wild mushrooms in the woods

[swkieran]

going back to late oct -nov,i was walking round my local woods and there was loads of mushrooms at the bases of some of the trees they looked exactly like the ones you buy from the shops;),i was tempted to pick them,but thought better of it as i dont no the first thing about them.anyway would they have been edible just for future reference

[sleeping bags]

id stay well away if your not 110% sure, even if you posted photos people could still get it wrong as many poisonous species closely resemble edible ones, get an expert and show them 1st hand, thats your best bet. you could get a book like collins gem mushrooms, its a little pocket book to help you identify but id still get someone who knows what they are doing before i even attempted eating them.

[Fletching]

Agreed and I'd suggest going on a course before you even pick your first one.

You can't afford to make a single mistake with fungi.

Steve

[comanighttrain]

agree... many mushrooms contain deadly poisons... a particularly deadly one grows here I forget the name...death cap maybe? Kills you in a really nasty way...you feel extremely ill....then better....then the second time you feel ill until you expire. Horrible. I dont even consider mushrooms as viable food due to their nutritional content so I never learned too much about them.

[GaryBeaner]

I was walking the dog this morning by a river, found loads of crampball fungi from last year( took what I wanted last year and left the rest for someone else) and also found quite a few Jelly/Jews Ear fungi growing on some Elder. Now.......I know it's edible, but does it actually taste of anything? Good/nasty?
I'm there quite often, so I thought I'd ask. Good spot for Ramsons too! (River Mole, Dorking)

[wizardbiz]

i soak jews ear in whiskey for 2-3 days then dry them out on the radiator for a dry snack whilst out and about, or you can rehydrate them for cooking. without the whiskey or other spirit/wine soak they are a little bland to say the least.