"MUSHROOMS?"

[CaptainRobin]

Re: "MUSHROOMS?"

Back in the '70s we used to eat mushrooms... found growing in cow pastures. They would seriously bend your preception of reality. I like mushrooms, but will NOT take them from the wild down heah. Rule of thumb (so to speak, and that's another story) is that if the fungi has gills, it's a mushroom. If it looks like spunge underneath, it's a "toadstool". I'd get mine at the grocery store (which is exactly what I do). Now if'n I was 'up north' and could find and harvest Morels, it might be another story... those things are excellent eating.
Robin

 

[Red James Cash]

Re: "MUSHROOMS?"

Morels, theyre worth a bit of money too.

 

[DoomDrag]

Re: "MUSHROOMS?"

Growing in my back yard a Clathrus columnatus bottom image is from a red cap mushroom but i dont know what species.

 

[gleaner1]

Re: "MUSHROOMS?"

I love shrooms so much it makes me want to let out a big GUFFAW! of laughter. No, really.

 

[CaptainRobin]

Re: "MUSHROOMS?"

RJC, I was out in Washington State last year, wife has an uncle out there, east side of The Cascades, morels were selling for... now can you believe this... $400 a POUND! Geezzzz.... they're good eating, but they ain't that good.

Gleaner... would you believe me if'n I was to tell you a framed print of your avitar is hanging in my ex-mother-in-laws home in Hochstadt, Germany? It's been hanging there for YEARS...
Robin

 

[Ray S S]

Re: "MUSHROOMS?"

Lots of the small towns in Northern michigan have Morel Festivals. They have contests and prizes for the most picked in a day,
the largest one picked, and the most picked during the season, and a couple other classifications.

When I was little, people used to burn the Lichens (tree mushrooms, especially the ones on fallen trees) to keep the
mosquitoes away when doing something in their backyard. The fumes from the smoke would keep them away for a
short distance from the fire.

 

[P.B. and Dylan]

Re: "MUSHROOMS?"

Some of those look familiar, but I just ate some kind of mushroom
and my mind is moving slow.
I think they came from a cow pasture also.

I wonder why what FarmerChick was trying to say was deleted?
Was it --deleted--ake or shiitake? And in my immaturity I find it funny
that this type of mushroom is grown on a log!

Ah Ha! The website must auto delete naughty words even if their part of a bigger word.

 

[Tuberale]

Re: "MUSHROOMS?"

Back in the '70s we used to eat mushrooms... found growing in cow pastures. They would seriously bend your preception of reality. I like mushrooms, but will NOT take them from the wild down heah. Rule of thumb (so to speak, and that's another story) is that if the fungi has gills, it's a mushroom. If it looks like spunge underneath, it's a "toadstool". I'd get mine at the grocery store (which is exactly what I do). Now if'n I was 'up north' and could find and harvest Morels, it might be another story... those things are excellent eating.
Robin

Like many "rule of thumbs" this has errors. Could be fatal.

At one time, mushrooms were considered "edible." Toadstools were considered "poisonous."

Morels don't have gills, so would be considered toadstools. Lots of other good eating mushrooms also don't have gills, but are still very edible: King bolete, Queen bolete, Suillus, Cauliflower, truffles ...

Morels are easy to grow. Recycle your Christmas tree by chipping it. The chips need to be in contact with soil. Pulverize a dried morel in a food-processor, and add to a gallon of water. Pour the spore slurry over the chipped Christmas tree. With luck, next spring you will have morels.

But even this is not certain. Some morels (Morchella esculenta, for example) seem to be mycorrhizal. Mycorrhizal fungi require live host plants to survive. The above method only works for saprophytic morels, or morels that grow off dead material.

Morels are found in Texas, Florida and Mexico. Not sure how much further south you need to be.

 

[Tuberale]

Re: "MUSHROOMS?"

Some of those look familiar, but I just ate some kind of mushroom
and my mind is moving slow.
I think they came from a cow pasture also.

I wonder why what FarmerChick was trying to say was deleted?
Was it --deleted--ake or shiitake? And in my immaturity I find it funny
that this type of mushroom is grown on a log!

Ah Ha! The website must auto delete naughty words even if their part of a bigger word.

If your mind is moving slow, you should be able to catch up to it.<G>

As for ...ake. Take (pronounced talk-E) is Japanese for mushroom. So matsutake just means Pine (matsu) mushroom (take). The Japanese eat more varieties of mushrooms than most other people. They also rarely get ill from eating mushrooms. In general the cook all fungi. There is something to be learned from them: cook ALL mushrooms well.

Shiitake actually stands for Shiia (Japanese chestnut) and take (mushroom). Now mostly shiitake are grown on oak logs, though.

Lots of mushrooms grow from wood. Learning how to grow them is fascinating and can be profitable. I have estimated a cord of Red alder wood inoculated with shiitake mushrooms should produce about $10,000 worth of mushrooms over 3-5 years. Paul Stamets, author of "Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms" liked to show off a block of wood chips inoculated with shiitake. He'd say "This block contains about 1 cent worth of sawdust. You can see about $10 worth of mushrooms growing from it. Which is more valuable? One cent or $10?"

