This is the first time I'd ever seen 'em. It seems like usually the mushrooms around here are smaller, but... not so much this late summer/early fall XD

Aww, that looks like a fun guy! ;D

Oh you! XP

*giggles* XD

Wow, a nice herd :)

At home I would pick them and eat - but mushrooms vary from place to place, and while in my surroundings these are pretty easy to distinguish and safe for a trained eye, there theoretically can be a chance that in your neighborhood another species grows which is similar but not edible.

The shaggy ink cap can be quite tasty, but one has to pick the youngest specimens only. They have to be completely pure white in cross section and processed within hours from picking. When the ends of the cap become even palest pink in cross section, they will turn black and bitter while cooking.

However, don't do it without consulting a local expert (and I mean somebody really knowledgeable, not somebody who bases the knowledge on folklore) - all the mushrooms are edible, but some of them only once... The deadliest specimens are beautiful and reportedly tasty, and it takes 50 grams to kill an adult person. Sometimes a liver transplant can save a life but it's not guaranteed.

Yeah, they do look like shaggy ink caps, which are edible like you said, but unfortunately I don't know anybody local who is an expert in such matters... And without somebody knowledgeable actually coming to my house, looking at them, and saying, "Yes, these are edible mushrooms," I'm not willing to take that risk XD I'll just have to settle with the store-bought portabellas in my refrigerator!

you may not know it, but Im a real FUN-gi! X3

*Crazy flailing* It IS A shaggy mane mushroom! They are VERY easy to recognize and VERY VERY delicious, they are one of the safest wild mushrooms to eat according to David Arora and not likely to be confused with a poisonous species according to Paul Stamets. If I see them I always snatch them up and stuff them in my mouth after sauteing them as quickly as possible. They are my absolute favorite mushroom out there.

Holy crap your patch is huge and I am so envious. YES, absolutely pluck those little puppies, cook them, and gobble them all up as quickly as possible! Cut them down the middle and if they are all white inside = eat them. If they have any grey at all, discard them. The caps you pick should be closed and tight still, if the gills have already opened its best to leave them be as they likely have begun to decay inside already.

Interesting to know! I'm still not sure if I'm comfortable eating them... I think I've been brainwashed since a young age to be leery of wild mushrooms. (Probably because there aren't even usually many around here except little white cap ones). Though I do believe you, and it really doesn't seem like there are many lookalikes to this particular mushroom out there. DANG IF YOU LIVED NEARBY I'D LET YOU PICK THEM. I'd say a good portion of them are probably already past eating-prime, but at least half are probably still young enough because I can't see a stalk yet.

Well, the "not likely to be confused with a poisonous species" applies only to people who have at least some clue about what to look for and what characteristics distinguish one species from another. You have no idea what folks can mistake for what: if the thing has a brown cap and light brown stem then it must be a Boletus right? No, I'm not joking. If you show a shaggy ink mushroom to such person and say it's safe and edible, next day (s)he will pick up a young (closed) Death Cap because to him or her looks kind of the same. In other words: if you want to pick mushrooms, know your stuff. Better "brainwashed" than dead.

is it weird that you posted this, and earlier today i saw the exact same kid of mushroom :I.. the damn thing was HUGE

Coincidences!
Maybe it's a good season for them?

They're seasonal, late summer / early fall.... at least in Alberta >_>

I meant more like, I wonder if the conditions this season have just been exceptional for them, because I haven't seen them around here before at this or any time of year. But it's been kind of a soggy year, I guess, and I bet fungi like that XD

That they do!
Lots of rain followed by really warm temperatures and BOOM :3

hmmm.. maybe lol

I'm with Styx.
Those are one of my two FAVOURITE wild mushrooms.
I grew up picking and eating wild mushrooms.

Pick 'em white and pink. Toss 'em if they're grey.

Don't cook them with metal is the big thing I learned growing up.
(aluminum and cast iron specifically)

I usually toss them into a corel dish with butter and pepper and cook them with a wooden spoon.
They. Are. Amazing. :)

DO NOT CONSUME WITH ALCOHOL!!

That's the big thing with wild mushrooms.
Don't eat 'em with booze. (dad learned that the hard way lol)

But looking at your pictures, I can say with out a doubt, I would pick them and eat them in a heart beat.

The insides should look like this;
http://shroomsgonewild.com/wp-conte.....9-10-21-22.jpg

Or this if they're past their prime;
http://wildfoodgirl.com/wp-content/.....ne-october.jpg


Wash them with water, cut them up to make sure no bugs are in the gills and cook them up til tender. They don't need long at all. :)


They DO NOT refrigerate well for very long, and if you decide you really like them and want want to freeze them, you need to cook them then freeze them. Tupperware containers or freezer bags :)

If you want quotes from mushroom books, I have 3 in my house I can type the sections about Shaggy Manes / Ink Caps for you if you're interested still.
^_^ Enjoy

You seem like quite the expert! Yeah, here I basically grew up being told, "Don't even touch a wild mushroom," haha. I'm probably missing out on absolute tons of delicious, because there are a lot of different mushrooms popping up this year in addition to these guys that may be edible too and I just don't know. Maybe it's time to buy some reference books and get adventurous!

