Jackie1995
06-04-2006, 12:06 PM
I was at the library the other day, and got a book out that has pictures of wild mushrooms, and tells you which ones are edible and which deadly.
Since we had a few days in a row of rain, I knew some mushrooms would be popping up, and sure enough, found some on the lawn.
The good news is there are these things called puffball mushrooms, and they are edible when they are solid white. They get about 3" tall, and are fat, and I happened to have some! So I ate them.
There's another type, called a Parasol, NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH some latin named harmful type which I can't remember, but unfortunately, I have the bad ones on my lawn. They have greenish-gray gills and will make you "purge" for 2 days. So, just waiting for more puffballs to appear.
BTW, the puffies are mushroomy tasting, but I wouldn't pay too much for them at the store if they had them, just not as tasty as they could be.
Also, I have wild passion flower vines, and they make a fruit that is mildly sweet, with seeds (think pomegranate: seeds surrounded by sweet stuff) that are crunchy and not bad tasting. I got to them before the birds this time! Yay!
We also have cocoplum bushes all over the place, they make a fruit that is purple skinned, white on the inside with a large seed. I don't eat the seeds, they are too hard to chew on, but the white stuff is mildly tasty. You should see the blue jays carrying off these large round things with their beaks barely wrapped around them...it's comical!
Not a dandelion at all in sight...but once I had some Italian parsley in a pot that I thought was dead, and I dumped it (right side up, thankfully) in the wetlands area where it proceeded to grow beyond my wildest imaginings, and now I have great fresh parsley for my smoothies every 3 days or so!
Same with the basil plant that was dying - it just grew like crazy in the wetland area, so now I'm letting it go to seed and I hope to see more basil after the summer.
This is just so much fun! I hope to find a nature walk where they'll teach me about more edibles in the yard. The book I have has great pictures, but I don't have anything in my yard that matches the photos. *sigh*
I'm having fun!
RowanC
06-04-2006, 04:46 PM
[QUOTE=Jackie1995]I was at the library the other day, and got a book out that has pictures of wild mushrooms, and tells you which ones are edible and which deadly.
Since we had a few days in a row of rain, I knew some mushrooms would be popping up, and sure enough, found some on the lawn.
The good news is there are these things called puffball mushrooms, and they are edible when they are solid white. They get about 3" tall, and are fat, and I happened to have some! So I ate them.
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How did you identify it? Did you do a spore print?
I'm concerned that you ate this mushroom. Please PLEASE be careful eating mushrooms of your lawn. There are a few spring mushrooms that resemble puffballs but are poisonous.. one is deadly...
Puffballs generally do NOT grow on lawns! They grow in the forest, they grow in cow pastures, and I wouldn't say they never grow on lawns, but in 50 years of mushrooming, I've never seen one on a lawn.
Unless you cut entirely through the mushroom so you can see whether or not there is a veil you are taking a HUGE chance.An unopened Death Angel can look just like a pretty white puffball!!
The thing about mushrooms is that when you do get a bad one, it can be a life/death experience. It's not like you just vomit then get over it. People with mushroom poisoning sometimes do not get well. The damage is often irreversible. There is NO cure. They either get a liver and kidney transplant or they die. We have people every year here in portland, and sometimes entire families, that are in the hospital with mushroom poisoning becuase they ate something that "looked just like what we have back home."
The other thing is if you put fertilizers or weedkillers on the lawn, or if there is a lot of traffic on the road beside your house, you're eating that too.
I don't want to be an alarmist because I LOVE foraging for mushrooms, but you really DO need to take a class or go out with someone who is knowledgeable because one the mistake you make really COULD be your last.
If you're going to do this, please purchase a copy of Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora or one of his other books and please do some reading on the Death Angel mushroom and all of the Amanitas for that matter.
And if you're going to eat Parasols, there are different varieties. You need to know which you're getting. All basically look the same. Some will make you quite sick. Some are yummy.
Lastly, despite what I've read about eating raw wild morels, it is dangerous. The chemical substance in a morel is akin to jet fuel and you will either not react or you will react violently. Why take such a chance?
There are a lot of great mushrooms you can find in the store and you can purchase blocks to grow your own. Unless you're taking a class or joining your local mycological society or going out with someone who can teach you, I'm concerned.
