When NOT To Listen To The Mushroom Nerds...

WARNING!  This is a rant!   Sorry 'bout that.   I started this yesterday, and it seems to have taken on a life of its own.   It might be boring,  it is definitely long...   Read at your own risk...

It is difficult to articulate when one should NOT listen to an "Expert".   However, one of the many good things this Pandemic has revealed is that the "Experts"... are still human. And like ALL humans... they get things wrong.   Now I could go off on my theory of experts trying to rule the world with their unquestionable knowledge of a subject, but I will try to focus on something much smaller... Mushrooms.

Chlorophyllum molybdites, "The Puker!" 
(Hint: Green Gills) 

Ah! Mushrooms.  Small, little things.  Pretty, Healthy, Tasty, Medicinal,  Useful! But also toxic and sometimes deadly.   So... best to avoid and  never eat them...right?  I mean... some are deadly!  DEADLY!   Others might make you sick...  We are talking tummy aches here. Tummy Aches!  Diarrhea.  Sometimes even vomiting! In fact, there is a mushroom named "The Puker!"  So... It is  best to lump them all together as "dangerous."  That is the ONLY way to be safe.  Or so they say...

Really?  ALL gilled mushrooms? 

But is it now?  How about actually doing a little research  and investigate which ones are poisonous or toxic.  You may be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.   And there may be a secret out there that is just waiting to be discovered by someone willing to put in the time to educate themselves.

Paul Stamets helped get me into this world.

And that is what I have been doing over the last 5 years.   And in that time, I have discovered an entire WORLD that is visible, but largely ignored by everyone else. Come to find out,  LOTS Of mushrooms are edible.   Delicious!  In fact.  And they are fairly easy to separate out from the toxic ones.   The deadly poison ones are usually fairly obvious and easy to avoid.  ( They are, however, fairly common and easy to find.) Once you have a working knowledge of what is deadly,   what is safe,  and what is questionable... you can begin getting your feet wet..  or dirty..  and enjoy the  hidden world that appears right before you.

But how do you gain this knowledge?  You listen to the "Experts", Right? You have to follow  someone's footsteps if you don't want to make a deadly mistake, right?    Well...  this is true.  There are books and videos out there that can help you a lot in big ways.  But ultimately,  it is YOU that has to take the plunge.  Now, before I get too far..  I would strongly suggest you do not go out and randomly eat any mushroom you see without having some clue on what type it is.  But in the end, all of the books in the world will not be able to try the mushroom for you.

And so it goes that many "experts" tend to error on the side of caution.  It makes sense, if you think about it.  They do not want to be held responsible for someone's mistake if that person happens to eat the wrong mushroom.  But there is a limit to the responsibility of everyone.   Where does YOUR responsibility end, and MINE  begin?   And Who, in the end, pays the price for a mistake?   I would say that you are responsible for your own health. (No "expert" is going to force you to eat a mushroom...)   Otherwise the experts will have you sitting at home, avoiding human contact and all of the dangers that could possibly happen from this world.  ( Wait!  That IS happening right now!)   But back to mushrooms.

But we have... and lived to tell about it. 

An example:   I have eaten "poisonous" mushrooms for much of my childhood.   The "False Morel" was one of the few mushrooms we could readily find in Yankee Springs during the spring.   We would bring whatever we found home and Mom would cook them up in some gravy or something.  We did not die... I don't even remember getting sick.   It Probably was not the best practice, but we knew of their "Toxicity" and cooked them thoroughly.  ALL Of the books I have read have these mushrooms labeled as "TOXIC!  And explain the chemical processes that happen that cause the health issues.  As an Adult,  I see no reason to continue eating them..( There are too many better alternatives out there.. and why take the risk?)   But that is my choice.

Discovering mushrooms is like exploring the Stars.   Everything is new ( to you) and unexplored. ( to many!)   There is a risk, but there are wonderful rewards in being able to find, identify, and ( if edible) enjoy the tasty, hidden foods that are out there for the taking.  It gets you out into the forest, ( forest bathing, Mental health.)  it offers you to get a little exercise and fresh air, ( always a good thing, physical health.)  and  challenges your mind with unlocking a new mystery. ( Offers an education!)   What is not to love?

My little flow chart on what to do with a newly found mushroom. 

I have a process for my exploration of the Fungi Kingdoms.    After I bring a mushroom that I have never seen before home,  I key it out.  If they mushroom at the end of the key is similar to the one I brought home,  I log on to Google and type in the name.   Usually ( not always)  I will encounter numerous mushroom pictures from  hundreds of people from around the world.  Some are mis-labeled!   I always check out multiple pictures before settling on what my mushroom could be.    I read up on it and sometimes even blog about it.  If it is edible... I usually pass on the first go around.

Chicken Fat Bolete
(Suillus americanus)

But the second or maybe even the third time I find them,  I re-read up and, if I still want to try it,  I cook up a little bit to see if it is worth pursuing.  Sometimes I find a Gem ( Ash Bolete)  Sometimes a Dud ( Chicken fat mushroom)  But, no matter how many books I read telling me it is "safe"... I am the one who has to sample it to be 100% sure. 

And so,  I find that I can not really go on any Mushroom sites, because the Mushroom Nerds will tell you the mushroom you have spent the last several years Identifying is wrong.   Wrong how?   They won't tell you what it is.. just what it isn't.   I will give them the benefit of the doubt that they are not trying to create doubt in you, but instead are splitting the hairs of the mushroom families.

Old man of the wood? 

Old man of the woods? 

  For instance:  Old man of the woods (Strobilomyces strobilaceus)  And it's Look-a-like (Strobilomyces confusus).  They look practically Identical, unless you have them side by side and are able to microscopically peek at the spores.  Will a mix up kill you?  Or are the nerds just playing the "I know best" game?    I don't really care about the taxonomy... just if it is edible and safe.  Close enough  is always the game you play.   Many Amanitas are toxic or deadly... But a few ( very few) are edible and even ( they say...) tasty.  I will not be testing any Amanitas for food.   The risk is too high.

But many Boletes are safe.  Even if you are simply in the "Ball Park", you will be eating a mushroom that is safe,  just not as "choice" as the one you may have thought you were getting.   You figure these things out through experience.    Not by listening to the "Experts".   And there is only one way to find that experience... getting dirty.   By the way,  While hunting mushrooms I discovered just how much I dislike Poison Ivy...  So the education is ongoing!

I would never consider myself an expert.   How arrogant is that?   I might have  a little more knowledge that the average non-mushroom hunter.  I will concede that.  But I would hope that I never tell anyone else they are doing it wrong, simply because it does not line up with my methods or processes.  There are lots of ways of doing things, and everyone will find a method that works for them.   I only wish other people had the same philosophy of learning/teaching.