Thread: Mushroom Picking in Farangland

This year, I finally gave in to the constant nagging about picking mushrooms here in Bavaria. I wasn't so bothered in the UK, where I know what to look for and no problems in Thailand where the family all know. However, in unknown territory it's easy to make mistakes...especially for the amateur. Doctor had insisted I burn off high sugar levels and walking was the ideal exercise so picking mushrooms was very difficult to oppose this year.

For the first trip to the forest, I allowed the wife to choose what she thought were edible mushrooms. She went for these:



To me they were 50:50 so I told her that before she could eat/cook any mushrooms they had to be positively identified in a field-book. These are from the Russula family, although I'm not sure the exact sub-species. I think they are Russula-vesca or Russula-fageticola A similar species is picked in Thailand...anyone any ideas on the species picked there?

Although some can be poisonous they are okay if cooked and this can also remove the bitterness present in some. All the same, I think the taste is a bit suspect and wouldn't eat them myself. Here they are in the pot:



For the following trips, I insisted that only cep (steinpilz /porcini/ penny-bun) should be picked. I showed the wife different edible vs poisonous mushrooms in order to convince her that this was the safest option since neither of us were anything more than amateurs when it came to identification. It's pretty hard (but possible) to get it wrong with cep.

In the UK I like to pick and eat parasol mushrooms (macrolepiota procera), which are common in fields. However they can be confused with with several species of Lepiota that grow in forests as well as amanita citrina.



Check the stalk on this and you see it is not the edible parasol but one of its ugly sisters that can give you a tummy ache. There were several similar, but white ones that are possible aminitas.


Wife thought this may be edible as well:

I left it well alone as I couldn't positively identify it and it looks similar to something dangerous.

So having shown the wife the dangers, cep it was and suddenly mushroom picking became a whole lot more fun. The forest we chose is pretty big, dense and easy to get lost in. There are a lots of moss carpeted areas that are perfect habitat for cep:



Weather was on the cool side but perfect for finding the little goodies, singletons:

...pairs...


...and sometimes several at a time



Wife was jolly pleased at finding them as you can see:





There are a couple of species that can be confused with cep but only Boletus satanas is very poisonous. The best way to check is to make sure that the inside stays white when you cut into the mushroom. If it stains blue immediately then throw it away. These are some that may be edible but I shied away from them:




Plenty of good ones to pick so why take the risk:



The pickings were cleaned and sliced before putting on newspaper and drying for 3-4 days.

Nearly forgot....one for Betty:



The stinkhorn (phallus impudicus); it's edible but chances are you won't be the first to taste it....

My ex loved mushrooms so I gave her some of these once. Would've paid off the mortgage and everything if she hadn't thrown them out.

^ Poison ones?

Looks like a great way to spend a morning, in the forest gathering mushrooms, but I'm too afraid of them. Ferns and sprouts are more my speed.

Here in Northern Thailand, we see people in small markets selling mushrooms they have brought from the forest. The mushrooms are gorgeous. I'm scared of them.

^ clicking on the picture will take you to the wiki entry for poisonous mushrooms.

The Jack'O'Lantern can be confused with the Chanterelle, especially after it has been picked and put in the same basket. There are several other poisonous (but not dangerously so) look-a-likes that are common where we are, so I avoid. This is a good link for identification for these and others:

Chanterelle Mushrooms: Identification and Look-Alikes

I'm with miss kit. I like mushrooms and I like the idea of tramping through the forest but I'd be scared of picking the wrong ones.

Nice thread, BTW.

Great thread. You need to be so careful when picking wild mushrooms, not advisable to do it without knowing your stuff. I keep meaning to read up about it but never get around to it.

mushroom season in Thailand is a family thing we all go, my son is my quality control manager, i think wife has a OCD regarding mushroom picking.

My son makes good money from it as well, all fun and family time well spent

heres a link to a thread from before

https://teakdoor.com/farming-and-gard...-thailand.html

would love to go mushroom hunting here, but not sure what to pick and avoid. used to go mushroom picking early in the mornings back in wales, but just picked the large field mushrooms to go with the bacon, and in my youth up into the valleys for the 'other' variety

Originally Posted by Yasojack

heres a link to a thread from before

Thanks. Missed that thread (6 years old) and I can't see the photos either.

I will be happy to add the same info, with additions and fix the links to pics if you'd like.

that would be good Troy, theres lot of pics on the net as well

In Switzerland (and I'm sure in Germany) you can take them to the Pharmacie and they check them there.

Originally Posted by Yasojack

that would be good Troy, theres lot of pics on the net as well

Amanita hemibapha
This brilliant Amanita is edible, and many village people in Thailand collect the sporocarps to eat or sell. However, for those who are uncertain, it is probably best to avoid eating any mushroom which possesses both a ring and a cup.

This is known as "Het Kai Luang" in Thailand (Yellow Egg Mushroom) and is the one likely to be responsible for the poisoning of many people in N Thailand, including a family last year. Although it is edible, the amanita species is the mostly deadly of all fungi and only experts should consider picking them.

Boletellus emodensis
One would not miss this large, bright mushroom during a walk in the forest. The underside of the cap shows pores that are covered by a veil in young specimens. When the cap expands, the veil tears remaining attached to the edge of the cap, rather than forming a ring on the stalk.

Grows in SE Asia, Japan and Oz and regarded as edible by the Japanese but I haven't managed to find anywhere that says it's eatable, that is, worth eating. I haven't seen it in NE Thailand markets but may be in the North.

Hygrocybe sp.
This is a small but very brilliantly colored mushroom having gills with a waxy texture. In spite of its small size, it is usually not overlooked because it tends to come up in troops. The genus has a large number of species and it has not been well studied in thailand.