Sooo.... don't toss tomatoes at me please... but be careful? :p
RowanC
06-04-2006, 04:56 PM
I draw your attention to the man who ate mushrooms thinking they were puffballs:
2003 Case Report
Michael Beug, Chair, NAMA Toxicology Committee
The 2003 case report is presented in two sections. The first section is a compendium of reports sent from all sources except for the majority of Marilyn Shaws reports. Marilyns reports are presented separately and in full detail to give the reader a sense of the total number of reports coming to one poison control center (the Rocky Mountain Poison Control Center). Her more detailed reports also give some sense of the timing and location of the poisonings as well as more insight into the uncertainties and processes involved in investigating potential mushroom poisoning cases.
There were 20 individual mushroom case reports sent in involving 25 people plus an additional 4 case reports involving 5 dogs. Cases of children eating mushrooms but suffering no ill effects are not included. The one human death reported (see morels and Marilyns more detailed report) is an unusual case of a severely impaired and unwell individual where, if mushrooms caused the death, the timing and symptoms are most unusual. The death of three dogs in 2002 was caused by three different species of mushrooms (Amanita muscaria, Lepiota josserandii and an unknown mushroom suspected to be Amanita bisporigera).
General Report
Agaricus (Portobello). Man ate a Portobello mushroom sandwich in a restaurant. Symptoms: dizzy, loss of balance, nausea, vomiting. Next day weak but OK. 2nd case: woman ate 1 grilled over a campfire. Symptoms: overwhelming sense of dread, panic, and heat radiating from chest to groin area. Onset 4-5 hours. Note: effects due to wood smoke?
Amanita muscaria var. formosa. Dog (4 month Norwick Terrier, 6#) ate ½ cap. Symptoms: intense salivation, then diarrhea and tremors, seizure and death 4.5 hours after ingestion. Onset <1 hour. Owner saw puppy eat mushroom and tried to get her to throw up, as did vet 1.5 hours later.
Amanita phalloides. Man ate two unopened buttons, cooked, thinking they were puffballs. Symptoms: nausea, vomiting, elevated liver enzymes. Onset 12 hours, outcome, released after 1 week, appears fully recovered. 2nd case man possibly ate 3-5 cooked and a second man ate less (remaining collection included Amanita phalloides, a blewitt and a Russula). Symptoms (of most ill patient): diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, fulminate hepatitis, elevated GGT, AST, ALT, worsening liver function tests. Onset about 11 hours. Denied transfer to a liver transplant team due to liver damage from alcoholism. Treatment supportive care, control of blood sugar, charcoal, neomycin, albumin, penicillin-g, thiamin, folate, multivitamins. . Outcome: discharged with fulminate hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, intractable nausea, vomiting and diarrhea with electrolyte disturbance. Second man discharged after 1 day.
Amanita velosa. Woman ate one bite, cooked. Symptoms dizzy,
disoriented, drowsy, comatose on arrival at hospital. Onset 4-5 hours. Treated for Anti seizure, Ativan, Fosphenytoin, Narcan. Outcome: Patient, who reports having eaten these in past without ill effect, recovered after 12 hours.
Chlorophyllum molybdites. Case 1: Man expected "Parasol Mushroom" ate 1 raw stem. Symptoms: Chills, fever, diarrhea (for 24 hours), cramps, sweating, vomiting, nausea, weakness and headache lasting 6 hours. Onset 1 hour. Treatment oral fluids. Case 2: Man expected Lepiota rachodes and ate 2/3 cup cooked. Symptoms: diarrhea, nausea, headache, and increased urination. Onset 11 hours.
Inocybe sp? Little boy ate about 10 cc raw in yard. Symptoms: cramps. Onset ½ hour.
Lepiota (Parasols) josserandii. 2 Dogs (Dalmatians). Symptoms: diarrhea, nausea, salivation, vomiting, weakness, fatigue, general malaise and death. Treatment iv liquids but first dog already near death. Second dog survived with severe liver damage after iv push for 1 week + denosyl, injected penicillin and oral amoxicilin. The vet reported that death of dogs from mushroom poisoning occurs frequently, but is rarely reported.
Morels (blondes + alcohol). One man affected twice, once when meal included "Shaggy Manes", not previously affected by morels. Symptoms: Intense vomiting lasting 4 hours. Onset 5 hours.
Morels (black). Man ate 5 rehydrated cooked morels in Australia plus had alcohol, 2 incidents (but no trouble eating fresh morels). Symptoms: diarrhea, vomiting, weakness. Onset 3.5 hours. 2nd case mentally impaired diabetic ate several raw morels. Symptoms: GI distress and death within a few hours, liver normal. Expect Marilyn Shaws report to provide more details.
