Safely Identifying Mushrooms

agaricus campestris

Ralph's Rules

for (relatively) Safe

Mushrooming

Quite a few people may poo-poo my suggestions here, but I think it's possible to have a lot of fun hunting, identifying, gathering wild mushrooms, leading to some good side dishes and well seasoned main courses without serious risk of an ambulance ride.

If I am in any way uncertain of the identity of a species, I don't try it.

For a new species, I should be able to find it via the keys in at least three books.

I draw no conclusions until I have a definitive spore print, and a cross section of a sample (gill connectivity, stem hollow/stuffed, bruising color, etc.)

I should be able to state with confidence what distinguishes the specimen in my hand from the 3-5 species most easily mistaken for it.

I should be confident of the limits of variability for this species.

The photos should not contradict my keyed identification.

The subtle nuances (odor, bruising, brittleness, habit, descriptive details, etc) should all support the identification.

Being an amateur, I tend to stay away from difficult-to-be-certain families such as cortinarius and "little brown mushrooms" (LBM's), as well as high risk families such as amanita. I still collect them on study trips for the identification practice, but I stop there.
While I often use older books for identification purposes, I rely on the most recent texts, monographs and reports for toxicity warnings (modern information gathering and statistics are much more thorough.)
The books have to agree, not only that it is edible, but that it is worth eating.

I do not hurry to start eating! Many people are individually allergic to species generally considered edible. . . My wife for example, gets severe stomach aches from agaricus bitorquis (a real tragedy given the rich flavor) but I can eat it comfortably.

My first taste for this species is just enough to find out whether my palate even finds it interesting. (I don't pursue species I don't find enjoyable)

My second taste (more than 24 hours later) is about a teaspoon-full.

I wait another 24 hours before trying a full-sized serving.

I do not over-indulge: these babies hover right at the edge of our liver's ability to detoxify things... If I push it, I may actually make myself allergic (what a stupid thing to even consider trying!).

When gathering, I gather only one species at a time, checking each specimen individually. I have found intersecting rings of marasmius oreades and clitocybe dealbata in neighborhood lawns.

I do not eat more than one species in a meal: Just as coprinus atramentarius is cross-toxic with alcohol (atramentarius apparently shuts down acetaldehyde oxidase, leading to acetaldehyde poisoning), we have no idea at all which species of musrooms are cross-toxic with others.

I do not eat species raw: quite a few "edible" species have powerful hemolytics and other nasty enzymes which are denatured by cooking. Besides, I still have some real hang-ups when it comes to eating raw mushroom maggots.

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last modified:
Friday, 24-May-96 20:28:30 EDT