Shaggy Mane

[hypoman]

Has anyone ever tried eating this type of mushroom? I found about 6 large ones yesterday and had planned on eating them today in a quiche but they had already turned to ink the next morning..... so I put the ink on a hard packed surface in my yard so I will have some next year (hopefully!). If you have tried them what are your experiences and opinions of them?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Diving for Pleasure and Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[bartholomewroberts]

They have great flavour.. But... you have to either eat them immediately upon picking or dehydate them immediately. They do not take any delay of processing.

Good luck

Cheers

Bartholomewroberts

 

[hypoman]

Thanks........... Did you see St. Pierre last night?

 

[Tuberale]

You've asked the right person. Coprinus comatus (aka Shaggy Mane) is one of the most edible of mushrooms, has anti-cancerous elements, and is considered one of the "fool-proof four" for collecting.

Another common name is Inky Cap, because during the 1840-1870 period of pioneer expansion, Inky Caps were allowed to turn to ink, then a little sulphuric acid was added to stabilize the goop, and the pioneers literally made ink from them. One of my gr-gr-grandparents diaries, written with Inky Caps collected in Missouri/Kansas, is still owned by my uncle. While the words are faded after 150 years, it is still a valued family artifact.

Shaggy Mane can fruit in mass, but cannot be preserved that is currently known. That's because the mushroom dissolves itself in a process called "auto-deliquesence". More importantly, it has an extremely powerful anti-cancer element, which has eliminated some cancers within 24 hours.

I enjoy Shaggy Manes in gravy over potatoes myself. Get some Jimmy Dean sausage, sautee until well cooked, add some flour to make a roue of the fat, and add as many Shaggy Manes as you can within 3 hours. Yummy and good for you!

There is a little leeway if you see Shaggy Manes in the right stage of development. By plunging the mushrooms in water containing ice, it is possible to keep the mushrooms from auto–digesting themselves for up to 72 hours. But they are best used immediately.

For more information on the medicinal aspects of Coprinus comatus, I recommend Paul Stamets' "Growing Wild and Medicinal Mushrooms", as well as Christopher Hobbs' "Medicinal Mushrooms". Some excellent medical citations.

 

[WindHarvester]

Great information tuberale, my wife, kids and I are getting ready to go out and hunt morels so I will keep an eye out for these. I found some pictures on google and I have seen them before but never knew they were safe.

 

[hypoman]

Yeah tuberale....... thanks for the info. I was actually wondering if they had ever been used for writing ink after seeing them turn. I have a semi gravel/grass/dirt are that I rubbed the ink into so hopefully I will get some next year.



Windharvester- If you put your morels in a plastic bag while hunting them, then fill the empty bag up with water, shake, and dump on a woody area or under some pine trees, you should get some to grow by spreading the spores that way. My great uncle has done this for years with great success.

 

[bartholomewroberts]

I have never tried to plunge the 'shrooms in ice.. We always have used them immediately or dehydrated them.... Of course, having my own property where they [and the Morels] grow is a bonus. I just pick them and then process them immediately

Cheers

Bartholomewroberts

 

[Tuberale]

I've never eaten one before, what do they taste like? When I saw the title I thought I was going to see one of these.

Nope. Those spread spoor that you find by stepping in 'em.<G> What I'm talking about are spread by spores.