Unknown. Two cases, mushroom related? Symptoms rapid onset kidney failure (acute interstitial nephritis). Onset 12-24 hours, no other details. 2nd case woman ate 2 large violet mushrooms and a white one. Symptoms: diarrhea, vomiting, and panic. Onset 1 hour. 3rd case woman and young son expecting Agaricus campestris, both ill. Symptoms: chills, diarrhea, salivation, cramps, vomiting. Onset 0.5 hour. Since onset was rapid, poison center advised not to worry, just stay hydrated. 4th case: elderly man ate ½"x1/2" portion of a mushroom stalk hoping to get high (he thought it might be a Psilocybe). Symptoms: chills, salivation, sweating, vomiting, nausea and low blood pressure. "Given several ivs" and released after 2 hours. 5th case: Dog (golden retriever) suspected of eating "Destroying Angel" which was fruiting in general area at the time. Symptoms: malaise, lack of interest in eating, elevated liver enzymes, organ failure. Euthanized after 5-6 days.
MUSHROOM CASES, MOST FROM RMP&DC, referred to MARILYN SHAW 1-1-03 TO 12-31-03
Total calls: 101: humans 83; dogs 18. Symptomatic cases: humans: 29 cases, 42 patients; dogs: 5. Other interesting cases: 6.
1-11-03 Near Montrose, CO. Boletus edulis. Adult male ate mushrooms that had been collected the year before and had been frozen raw. Ate an unknown amount of mushrooms at 3PM. Began vomiting at midnight. Vomited 5 times between midnight and 10AM. Refused to go to hospital. Wife said she had cooked mushrooms 3 times - twice in water, which was discarded, then sauteed. I questioned to determine if ID was correct and it seemed to be. They said they have been collecting mushrooms for 20 years. I suspect there had been some bacterial contamination while frozen raw. RMPDC - no case#.
5-11-03 Alliance, Neb.. Prob. Morchella esculenta. Adult male ate morels cooked with scrambled eggs for breakfast. Two hours later he experienced nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. He did not have headache, muscle cramps, incoordination. Description and e-mailed photos confirm true morels. LFTs were normal. Suspect that the morels were undercooked. Dont know if any alcohol was ingested. Call from Omaha Poison Center. RMPDC case #875119.
5-17-03 McCall, ID. Raw morels. Adult female ate morels raw in salad. Vomiting (2x) began 30 min. later. She said others had eaten the same without ill effect. RMPDC case #878631.
6-1-03 Silt, CO. Verpa bohemica. Male, 40, picked, cooked and ate what he thought were morels. Symptoms began two hours later and included bloating, vomiting (2x) hot flashes, sweating, and diarrhea. Description was obviously that of the "thimble cap" false morel. RMPDC case #887199.
6-28-03 Monument, CO. Susp. Amanita muscaria or A. pantherina. Lab dug up mushroom which terrier, 3, then ate. Veterinarian called to report that dog was having seizures and had a heart murmur. Owner didnt get a good look at the mushroom, but habitat is right for these mushrooms and dogs seem to love them. Seizures are common. By next day dog had recovered, but was aggressive, also common in dogs with these mushrooms. RMPDC case #902992.
8-15-03 Near Missoula, MT. Amanita muscaria or related species. Veterinarian reported dog had vomited a lot, was unconscious, then lethargic, after eating a "puffball". "Puffball" white on top, but with gills. No stem available. Outer layer thick and peels off. I advised on what to expect. On follow up the next day, the dog was fully recovered as predicted. RMPDC case #932618.
8-20-03 Grand Junction, CO. Mixed ingestion: Helvella sp. and chanterelles. Female nurse, 53, ate "morels", collected by friends, along with a couple of glasses of wine. Symptoms began 2 hours later. She experienced nausea, a floating feeling, and tingling in lips and arms. She felt like her blood pressure had dropped. After self-induced vomiting she felt better and slept. The following day while at work at the VA Hospital she had a severe headache at the back of her head, and at noon the other symptoms reoccurred. "Morels" were described as smooth, dark brown, the largest one (not eaten) was shaped like a saddle. RMPDC case #935755.
9-1-03 Salida, CO. Unidentified "puffball" (?). Female and male, both in 70s, ate sliced, grilled "puffball" at 2PM on 8-31. Vomiting began 1 1/2 hrs later. Patients drove 30 miles to hospital at 7:30PM. Symptoms had resolved and patients released at 9:30PM. RMPDC - no case #.
