Mushrooms/Toadstools

[judydolman]

Hi there - can anybody give me advice on whether the fungi growing in my garden is edible. I have loads of different varieties growing but daren't eat them in case the are poisonous.

Is there an easy way to detect the edible ones?

Many thanks
Judy

[dexterdoglancashire]

hello judy and welcome to the Vine! I don't know much about mushrooms, other than you need an expert to tell you whats what. I'm sure someone on the Vine will know - could you perhaps put some photos on the Vine so we can see what they look like? dexterdog

[JazzDuke]

It would be unwise to take advice over the net imho. A picture is not really good enough. You need to find someone (from a trustworthy source) to look at the mushrooms.

In France you can take your mushrooms to any pharmacist who will advise - that is enlightened.

[ugly gourd]

How about giving samples to the mother in law and see what the effect is !!
(only joking!)

[nick the grief]

Hi there - can anybody give me advice on whether the fungi growing in my garden is edible. I have loads of different varieties growing but daren't eat them in case the are poisonous.

Is there an easy way to detect the edible ones?

Many thanks
Judy

See if the county council have the address for a natural history society, they may run a course now winter draws on - I won't crack the old joke about winter draws on LJ your safe .

[Lesley Jay]

I'm frightened to ask Nick!

[Don Vincenzo]

Perhaps you could specify:
How big is your garden; what trees are growing; type of subsoil ( chalk - clay ); Do you keep pets such as poultry, Horses, cows? ; if your garden is close to woodlands; are the mushrooms growing on grass? if that is the case they could be field mushrooms which are edible and quite taste if picked young, but my advice is do not attempt to eat any.
Regards
Don Vincenzo

[Birdie Wife]

I agree with the advice already given. To add to that - if they look like the white flat capped mushrooms from the supermarket, they're probably field or horse mushrooms. However, there is a poisonous one that looks similar called the Yellow Staining mushroom, which, surprise surprise, when you bruise it goes yellow.

If you are going to pick mushrooms, do it as early in the morning as you can before the maggots find them. Cut the stem as close to the ground as possible to avoid damaging the mycelium too much (these are the bulk of the fungus, the fine filaments that grow underground - the mushroom you see is just the fruiting body). Cut through the middle of the stem - if there are any fine holes through it, toss it - the maggots have beaten you to it!

[judydolman]

Thanks for all your replies - to answer some of your questions:-
The mushrooms/toadstools are growing through grass but the original area was a wood - some of the original trees were dug up and buried underground so I can only assume that some of the fungi is caused by rotting wood. We grassed over the area - does this help in identification?
judy

[Birdie Wife]

Many fungi don't grow on wood or anywhere near it, and others may be remants of the wood that used to grow there, so in a word, no! There's little point in trying to i.d. the species through the web, as others have said, but key features to look for are whether the mushroom has gills underneath, or little holes like pin prinks all over - if it's one of the latter, then it's a boletus type, most of which are edible and good. They are largely woodland species too. Other features - is the top of the cap waxy? slimy? smooth? and does the stem have a little 'tu-tu'?

Then take a note of all these features, get a mushroom guide (there's a good one by collins I think, which only has edible mushrooms in it, and a good description for each species) or someone who knows their stuff

[dexterdoglancashire]

actually JD - think thats sound advice - always as an expert! (and not your M-in-L!). I think in "Cooking on the wild side" by HFW there may be a bit on fungi - but to be on the safe side.................... dexterdog

[Mrs Dobby]

The Collins one is excellent, we have it, but even with it I myself am loathe to trust my own judgement, so am also looking out for an expert hereabouts to identify the crop of fungi we have on our plot!!