All of the elements are there, rainy spring and hot summer, now good
weather with some rain.

We got about a kg of varied bolets last ramble, including cepes, tetes
bronzees, bolet jaunes. Saw some girolles but they were already too old!

Obligatory note: don't gather and eat mushrooms unless you know what your
doing!


--
Gardening in Lower Normandy

On 27/09/2013 16:56, Emery Davis wrote:

All of the elements are there, rainy spring and hot summer, now good
weather with some rain.

We got about a kg of varied bolets last ramble, including cepes, tetes
bronzees, bolet jaunes. Saw some girolles but they were already too old!

Obligatory note: don't gather and eat mushrooms unless you know what your
doing!

Just found several mushrooms on the lawn. I /think/ they are boletus
chrysenteron (red cracking bolete). But it is interesting how different
photos appear to be in books or on the internet for what is supposed to
be a common and distinctive species which is "easy" to identify.

Don't even "experienced" collectors sometimes make mistakes? And they
will only make it once if they misidentify Amanita phalloides!

--

Jeff

On 28/09/13 10:11, Jeff Layman wrote:
But it is interesting how different photos appear to be in books or on the internet for what
is supposed to be a common and distinctive species which is "easy" to identify.

Just so.

That's why it is highly advisable to:
- look at *multiple* photos of multiple specimens
(Roger Philips' book is good)
- carefully check the *written* description of each species
- work through the identification key to try and guess what
else it might be

In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:
On 27/09/2013 16:56, Emery Davis wrote:

All of the elements are there, rainy spring and hot summer, now good
weather with some rain.

We got about a kg of varied bolets last ramble, including cepes, tetes
bronzees, bolet jaunes. Saw some girolles but they were already too old!

Obligatory note: don't gather and eat mushrooms unless you know what your
doing!

Just found several mushrooms on the lawn. I /think/ they are boletus
chrysenteron (red cracking bolete). But it is interesting how different
photos appear to be in books or on the internet for what is supposed to
be a common and distinctive species which is "easy" to identify.

Don't even "experienced" collectors sometimes make mistakes? And they
will only make it once if they misidentify Amanita phalloides!

That is why there is a gradation of rules. There are some fairly
simple ones that will keep you away from the lethal species, with
VERY high probability. For example, there are no lethal boleti
in the UK, and some rules to identify that a fungus is at least
one of those. Similarly, if a mushroom has clearly pink or brown
gills, it is definitely not an Amanita or one of some other lethal
mushroom-like fungi. You may still get ill, but are unlikely to die.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Sat, 28 Sep 2013 11:06:21 +0100 (BST),
(Nick Maclaren) wrote:

In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:
On 27/09/2013 16:56, Emery Davis wrote:

All of the elements are there, rainy spring and hot summer, now good
weather with some rain.

We got about a kg of varied bolets last ramble, including cepes, tetes
bronzees, bolet jaunes. Saw some girolles but they were already too old!

Obligatory note: don't gather and eat mushrooms unless you know what your
doing!

Just found several mushrooms on the lawn. I /think/ they are boletus
chrysenteron (red cracking bolete). But it is interesting how different
photos appear to be in books or on the internet for what is supposed to
be a common and distinctive species which is "easy" to identify.

Don't even "experienced" collectors sometimes make mistakes? And they
will only make it once if they misidentify Amanita phalloides!

That is why there is a gradation of rules. There are some fairly
simple ones that will keep you away from the lethal species, with
VERY high probability. For example, there are no lethal boleti
in the UK, and some rules to identify that a fungus is at least
one of those. Similarly, if a mushroom has clearly pink or brown
gills, it is definitely not an Amanita or one of some other lethal
mushroom-like fungi. You may still get ill, but are unlikely to die.

You may still get ill, but are unlikely to die

That's reassuring, but still not a very attractive proposition. I
think I'll stick to shop bought mushrooms

In article ,
Fuschia wrote:

All of the elements are there, rainy spring and hot summer, now good
weather with some rain.

We got about a kg of varied bolets last ramble, including cepes, tetes
bronzees, bolet jaunes. Saw some girolles but they were already too old!

Obligatory note: don't gather and eat mushrooms unless you know what your
doing!

Just found several mushrooms on the lawn. I /think/ they are boletus
chrysenteron (red cracking bolete). But it is interesting how different
photos appear to be in books or on the internet for what is supposed to
be a common and distinctive species which is "easy" to identify.