There are several species of Hygrocybe, all of which are edible.

While I was searching the internet for details of the fungi above, from the other link, I came across this rather useful document:

Wild edible fungi a global overview of their use and importance to people

Rusula sp.
This a bright representative of another large genus that has not been well studied in Thailand. These are important fungi because many from close and specific partnerships with the roots of forest trees. With their fungus partners, trees are not only stronger but able to survive in nature.

There are many different varieties of Rusula, many of which are edible but many are not. Some species are said to be edible in some references and not in others and some only when cooked. The "Sickener" is an example (Russula emetica)


They also come in several different colours ...here is the (edible) Russula Integra:


I'd stay clear unless you can positively identify the sub-species.

Originally Posted by Troy

steinpilz

most delicious

^^ The family in Thailand pick the russula that grows locally and I've seen it in some Isaan markets. It is white with a pink/red cap as per the photos in the OP. I have also seen several purple topped varieties that are picked in Bavaria.

Strobilomyces velutipes
This is a young fruiting body. When expanded, the spore bearing surface on the underside of the cap will be arranged as pores. They are white, at first, but soon change to dark grey and they bruise blace. Although the black color may not look very appetizing, this mushroom is edible.

There are several edible types of Strobilomyces according to the FOA document. Some look a little like a young parasol mushroom:


I haven't seen any in Thailand or Thai markets...

Coprinus disseminatus
Sporocarps of this mushroom genus usually occur on the ground or on dung and the caps usually undergo rapid auto-digestion to form a black inky mass. Thus, they are often called 'inky-caps'. However, the species shown here is growing on buried wood and does not have an inky cap.

Also known as "fairies bonnets" and can be found pretty much everywhere there is woodland.



They are edible but I haven't seen them locally or in the Thai markets we go to.

Marasmius purpureostiatus
The genus Marasmius is another very large genus in Thailand. Mushrooms in this genus tend to be small and delicate. Many dry well and tend to reassume their original shape when moistened. Another dedicated specialist is needed to study this group.

It seems they are still finding different sub-species of Marasmius in N Thailand, as seen in this document, which has some nice pics as well:
http://www.fungaldiversity.org/fdp/sfdp/FD36-11.pdf

Pleurotus eugrammus
Resembling its familiar oyster mushroom relatives from supermarket trays, this pleurotus is seen here in its natural setting. Usually ot attacjes doredt;u tp tje wooden substrate with or without a very short lateral stock, but some specimens on the top of a fallen log can have a short central stalk.

Pleurotus ostreatus is the Oyster mushroom. I could only find a couple of references to
Pleurotus eugrammus but without a photo. Pleurotus ostreatus is the one cultivated and most likely to be seen in the markets...

Originally Posted by Troy

This year, I finally gave in to the constant nagging about picking mushrooms here in Bavaria. I wasn't so bothered in the UK, where I know what to look for and no problems in Thailand where the family all know. However, in unknown territory it's easy to make mistakes...especially for the amateur. Doctor had insisted I burn off high sugar levels and walking was the ideal exercise so picking mushrooms was very difficult to oppose this year.

For the first trip to the forest, I allowed the wife to choose what she thought were edible mushrooms. She went for these:



To me they were 50:50 so I told her that before she could eat/cook any mushrooms they had to be positively identified in a field-book. These are from the Russula family, although I'm not sure the exact sub-species. I think they are Russula-vesca or Russula-fageticola A similar species is picked in Thailand...anyone any ideas on the species picked there?

Although some can be poisonous they are okay if cooked and this can also remove the bitterness present in some. All the same, I think the taste is a bit suspect and wouldn't eat them myself. Here they are in the pot:



For the following trips, I insisted that only cep (steinpilz /porcini/ penny-bun) should be picked. I showed the wife different edible vs poisonous mushrooms in order to convince her that this was the safest option since neither of us were anything more than amateurs when it came to identification. It's pretty hard (but possible) to get it wrong with cep.

In the UK I like to pick and eat parasol mushrooms (macrolepiota procera), which are common in fields. However they can be confused with with several species of Lepiota that grow in forests as well as amanita citrina.



Check the stalk on this and you see it is not the edible parasol but one of its ugly sisters that can give you a tummy ache. There were several similar, but white ones that are possible aminitas.


Wife thought this may be edible as well:

I left it well alone as I couldn't positively identify it and it looks similar to something dangerous.

So having shown the wife the dangers, cep it was and suddenly mushroom picking became a whole lot more fun. The forest we chose is pretty big, dense and easy to get lost in. There are a lots of moss carpeted areas that are perfect habitat for cep:



Weather was on the cool side but perfect for finding the little goodies, singletons:

...pairs...


...and sometimes several at a time



Wife was jolly pleased at finding them as you can see:





There are a couple of species that can be confused with cep but only Boletus satanas is very poisonous. The best way to check is to make sure that the inside stays white when you cut into the mushroom. If it stains blue immediately then throw it away. These are some that may be edible but I shied away from them:




Plenty of good ones to pick so why take the risk:



The pickings were cleaned and sliced before putting on newspaper and drying for 3-4 days.

Nearly forgot....one for Betty:



The stinkhorn (phallus impudicus); it's edible but chances are you won't be the first to taste it....

Great pics, informative thread, well done, and thank you.

I think these are the most widely used mushrooms in chinese cooking. They are known in Thailand as Het Hom (lit. nice smelling or aromatic mushroom). I have only ever seen them dried but they can be found in N Thailand around Mae Sai and along the Burmese border.



they look just as good when dried