EXPLORING THE WORLD OF FUNGI
Christopher Nyerges
[Nyerges is the author of “Foraging California” (which has a section on mushrooms), “Guide to Wild Foods and Useful Plants,” “How to Survive Anywhere,” and other books. He has studied mycology, and led wilderness trips, since 1974. He can be reached at Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA, or www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com.]
INTRODUCTION TO MUSHROOMS
In the early 1970s, I joined the L.A. Mycological Association to actively pursue my education of the mysterious world of fungi directly with experts, rather than books. I learned how to identify wild mushrooms, and use the edible ones for food. I had some great mentors from the organization, such as Robert Tally, Bill Breen, Ed Margraff, and Florence Nishida who taught me how to find and cook wild mushrooms.
During the 70s, I would eat any wild mushroom that others in the association found or brought to meeting that they declared were edible. I would study them, take note and photos, and try them when I got home. I recall a phrase, “this mushroom is known to disagree with some people.” That translates as, “you will be vomiting violently at 2 a.m.” which happened a little too often. So I lost my desire to try every wild mushroom. Plus, beyond the common mushrooms, most of them began to get categorized as the “LBMs,” the “little brown mushrooms, which were never identified to genus because it would have taken more time than I cared to give to the task.
Recently, I led a walk organized by a member of the current Los Angeles Mushroom Society in the Pasadena area, with the express purpose of finding and identifying mushrooms. I am always hesitant to schedule walks to find mushrooms because typically we are scheduling weeks, if not months, before the event. And mushrooms are very particular about when they pop up. It is not just rain that brings mushrooms forth. Conditions such as the season, location, amount of moisture, temperature, and other variations all need to be just right.
As it turned out, we had a very successful walk. We walked under oaks mostly, where layers of wood chips had been laid down, and in other areas as well. Here are just a few of the mushrooms we found.
PARASOL
The first we found was the Lepiota rhacodes (sometimes called the parasol mushroom). This one appears as a white gilled mushroom, with brown patches on the cap, a ring on the stem, a bulbous base, and a hollow stem. It stains orange when cut or bruised. It’s an excellent mild-tasting mushroom when sautéed in butter. We also found many specimens of the Agaricus campestris and related species, which is basically the wild variety of the common store-bought mushroom. This one has pink gills which turn a chocolate color as the spores mature, a ring on the stout stem, and a stem that breaks freely from the cap.
BLEWITS
We also found “blewits”, so called because the entire mushroom is an unmistakable violet color. The Latin name for this one has changed periodically. I first learned it as Tricholoma nuda, then it was Lepista nuda, now the mycologists appear to have settled on Clitocybe nuda. It has a stout stem with free gills. We all found enough of these that many of the participants got to take some home to cook.
INKY CAPS
We found a few of the inky caps, including Coprinus atramentarius, which causes vomiting if consumed with alcohol. The inky caps must be collected and cooked when they are young and white, because as they get old, they decompose into a blank ink.
CHICKEN-OF-THE-WOODS
We also found some fresh chicken-of-the-woods mushroom, one of the easiest mushrooms to positively identify, even by beginners. Chicken-of-the-woods (Laetiporus sulphureus, formerly known as Polyporus sulphureus) is a type of shelf fungus. This means that instead of the more-familiar cap on a stem, this one grows in horizontal (or shelf-like) layers. It is bright yellow as the fungus begins its growth, and then, as multiple layers appears, you will also see orange and red. As it grows older, it fades to a very faded yellow or nearly white color.
Typically, the chicken-of-the-woods grows on tree stumps and burned trees. It can grow high on the stump, or right at ground level. Though it can appear on many types of trees, in our area, it is most common on eucalyptus and carob tree. We cut off some of the most-tender sections. The portion of the layer closest to the tree will be the most tough and less desirable for food.
This one has to be prepared properly or it causes vomiting. I cut the chicken of the woods into strips, or bite-size pieces, and then put it into a pan and cover it with water. I bring it to a hard boil for at least 5 minutes. I pour off this water, and repeat the hard boiling. Some people do not seem to need to do this, but a large percentage of people who eat this will vomit if they do not do the double-boiling. We then sautéed the pieces and everyone found them delicious.
CAVEAT
Mycology is a Science, and it requires a substantial amount of study and field work to be able to collect wild mushrooms and eat them without getting sick or dying. Case in point, in early September, two members of an Italian family died from eating the extremely deadly Amanita phalloides mushroom, and other members of the family were hospitalized in serious condition.
This species is found world-wide; I’ve found them growing in the cemetary in Altadena!
And in March of 2009, life-long mushroom hunter Angelo Crippa collected some mushrooms in the hills above Santa Barbara, California. He sautéed them, and ate them, and told his wife they were delicious. Unfortunately, rather than an edible species, he collected a close-lookalike, Amanita ocreata, which is deadly. Even with hospital treatment, he died in 7 days.
I often have told my students that they should avoid eating any wild mushrooms if they do not devote considerable time to studying mushrooms, and learning how to positively identify different genera and species.
Despite the obstacles, thousands of people collect wild mushrooms throughout the United States on a regular basis. Many — such as myself – began the pursuit of mycology by joining a local mushroom group which conducts regular field trips. By learning about mushrooms in a class, and going on field trips with a group of experienced mycologists, you’ll learn a lot quicker than reading books and looking at Youtube.