Don't even "experienced" collectors sometimes make mistakes? And they
will only make it once if they misidentify Amanita phalloides!

That is why there is a gradation of rules. There are some fairly
simple ones that will keep you away from the lethal species, with
VERY high probability. For example, there are no lethal boleti
in the UK, and some rules to identify that a fungus is at least
one of those. Similarly, if a mushroom has clearly pink or brown
gills, it is definitely not an Amanita or one of some other lethal
mushroom-like fungi. You may still get ill, but are unlikely to die.

You may still get ill, but are unlikely to die

That's reassuring, but still not a very attractive proposition. I
think I'll stick to shop bought mushrooms

You may still get ill, but are unlikely to die.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
says...

That is why there is a gradation of rules. There are some fairly
simple ones that will keep you away from the lethal species, with
VERY high probability. For example, there are no lethal boleti
in the UK, and some rules to identify that a fungus is at least
one of those. Similarly, if a mushroom has clearly pink or brown
gills, it is definitely not an Amanita or one of some other lethal
mushroom-like fungi. You may still get ill, but are unlikely to die.

Though life for survivors may be very differernt and seriously
impaired. A case in Scotland where a family suffered permanent,
irreversible kidney failure from eating wild fungi they mistook for
safe; they required daily dialysis followed by kidney transplant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVFsiJBSQps

Janet

On Sat, 28 Sep 2013 15:15:39 +0100, Malcolm wrote:

That is why there is a gradation of rules. There are some fairly simple
ones that will keep you away from the lethal species, with VERY high
probability. For example, there are no lethal boleti in the UK,

Hmm, I'm not sure I would want to eat B.satanoides and certainly not
B.satanus (aka Satan's or Devil's Boletus!). The clue is in the names,
perhaps

Around here the Satan is very rare indeed, although I have found one once
in nearly 25 years shrooming the area. But if you can't recognise this
one, you probably have no business eating wild mushrooms anyway. It's
pretty distinctive.

Found a big basket of hedgehog mushrooms (pieds de moutons) since the
first post, another one that's very safe. Today only a few cepes though,
it's still too dry even after the recent rains. Lots of B. piperatus
scattered around, but we left them. Lots of Macrolepiota procera
(lepiote elevee) this morning too, but I think I'll pick them tomorrow
for lunch.



--
Gardening in Lower Normandy

In article ,
Malcolm wrote:

In article , Nick Maclaren
writes
In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:
On 27/09/2013 16:56, Emery Davis wrote:

All of the elements are there, rainy spring and hot summer, now good
weather with some rain.

We got about a kg of varied bolets last ramble, including cepes, tetes
bronzees, bolet jaunes. Saw some girolles but they were already too old!

Obligatory note: don't gather and eat mushrooms unless you know what your
doing!

Just found several mushrooms on the lawn. I /think/ they are boletus
chrysenteron (red cracking bolete). But it is interesting how different
photos appear to be in books or on the internet for what is supposed to
be a common and distinctive species which is "easy" to identify.

Don't even "experienced" collectors sometimes make mistakes? And they
will only make it once if they misidentify Amanita phalloides!

That is why there is a gradation of rules. There are some fairly
simple ones that will keep you away from the lethal species, with
VERY high probability. For example, there are no lethal boleti
in the UK,

Hmm, I'm not sure I would want to eat B.satanoides and certainly not
B.satanus (aka Satan's or Devil's Boletus!). The clue is in the names,
perhaps :-)

No, but there are simple, secondary rules to avoid those, too.



Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Sat, 28 Sep 2013 12:10:25 +0100 (BST),
(Nick Maclaren) wrote:

In article ,
Fuschia wrote:

All of the elements are there, rainy spring and hot summer, now good
weather with some rain.

We got about a kg of varied bolets last ramble, including cepes, tetes
bronzees, bolet jaunes. Saw some girolles but they were already too old!

Obligatory note: don't gather and eat mushrooms unless you know what your
doing!

Just found several mushrooms on the lawn. I /think/ they are boletus
chrysenteron (red cracking bolete). But it is interesting how different
photos appear to be in books or on the internet for what is supposed to
be a common and distinctive species which is "easy" to identify.

Don't even "experienced" collectors sometimes make mistakes? And they
will only make it once if they misidentify Amanita phalloides!

