| Archive for countrytalkandtips.myfreeforum.org ........................ smallholding, crafts and country life ................................................... IN IRELAND ....................................................... |
| lofty |
Mushroomswas shocked and stunned the other day to get a few field mushrooms on our land. Never have seen them this early before. The question i have is has anybody had any other varieties yet this year. |
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| admin |
Well spotted !  Conditions seem good round here too . Haven't found any edibles yet but several different types of delicate "toadstool" have appeared so it's off to the fields and woods asap to have a good look around .
Good luck . Let us know what you find . 
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| Graney |
We've got lots of miscellaneous brown capped mushrooms coming up everywhere. Looks just like autumn.
I've never got to grips with what's edible and what's not in the mushroom world. Can anyone recommend a simple guide? |
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| quarryman |
BLOWIN 
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| blowin |
Haha , very drole !
Graney -- Sorry but I can't find my favourite guide at the moment but will try to remember to post details when I do ( if I haven't poisoned myself by then ! ) .
Bottom line is that there is no such thing as a guide which is both simple and safe to use for identifying edibles unless you have some background knowledge and/or are prepared to do some homework to go with it . That is not to say that you should be put off , just that there are a lot of look-alikes . Some easy mistakes could have very unpleasant consequences and it is ( yet another ) bee in my bonnet that many books fail to make this clear . There is no substitute for spending time with an expert if you can find one of those . Don't include me in that category but I do confidently eat about a dozen different types from the wild and can identify the few which you should definitely avoid ( or die ) and that is good enough for my foraging . I'd be happy to have a walkabout and share my limited knowledge with anyone but they would probably have to come here because I am a bit restricted on travel just now . Meanwhile , I had it in mind to post a mini guide on this forum --- showing just a few fungi which are common , edible and, more to the point , virtually unmistakable . Unfortunately don't have / can't find free pics on the net and working thru links is really tedious on this landline . I'll find that book ! |
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| paul S |
Must agree with Blowin I do a lot of mushrooming over here in UK.
Get yourself on a Forah with an expert it's worth everypenny. Learn to identify a few edibles in your area and go from there. I find there's a lot of confusing advice out there. Some advise taking spore prints for identification. Ok if your only interested in id. By the time you go back having got your print someone else has had your find!!! How is Ireland for the Mushroom hunter? Were I am we lack mature woodland especially Oaks something apparantly to do with Henry 8ths and building all those War Ships. Theres a lot of organic farms around me so meadow mushrooming can be very good at times. All the best Paul Freshwater Isle of Wight England |
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| Graney |
Thanks Blowin. I'll look around for any fungal forays. I don't think I trust my powers of identification from a book alone - and BT knows what my eyesight is like, so I'm sure she wouldn't trust it either
If you do think of getting an event together (where's the Social Secretary to organise it ? ) I'm sure we'd be up for it.
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| blowin |
Pocket guide :
"Field Guide To Mushrooms of Britain and Europe" . By H & R Grunert . ISBN number 1 -85223- 592- 6 A big plus with this one is that it has notes on "possible confusion" in addition to comprehensive but concise description + quality pics . When trying anything for the first time I get MOH to eat it first but only after I have checked every detail in at least two other , heavyweight / scientific refence books .
Main point is that there are no general rules which guarantee that the fungi you have in your hand will be safe to eat . Having said that , it is also true that there are only a couple of moderately common ones which will , without a doubt , kill you . A lot of people get away with eating some that I wouldn't risk or bother with . They just pass thru the system like any tough fibre or , at the worst , give you an uncomfortable couple of days . There are , however , a few useful guides around what to avoid unless you are extremely hungry or adventurous . I'll make up a few and jot them down later .
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| blowin |
As a general rule smallish , delicate fungi which answer to that general descrition are best left where they are . Mostly they are very difficult to identify with any degree of confidence , even with a microscope. ( I never bother if I would have to go to those lengths ) . There is a fairly distinctive edible ( Grisette ) but if you are very unlucky you will have got hold of one of the two common but genuinely lethal types ( Death Cap ) . These should not even be handled as the toxins are thought to be on the skin and can be transfered . The other fairly easily identifiable ones won't kill but will cause hallucination if you eat them in quantity . They become a Class A drug ( same as heroin etc ) the minute they begin to dry and you would have some explaining to do if you were caught with more than a couple of fresh ones in your collection   ( Psilocybin aka Magic Mushrooms or Liberty Cap )  .
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| blowin |
It is a mystery to me , that's what it is ! Most of my own experience comes from around the south of England so I wouldn't expect everything to be the same as here in NW ROI but I am surprised at how very different it is . Some woodland simply shouts fungus but is completely bare but I have found field mushrooms within 10 ft of the sea . Flushes came , went then came back again last year --- loads of "toadstools" of all colours and sizes but hardly anything edible anywhere that I could find . Maybe I just looked in the wrong places but I tried all sorts of different habitats .