(BTW, do you know why alcohol has a negative effect when consumed with the mushrooms? Is there a specific chemical that is in mushrooms or is consumed by the mushrooms that does that? Is the same true of store mushrooms and I've just never noticed? XD)

I'll never be an "expert" just cuz some of those mushrooms out there can be tricky things if you're not sure what you're looking at... but there are some pretty amazing ones out there. ^////^ (but thank you, Mycology and Herbology are two of my hobbies)

If you're not into picking these and trying them out, there's always the option that if you're in a fancy cuisine store or a farmers market some time, look for a brown, wrinkly mushroom called a "Morel" They're great in sauces :D (they'll be dried)
That way it's a sure thing that you're not picking the wrong kind of mushroom.
http://craneberryfarm.com/wp-conten...../02/morel1.jpg

One book I've got that I find is really good (multiple pictures in addition to written descriptions) is "Wild Edible Mushrooms" by Hope H. Miller. Plus a whole ton of recipes for those who don't want to just eat them cooked and tossed on a plate (Like I prefer them :D )
http://www.mushrooms-millers.com/im.....advertical.png

As for why the mushrooms react with alcohol... it's certain types of the wild ones that do, ones that contain a chemical called "coprine". Specifically Shaggy Manes from what I've learned.
Drinking and eating those mimics severe alcohol poisoning. (Yay stomach pumping time dad! lol)

(This might help: http://www.mssf.org/cookbook/shaggymane.html )

In addition to Shaggy Manes, my three other Must Haves for wild mushrooms are
Puff Balls: http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/W.....566-519148.jpg
http://www.richard-seaman.com/Fungu...../PuffBalls.jpg

Morels: http://www.chicagofarmandtable.com/.....el-photo-2.jpg

and Boletus: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped.....s_edulis_1.jpg
http://www.3200stories.org/uploads/.....le-Boletus.jpg

(these ones are so neat because their gill patterns are tubular instead of the usual horizontal you see in regular mushrooms)
Top view: http://www.laurieconstantino.com/wp.....es-300x217.jpg
Cross Section: http://archive.bio.ed.ac.uk/jdeacon.....y/bolegill.jpg
Close Up: http://www.warrenphotographic.co.uk.....tus-fungus.jpg

Regular Mushroom Gill: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HXhqoz3Sf.....0/mushroom.jpg

But dont eat any of them raw. I know a few you CAN, but I still won't do it. It's something to do with how they break down when cooked.



er.. sorry about all that... that's probably way more than you cared about Mycology

Oh no, thank you for sharing! That's all really interesting and I appreciate it! : D
I have of course heard of morels, and that they are just the bee's knees. I know people around here (Iowa-Illinois-Wisconsin, USA) will hunt for those guys as apparently they can fetch a pretty good price if you know the right buyers. I don't know that I've ever had the privilege of actually trying one before, I think I'm a bit overdue! I feel like I've seen them mentioned on fancy restaurant menus before, though...

I may have seen puff balls nearby here recently, too. I didn't look at them closely, but the way they are clustered in the second photo reminds me of what I saw--around this reservoir area in our subdivision there have been these patches of really close-together, yellowish mushrooms that just made me think of a bunch of yellow potatoes on the ground XD

The others I don't think I have seen in the wild before. Those tubular gills are cool!

Yeah I'm pretty crazy about morels, tho I prefer them just cooked and served, but at the costs I've seen (you are correct; they do fetch a nice price) most people wouldn't do that. Plus I think fresh is best for that lol.

Puffballs are easy to know what they are for sure once they've gone to spore. They turn brown or greenish and they POOF little dust spores when you poke them. It's fun. ^ ^
There's really no nice way of saying it lol:
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/.....e/60626966.jpg
Or showing it.

Tho one big thing with Puffball mushrooms is a lot of NOT GOOD FOR YOU mushrooms will grow looking like a puffball before they break the veil that covers them, so you need to slice puffball mushrooms like bread slices after washing, just to make sure you DONT see any gills in them.
Sliced Puffball:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DmEWrHjPC.....uffball_02.jpg

Juvenile Amanita with veil:
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:.....DBpu-P9JOiFFGt
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:.....3c5ShaHGUb6QSA

Juvenile Amanita with veil breaking up:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fis4JeAYt.....ta_ESC9686.jpg

This is a good example of when a mushroom looks like a puffball, but once cutting it open you see the gills:
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:.....BQNjlDGRSFdhKQ

That's what you don't want to see in a puffball :D

So if you want to try to harvest those ones you found near the reservoir, this would be the BEST way to see if they're a puffball or not :D
(Of course, with all mushroom picking, wash your hands before touching your face or mouth or eating. Just to be safe :3 )

I also haven't found Boletus in the markets yet, so I cant help much there besides hints about the gills.
Oh, and bugs and mice LOOOOVE them lol, so be prepared to see buggies or bite marks on them lol.

Hope this helps and happy hunting!

(And if you ever want to do spore-pattern pictures, I can help with that too XD )
http://cdn.studentartguide.com/cdn/.....room-print.jpg

That's a lot of info again, thank you! : D I love learning new things!

Anytime!
I love having a chance to nerd-out over plants /fungi once in a while Lol X3