I was 100% surten of their ID, and confirmed by multiple sourses). Unfortunatly, I got a sinus cold which affected my taste buds and smell, so I was not able to fully appreciate the tasle, but my mom ejoyed them. And two days later, we are both alive and well (except for my cold, ofcourse).:):veggiedance: Well, joking aside, I appreciate you cautioning me, it shows that you are a real, caring person and not just stating your oppinion. Thank you for that!

Also, I was able to find a local expert that also orgonizes Foraging groups. I am planning to participate in one this weekend and hoping to learn more about local species of mushrooms and their habitats.

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Natasha,

The only organized mushroom club in Ontario appears to be the Mycological Society of Toronto and they are much too far away from you to be of interest. There are field naturalist groups in your area and you can find them by searching google for field naturalis clubs London. There will surely be people in these groups with lots of mushroom knowledge.

The elm oyster is quite edible and I find them quite tasty but as Dave said they are a bit tough so slow cooking is needed. I do not parboil them but I think they would be fine if you did.. The aroma is often described as like anise or licorice. This is the same aroma that almost all of the oyster family has.

I also really like shaggy mane to eat. I think they are the best mushroom for soup but are also very good pan fried. These mushrooms will often start to turn black within a few hours of being picked so if you find some and want to eat them you must do it quick

Many people with an eastern european/Russian background parboil their mushrooms but most of everyone else does not parboil them. I think everyone would be interested in learning more about how you prepare your mushrooms.

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  • 7 months later...

Since you mentioned the Mycological Society of Toronto... I used to be a member for one year about 10 years ago. I attended several meetings and learned a lot of fascinating things about mushrooms. I never went mushroom foraging with them, though. I'd certainly recommend this organization!

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Since you mentioned the Mycological Society of Toronto... I used to be a member for one year about 10 years ago. I attended several meetings and learned a lot of fascinating things about mushrooms. I never went mushroom foraging with them, though. I'd certainly recommend this organization!

Thanks Jack.

Toronto is a little too far for me though. I wish there was something close to London, which is where where I am. I would of definitely gone to some meetings there if it was closer.

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