North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Mark Angermayer" <hangermayer@isp.com>]

I agree.  I once read accounts of different mushroom poisonings in a
conservation magazine.  What stuck in my mind was the victims could not tell
mushrooms were poisonous by taste, in fact some reported they were quite
tasty.

Some of the cases, victims died, others had to have liver transplants, and
others recovered normally.

The old cliche', there are old mushroom hunters, and bold mushroom hunters -
but no old, bold mushroom hunters.

Mark

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Hélène Dessureault
To: North American Fruit Explorers
Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 8:14 AM
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Oyster Mushroom Identity


I am not recommending to eat it, you don't have to read between the line to
figure that out!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Road's End Farm
To: North American Fruit Explorers
Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 8:44 AM
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Oyster Mushroom Identity


Personally, I'd vote against eating a fungus that had been identified only
by sending out pictures, and that had been identified as various different
things by various people on the basis of those pictures. Your risk tolerance
in this area may vary from mine, of course.


Can you find anyone in your area who knows enough about mushrooms to
actually look at a sample for you? Extension office or equivalent thereof,
maybe? If they haven't an expert on staff, they may know who in the area you
could call.




-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale






On Sep 24, 2010, at 8:29 AM, Hélène Dessureault wrote:


I would vote for Melanopus squamosus, just because it has a foot and a
polyporus grows differently. I have just checked Pomerleau Encyclopedia of
Mushroom (listing some 2000 mushrooms found in Québec) and it has a drawing
of your mushroom and a technical description. It is definitely not an oyster
mushroom because oyster mushrooms have long gills underneath. Judging by the
underside, it will become hard (not rot) and be still there next Spring,
unless an animal eat it while it is still soft. And yes, melanopus squamosus
is edible while still soft, although not recommended for great eating.
Interestingly, there are all kinds of studies being carried out in the world
right now, mainly in Asia, about the medicinal properties of wood mushrooms
such as this one.

This is a wonderful year for mushrooms with all kinds of new entities seldom
seen, appearing everywhere. Thank you for sharing this photo.

Hélène, zone3-4, north of Ottawa
org/