Edible Fungi

My earlier article looked at poisonous and hallucinogenic fungi, now I am going to explore the edible varieties. Be careful with what you find and take home as even the most expert mushroom hunter has been caught out! If in doubt don’t!

Blusher or Amanita Rubenscens can be found in deciduous coniferous woodland in the late summer and autumn. The cap is pale brown to entirely dark red or brown with cream coloured warts. Pale coloured volval tissues give it a speckled finish. It gets its name from the way the flesh turns pink on bruising. The fungus has a peppery taste and leaves an acrid after taste. It is native to Europe and North America.

Ugly One, Ugly Milk Cap or Lactarius Turpis has a yellowy brown cap and is found in coniferous woodland in the autumn. It is a native to Europe and Russia but it was introduced to Australia and New Zealand. It is used in Russia as a spice and commercially available preserved in salt or pickle.

Sickener or Russula Emetica is aptly named due to the sickness it will cause if eaten raw. The Sickener can be found in woodland in the autumn. It is found in Europe, North Africa, Asia and North America. Although it will cause sickness if eaten raw it is not life threatening. Russula Emetica was once a favoured food of the red squirrel.

Poached Egg Fungus, Porcelain Mushroom or Oudemansiella Mucida has a convex head of a greyish white. It can be found in clusters on Beech boughs, stumps and trunks. The taste is nothing special.

Plums and Custard or Tricholomopsis Rutilans has a broad yellow speckled umbrella with purple scales giving it the colloquial name. It is most common in the autumn time. At one time it was considered edible after boiling but modern textbooks now record it as inedible. Plums and Custard emits a smell of rotting pinewood, it is native to Europe and North America.

Lawyers Wig, Shaggy Ink Cap or Coprinus Comatus has a tall head and shaggy white scales. As it matures it turns black and the fluid is often used as ink. Shaggy Ink Cap can be found on rubbish tips, roadsides, lawns and fields. The fungus is edible provided it is harvested prior to blackening. It should be cooked as soon as possible and can then be stored in the fridge or frozen. Lawyer’s Wig is cultivated in China for consumption. It should not be eaten with alcohol!

Antabuse Ink Cap or Coprinopsis Antramentaria is found on stumps of deciduous trees in the autumn. Its head is ribbed with grey brown scales. As it ages the gills liquefy. Like its relative Lawyer’s Wig, Antabuse Ink Cap is safe to eat provided you don’t consume it with alcohol! The fungus is sometimes referred to as Tippler’s Bane because it can cause nausea, vomiting, palpitations and tingling if taken with alcohol. Symptoms are not fatal but still pretty unpleasant.

 Weeping Widow or Lacrymaria Velutina is common during the spring and autumn. It is bell shaped and fibrulous tassels give it a fringed edge. It is distributed widely throughout Europe and has a pleasant but indistinct flavour.

Dryad’s Saddle or Polyporus Squamosus is edible but rather a waste of time! It lives off deciduous trees such as Sycamore and Beech. The cream cap is large and fan shaped with rings of brown scales, it has a black base or stem. The fungus can be found on trees from spring to autumn. Its name comes from Greek Mythology where mythological creatures Known as Dryads rode on toadstools. As well as Europe, Dryad’s Saddle is found in North America, Australia and North Africa. As well as being suitable for consumption the fungus can also be used to make thick paper.

Beefsteak Fungus, Ox Tongue or Fistulina Hepatica is liver coloured and fan shaped. Tubes give it the appearance of having warts. The fungus has yellow or pink pores; it oozes a strongly acidic red juice. Beefsteak Fungus gets its Latin name from Fistula meaning small tube and hepatic concerning the liver. It is edible and has been used as a meat substitute sold in French markets.

Wood Woolyfoot or Collybia Peronata has a broad bell shaped or flat umbrella and is leathery in texture. It varies in colour from a yellow ochre to a reddish brown; the stem gives it its common name, being of woolly appearance. It is found in leaf litter around August.