9-1-03 Salida, CO. Unidentified "puffball". (See case above.) Adult male apparently ate some of the same. He wasnt as sick as the two above, and elected not to go to the hospital. RMPDC - no case #.
9-2-03 Frisco, CO. Russula spp. Dehydrated mushrooms were picked in France. Adult female, 32, ate cooked mushrooms (up to 4 spp.) for breakfast. Symptoms of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea began 6-6 1/2 hrs. later. She was treated in the Summit County Critical Care Unit with an anti-emetic. She was described as very anxious and hyperventilating. These symptoms probably due to the fact that she is Ukrainian, and the death rates from mushroom poisonings are very much higher in Europe/Asia than in this country. Advised that LFTs be done and repeated. RMPDC case #943581.
9-7-03 Butte, MT. Unidentified puffball. Dog, Yorkshire terrier, ate a small piece of a puffball. Vomiting and diarrhea began 30 min. later. Charcoal and fluids administered at a veterinarian clinic. Mushroom described by vet was definitely a puffball, 3 to 3 1/2 cm dia. RMPDC case #946386.
9-9-03 Colo. Springs, CO. Unidentified mushroom, but suspect Russula spp. MD reported a Russian female, 28, picked mushrooms on Pikes Peak, which were subsequently cooked and eaten. Symptoms began one hr. later and included dizziness, sweating, and difficulty breathing. Vomiting was self-induced, after which she felt better. Two hours later she ate an apple, became frightened, and self-induced vomiting again. She eventually vomited 5x and had 4 episodes of diarrhea. Husband described the mushroom from memory. Description was consistent with Russulas. He was to get uncooked specimens from home, but didnt when wife began feeling better. Again, anxiety due in large part to high incidence of fatalities from mushroom poisonings in Europe and Asia. RMPDC case #947614.
Jackie1995
06-04-2006, 08:59 PM
EEEK!
OMG!
Well, even though I had no problems whatsoever, you know what? I think I'll pass on the mushrooms from now on. They weren't that tasty anyway, kind of bland.
I think we have them because the sod we bought a few years ago was grown in a cow pasture, that's how they do it down here, so lots of natural cow fertilizer comes along with the sod.
Thank you so much for all the research reports you posted! You have a great heart to spend time sharing this information with me!
And you are 100% correct, a class or nature walk would be my next step before trying too many new items!
Thanks again!
RowanC
06-05-2006, 01:22 PM
There are two issues that immediately come to mind with morels:
It is vital that morels be cooked thoroughly; eating raw morels consistently leads to sickness, as in the infamous case of a restaurant in the Pacific Northwest where, some years ago, an ignorant chef served raw morels and dozens of patrons took ill! Now this is not to say SOME people can't eat raw morels because there is always an exception to every rule. However, morels have a consituant which is akin to rocket fuel (no kidding) and is rendered ineffective by cooking. It literally evaporates it off, just like you evaporate cooking sherry off of a skillet of food.
Drying the mushrooms first, then reconstituting CAN get rid of the bad stuff, but doesn't always do it. I personally don't love morels enough to take that chance, having experienced mushroom poisoning.
My poisoning was from a perfectly "edible" sulphur shelf mushroom and I couldn't find any other notes about anyone else being adversely affected by this species. So each person needs to take their own personal precautions when it comes to wild mushrooms (or farmed ones for that matter - note the case of the portabella poisoning in the previous post).
There is a rule of thumb when it comes to sampling species of wild mushrooms or plants that YOU KNOW ARE NOT POISONOUS but that you've never eaten.
You just take a bite the size of your thumbnail.
First, just roll it around in your mouth. Does it tingle? Sting? It is tasteful or do you want to spit it out?
If it tastes ok and doesn't tingle or burn, then you can chew. DO NOT SWALLOW. What happens when you chew? Tingling? Burning? WAIT 10 minutes.
Then... swallow half... again, any tingling, burning, nausea?
Wait 1 hour, then if no adverse affect, you can try a larger piece.
But me? No way... it's just not worth it unless I'm in a survival situation.
Secondly, and this is VERY important. You should NEVER drink alcohol when eating morels .. NEVER. There is a chemical reaction that can occur and it will make you deathly ill.
Really, people, you need to study before eating wild mushrooms. Don't just take my or any other person's word for it... STUDY. If you're really interested, join the local mycological society. They are everywhere and only cost about $25 per year per family to join. It's worth it. They have monthly meetings, field trips, slide shows with professionals, toxicologists speaking, it's all really fascinating and educational and there ARE wild mushrooms that are yummy... a LOT of them.. although not so many raw :(
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