Following Lofty's comment I went out today and am almost certain that I saw a good number of large field mushrooms scattered about . Could be sheeps wool or those bloomin footballs they leave out for the lambs but I don't think so . Will try to get onto the fields tomorrow . |
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| blowin |
Yeah , where is he/she/it ??? Who is it ? Can't be me because I have friends in high places .
I'll keep a lookout and report on here if / when there appears to be enough interesting stuff around to make a journey worthwhile / day out . Maybe have an "open day" for a walkabout the following weekend ? Could even finish it off with a session after the mackerel if the tide is right ? How many of us would have an interest in that sort of thing ( assume that travel would not be an issue ) ? |
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| BT Graney |
MeetI would! Then I'm married to Graney so I suppose I'd have to come!!!!
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| Graney |
Sounds like that's two so far
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| blowin |
Well that will give us at least 4 different opinions which is enough to make it interesting .
How flexible are you on dates ? If you would have to make arrangements or whatever we can agree one in advance and anyone else is welcome to join us if they can . Or anyone can give me a shout and drop in anytime they are up this way . I wasn't able to go foraging today but will get out soon and see what is about . I'll let you know .
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| wayland |
Organised shroom hunting sound like a nice diversion. As always I live too far away from the bulk of you guys  Still it prevents me from being Social Sec. Otherwise I would be only too happy to volunteer for the job
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| Graney |
Fairly, in that we're not limited to weekends. But we've got a spattering of visitors and other commitments, so fixing a date in advance would be helpful. |
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| blowin |
Got out today but whatever it was I saw from a distance last evening isn't visible now . There could be any number of explanations ( including my failing eyesight ) . I'll let you know when I have actually picked a few more , then we can set a date
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| blowin |
Just to put the i/d discussion into context , the guide I mentioned earlier details 326 different fungi . 143 of these are described as "Edible " , 29 as " Poisonous" and the rest are "Inedible" ie not necessarily harmful but best avoided due to toughness or nasty taste .
Expert opinion is divided over about 1/2 dozen . Some which have traditionally been eaten are now thought to be toxic ( to some but not all people --- but I guess you could say that about a lot of things ) . At least one ( False Chanterelle ) is described as edible but other books say "poisonous" because auditory hallucination can follow consumption . Of the 29 Poisonous , two will almost invariably kill , most of the others will just make you wish you were dead for a few days . One of the "Poisonous" isn't normally dangerous but causes mild hallucination and stupor followed by abnormally jumpy physical movement ( Fly Agaric -- the big red / white spotty one as taken by Alice in Wonderland ) . The most highly hallucenogenic Psilocybin , which is common in meadowland , is given no mention at all ! I wonder why .
I have personally eaten 42 out of the 143 "Edible"s and am 99.9% certain about another 10 or so but that .1% of uncertainty means don't eat because in several cases the "excellent" one has a very close lookalike which is poisonous . Despite all endeavours I have made a couple of notable mistakes -- one was to pick about 20 Lb of something which turned out to "wrong" , fortunately before I ate it , the other was to take a bite out of something I would still swear passed all of the tests but tasted absolutely disgusting . Incredibly astringent . Yuk ! 
The guide is comprehensive for its kind but , to take one example , it illustrates 5 types of " Clitocybe " , saying that 2 are Edible and 3 aren't . An encylopaedia says there are in fact 90 ( ninety ) in that family and at least 10 of them are Poisonous . I would class myself as a reasonably experienced but cautious amateur in this field . Hope that has sent you to sleep . PS should add great book , no criticism intended , my numbers are approximate ( so author needn't litigate please ) . |
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| blowin |
I have just received an email from a lady who is associated with one of the universities and , I believe , is co-ordinating a study of fungi across Ireland . I would like to attend myself but I think I am already commited to something . Please let me know if anyone else would like details . I will get them if you are .
...." I am writing to let you know that there is a mushroom training day through Woodlands of Ireland in Charleville Castle, Tullamore on the 18th August. The organiser is Dr. Declan Little but it will be mainly given by myself and John O`Connell with a lecture by Diarmuid McAree (Head Forester). Declan has far more information about times and lunch arrangements so perhaps you would contact him if you would like to attend." ....... |
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| killerflies |
In respect to looking for an online reference.....here you go.
http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/ The book by the same man (Roger Phillips) is by far the best reference guide. It goes down the nth degree leaving you in no doubt as the the ID of the mushroom you have. You can get in Easons/eBay/Amazon etc. |
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