That is why there is a gradation of rules. There are some fairly
simple ones that will keep you away from the lethal species, with
VERY high probability. For example, there are no lethal boleti
in the UK, and some rules to identify that a fungus is at least
one of those. Similarly, if a mushroom has clearly pink or brown
gills, it is definitely not an Amanita or one of some other lethal
mushroom-like fungi. You may still get ill, but are unlikely to die.

You may still get ill, but are unlikely to die

That's reassuring, but still not a very attractive proposition. I
think I'll stick to shop bought mushrooms

You may still get ill, but are unlikely to die.

smile

On 28/09/2013 18:17, Fuschia wrote:
On Sat, 28 Sep 2013 12:10:25 +0100 (BST),
(Nick Maclaren) wrote:

(snip)


You may still get ill, but are unlikely to die.

smile

I think Nick's comment comes under the general heading of "damning with
faint praise". ;-)

--

Jeff

In article ,
Malcolm wrote:

Obligatory note: don't gather and eat mushrooms unless you know what your
doing!

Just found several mushrooms on the lawn. I /think/ they are boletus
chrysenteron (red cracking bolete). But it is interesting how different
photos appear to be in books or on the internet for what is supposed to
be a common and distinctive species which is "easy" to identify.

Don't even "experienced" collectors sometimes make mistakes? And they
will only make it once if they misidentify Amanita phalloides!

That is why there is a gradation of rules. There are some fairly
simple ones that will keep you away from the lethal species, with
VERY high probability. For example, there are no lethal boleti
in the UK,

Hmm, I'm not sure I would want to eat B.satanoides and certainly not
B.satanus (aka Satan's or Devil's Boletus!). The clue is in the names,
perhaps :-)

No, but there are simple, secondary rules to avoid those, too.

Sure, if you actually know about the rules and can follow them
accurately , but B.satanus remains potentially "lethal", and so I was
merely indicating that your claim that "there are no lethal boleti in
the UK" deserves treating with caution.

As far as I know, there are no recorded deaths from it in all
history, and there is only one such death from ANY boletus, in
any part of the world!

Virtually all foods are potentially lethal, because some people
react against virtually every food, and that sometimes leads to
death. However, B. satanas is poisonous in the sense that
essentially everybody will react against it.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
Malcolm wrote:

I asked if you could post a URL for the "rules" for identifying edible
and non-edible fungi, but you appear to have snipped it.

I'm sure such a URL would be welcomed by many here.

Doubtless. I have no idea whether there is one. I always refer
people to good books on British fungi, but am not familiar enough
with what is available to post a reliable list, and therefore do
not do so. Nor am I expert enough to write a checklist, though I
do know rules that will select a subset of safe fungi.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
Malcolm wrote:

I asked if you could post a URL for the "rules" for identifying edible
and non-edible fungi, but you appear to have snipped it.

I'm sure such a URL would be welcomed by many here.

Doubtless. I have no idea whether there is one. I always refer
people to good books on British fungi, but am not familiar enough
with what is available to post a reliable list, and therefore do
not do so. Nor am I expert enough to write a checklist, though I
do know rules that will select a subset of safe fungi.

You specifically mentioned "rules" and "secondary rules" as if they
existed.

For example "That is why there is a gradation of rules. There are some
fairly simple ones that will keep you away from the lethal species, with
VERY high probability."

and

"there are simple, secondary rules to avoid those, too."

So, if these "rules" and "secondary rules" will help people avoid
poisonous fungi, where are they, please?

It is not my business to spoon-feed you. You can learn them, the
same way that I did. Or remain ignorant. It is your call. There
are several other regular posters who are clearly familiar with
similar or equivalent rules.

It is 40 years since I did much fungus collection and, while I can
remember some of the rules, I can neither remember all of them nor
exactly where I learnt them from, though books by Ramsbottom would
be a good start.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 29/09/13 11:49, Malcolm wrote:
I asked if you could post a URL for the "rules" for identifying edible and non-edible fungi, but you appear to have snipped it.
I'm sure such a URL would be welcomed by many here.

I'd be surprised if anyone knowledgeable would dare
publish such a list.

The problem is that all of the old wives tales fail
in some important cases. More modern rules are either
overly cautious, ambiguous, have the same limitation,
or all three.

There really is no substitute to knowing what's necessary
to differentiate species, then rigorously checking /all/
the characteristics against multiple references.

Having said that, have a look at the key at
http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/