In article ,
Sacha wrote:
On 5/11/04 0:46, in article , "Janet Galpin"
wrote:

I think there are probably more people who *don't* eat perfectly edible
mushrooms just in case, than those who rush into eating poisonous ones.
I have quite a few mushrooms this year and have been trying to identify
them positively enough to take the plunge and eat them. I know they're
not Amanita phalloides because I've taken their spore print which is
brown rather than white. I'm now wondering, having eliminated Amanita
phalloides, how likely it is that mushrooms which look very like rather
thin versions of shop-bought mushrooms, with pale brown gills and brown
spore prints, could be anything other than edible.

With brown spores, I don't think that any are lethal - though there
is a risk of being sensitive to dubious ones. Let's assume that you
have checked for a ring and no volva (i.e. they are Agaricus a.k.a.
Psalliota). As Jaques d'Alltrades says, there are several slightly
poisonous ones (bellyache time), but only the yellow staining
mushroom is worse. However, remember that horse mushrooms (edible
and good) stain yellow, slightly.

We have some on one lawn at the moment which are small and round and
chestnut coloured with touches of cream or vice versa. They're very pretty
but I have no idea what they are. I think there used to be an oak tree
there years ago but it came crashing down in a storm in 1990. And no,
they're not truffles before anyone decides to get the pig out. ;-)

There are many like that. Puffballs fit that description, as do many
others.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.