Truffles are similar. A single truffle may cost $20 or more. But it doesn't end there. If you go back to where you found the truffle next year, you'll probably find more. Think of truffles as being your own little silver mine that replenishes itself every year.

 

[ginnysdaddy]

Re: "MUSHROOMS?"

Back in the '70s we used to eat mushrooms... found growing in cow pastures. They would seriously bend your preception of reality. I like mushrooms, but will NOT take them from the wild down heah. Rule of thumb (so to speak, and that's another story) is that if the fungi has gills, it's a mushroom. If it looks like spunge underneath, it's a "toadstool". I'd get mine at the grocery store (which is exactly what I do). Now if'n I was 'up north' and could find and harvest Morels, it might be another story... those things are excellent eating.
Robin

Found In western PA

 

[P.B. and Dylan]

Re: "MUSHROOMS?"

Speaking of medical mushroom's Tuberale,
About 20 years ago I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue. My doctor said their was nothing he could do for me and when I asked about going to a nutritionist, he agreed and wrote me a referral.
One of the products the nutritionist used was a combination of Shiitake and (I think) Maitake. I can attest that they are powerful and effective. The treatment cured me and I have not got it back since.
Not only are mushrooms delicious, they also have incredible healing properties.

 

[Tuberale]

Re: "MUSHROOMS?"

Speaking of medical mushroom's Tuberale,
About 20 years ago I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue. My doctor said their was nothing he could do for me and when I asked about going to a nutritionist, he agreed and wrote me a referral.
One of the products the nutritionist used was a combination of Shiitake and (I think) Maitake. I can attest that they are powerful and effective. The treatment cured me and I have not got it back since.
Not only are mushrooms delicious, they also have incredible healing properties.

Medicinal properties of maitake (Grifola frondosa) and shiitake (Lentinula edodes) are fairly well documented IMO. For more citations, see Stamets and Chilton's The Mushroom Cultivator, and Stamets' Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms. Another source of some information on medicinal properties of some fungi is Mushrooms: Poisons and Panaceas.

 

[Frankn]

Re: "MUSHROOMS?"

This past summer I "planted" 300 Shiitake plugs in a downed tree and some stumps. I also "planted" 300 plugs of another variety that is red and enlongared, a "stronger " variety medically wise. I can't recall the name now, I think it was Rash-something. They are in a damp area of my farm so they should do well and come up in the spring. I fix my mushrooms in a frying pan with butter and spices. I have always liked mushrooms. Maybe that had something to do with me making it to 74 and still being very active. Frank

 

[Tuberale]

Re: "MUSHROOMS?"

This past summer I "planted" 300 Shiitake plugs in a downed tree and some stumps. I also "planted" 300 plugs of another variety that is red and enlongared, a "stronger " variety medically wise. I can't recall the name now, I think it was Rash-something. They are in a damp area of my farm so they should do well and come up in the spring. I fix my mushrooms in a frying pan with butter and spices. I have always liked mushrooms. Maybe that had something to do with me making it to 74 and still being very active. Frank

I think you may have been taking about reishii (RA-she), better known as Ganoderma lucidum. This is not a mushroom you want to eat, Frank. But it is quite medicinal. It is strongly anti-cancerous, and is known to activate the immune system, and somehow causes the consumer's body to produce both alpha- and beta-interferon. No one knows, how, but it is known to occur. In China, Reishii is sometimes called "Herb of 10,000 Days." At one time it was reserved for nobility. Also quite well-known in Japan, where the samurai used to grow it in their compounds. Active ingredient is a very weakly-soluble polysaccharide, or complex sugar. It is not well soluble, even in boiling water. But alcohol absorbs the sugar much better.

I would posit that if the downed tree and stumps were over 1 years old at the time of innoculation ("planting"), you have not had any mushroom production. At least shiitake. Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) is relatively easy to identify. The gills have serated edges, usually visible by the naked eye.

Many mushrooms are immuno-activating or believed to be so. They include shiitake, maitake, matsutake, enokitake, reishii, Ganoderma oregonense, Ganoderma tsugae, Ganoderma curtsii, Boletus edulis, Calvatia gigantea, Calvatia subsculpta, and many others.

In Russia Russula emetica is considered medicinal. In the United States, Russula emetica is considered poisonous. The species epithet emetica means "to cause to throw up".

 

[JUDDZILLA]

Re: "MUSHROOMS?"

I believe the psilocybin mushrooms(psychedelic ) often found in a a pasture growing on or next to a "cow patty" are whitish with blue/purple lines on the stem visible when squeezed(maybe faint when not squeezed open. I Still wouldn't trust this, I am NO EXPERT BY ANY MEANS.

 

[Tuberale]

Re: "MUSHROOMS?"

I believe the psilocybin mushrooms(psychedelic ) often found in a a pasture growing on or next to a "cow patty" are whitish with blue/purple lines on the stem visible when squeezed(maybe faint when not squeezed open. I Still wouldn't trust this, I am NO EXPERT BY ANY MEANS.

I'm glad you qualified your statement by stating your belief, then noting your lack of expertise.

I'm inexpert as well. Anyone who says they can identify any mushrooms should be considered suspect. Should you find one of these people, RUN AWAY!

Psilocybe mushrooms comprise many habitats. Some are found on cow patties. Next to other mushrooms. Some of which are also Psilocybe. This is a case of what Lewis Caroll referred to in "Alice Through the Lookinglass": "One will make you taller, and one will make you small; and one will make you like you're not even there at all." The expertise to distinguish poisonous and non-poisonous Psilocybe mushrooms is beyond me. But I have personally found cow patties where edible was growing next to hallucinogenic that was growing next to deadly poisonous.

But I'm no expert, so enjoy.

BTW Wasson in the early 1950's started the whole psychodelic mushroom fad with an article in Life magazine about finding several species of Psilocybe in Mexico which were used medicinally by the Mazatec Indians. The Indians would use the mushrooms in religious ceremonies to see the future once every lunar cycle (28 days I believe). While accurate records were not made of births and deaths in the tribe, Wasson estimated some of these tribal members were over 120 years old, based on what they had observed during their lifetimes. And at least some Psilocybe mushrooms are believed to be immuno-activating. Kind of sounds probable: if you activated your immune system every 28 days, you might live to 120 years old too.

Just be CERTAIN of your identifications!

 

[pumice]

Re: "MUSHROOMS?"

Run the 'tector over'em and sets it off......mmmmmm....don't eat!......

 

[Tuberale]

Re: "MUSHROOMS?"

Some mushrooms concentrate heavy metals. So it might be possible for a detector to find them.

The year after the Chernobyl nuclear reactor failed, a woman carrying a quart of canned mushrooms was stopped at an airport after the mushrooms set the metal detector off. There was enough radioactive cesium in the mushrooms for the detector to react.

Other fungi are known to concentrate lead from automobile exhaust, mercury, cadmium ... and yes, even gold.

Many of these fungi are poisonous (big surpise!), but have interesting possibilities in bioremediation: cleaning contaminated areas by using living organisms.

 

[JUDDZILLA]

Re: "MUSHROOMS?"

I believe the psilocybin mushrooms(psychedelic ) often found in a a pasture growing on or next to a "cow patty" are whitish with blue/purple lines on the stem visible when squeezed(maybe faint when not squeezed open. I Still wouldn't trust this, I am NO EXPERT BY ANY MEANS.

Reply from Tuberale
I'm glad you qualified your statement by stating your belief, then noting your lack of expertise.

I'm inexpert as well. Anyone who says they can identify any mushrooms should be considered suspect. Should you find one of these people, RUN AWAY!

Psilocybe mushrooms comprise many habitats. Some are found on cow patties. Next to other mushrooms. Some of which are also Psilocybe. This is a case of what Lewis Caroll referred to in "Alice Through the Lookinglass": "One will make you taller, and one will make you small; and one will make you like you're not even there at all." The expertise to distinguish poisonous and non-poisonous Psilocybe mushrooms is beyond me. But I have personally found cow patties where edible was growing next to hallucinogenic that was growing next to deadly poisonous.

But I'm no expert, so enjoy.

BTW Wasson in the early 1950's started the whole psychodelic mushroom fad with an article in Life magazine about finding several species of Psilocybe in Mexico which were used medicinally by the Mazatec Indians. The Indians would use the mushrooms in religious ceremonies to see the future once every lunar cycle (28 days I believe). While accurate records were not made of births and deaths in the tribe, Wasson estimated some of these tribal members were over 120 years old, based on what they had observed during their lifetimes. And at least some Psilocybe mushrooms are believed to be immuno-activating. Kind of sounds probable: if you activated your immune system every 28 days, you might live to 120 years old too.

Just be CERTAIN of your identifications!

120YEARS!!! You do realize that a minute seems like an hour and an hour seems like a day on "Shrooms". Just a thought that maybe "Trippin" every 28 days for a lifetime may distort any "actual" conception of time. Might be fun for a while. I do miss Gerry (Garcia),rest in PEACE!!

 

[Tuberale]

Re: "MUSHROOMS?"

120YEARS!!! You do realize that a minute seems like an hour and an hour seems like a day on "Shrooms". Just a thought that maybe "Trippin" every 28 days for a lifetime may distort any "actual" conception of time. Might be fun for a while. I do miss Gerry (Garcia),rest in PEACE!!

The Mazatlec Indians are not the only long-lived group in the world. Another group lives between Turkey and Georgia, I believe. They also reguarly eat a mushroom considered poisonous here. And are supposed to live to 130 years. Or older.