A Wee Bit More on Sulphur Shelf and Trees
Wild mushrooms can be good for you. It's always best to know what you are doing before you cut them off willy nilly. There are only four species that I can safely identity and eat in the wild and they are:
Sulphur Shelf
Hen of the Woods
Giant Puffball
Morels
There are other edible species, but those are the only four that I trust myself to identify through books and through friends who are well versed in mushrooms. I wouldn't start eating wild mushrooms based on my blog, but I would encourage you to read up on them and when you feel 110% comfortable being able to identify them, then try them.
As for the tree issue, from a wildlife perspective, so many birds and animals need dead trees to survive, that I support them being left up when possible. One of the reasons we are losing red-headed woodpeckers is because of the lack of dead trees with soft enough wood for them to nest in.
Here is an informative article about sulphur shelf on trees by Rosanne Healy, Department of Plant Pathology at Iowa State University that came out on June 27, 2007. Even she says, "If it is on an acreage, and not likely to do irreparable damage should it fall, it may be worth considering leaving it alone."
That is the situation with the oak that we found with the sulphur shelf.
Sulphur Shelf
Hen of the Woods
Giant Puffball
Morels
There are other edible species, but those are the only four that I trust myself to identify through books and through friends who are well versed in mushrooms. I wouldn't start eating wild mushrooms based on my blog, but I would encourage you to read up on them and when you feel 110% comfortable being able to identify them, then try them.
As for the tree issue, from a wildlife perspective, so many birds and animals need dead trees to survive, that I support them being left up when possible. One of the reasons we are losing red-headed woodpeckers is because of the lack of dead trees with soft enough wood for them to nest in.
Here is an informative article about sulphur shelf on trees by Rosanne Healy, Department of Plant Pathology at Iowa State University that came out on June 27, 2007. Even she says, "If it is on an acreage, and not likely to do irreparable damage should it fall, it may be worth considering leaving it alone."
That is the situation with the oak that we found with the sulphur shelf.
posted by birdchick at 12:49 PM
8 Comments:
I know it is not your intention to be a reference for edible mushrooms. However, I do think you should point out that the same sulphur shelf you had for dinner can be poisonous if growing on hemlock or pine trees (either dead or live ones).
Hence the reason I wrote in the post:
"I wouldn't start eating wild mushrooms based on my blog, but I would encourage you to read up on them and when you feel 110% comfortable being able to identify them, then try them."
I never had Sulphur Shelfs, but Giant Puffballs (while they're still young and fresh) are delicious.
What do the Hen of the Woods taste like?
I concur with your list, but would add one other: oyster mushrooms.
They, also, cannot be mistaken once you learn their key features: shape, gills descending stalk, pleasant odor.
They are beyond yummy!
I've wanted to try sulphur shelf ever since I first heard a few years ago about how yummy they are. Haven't had a chance so far, though. :(
On the subject of mushrooms, I found this "homeopathic" remedy for poison ivy/oak this weekend, and the first ingredient listed is "active amanita mushroom." Aren't those deadly? And how would they help fight poison ivy/oak?!
Yes, Amanita mushrooms are poisonous. Very, very poisonous. They account for 95% of the 'shroom-related fatalities in people and are the most commonly documented cause of fatal mushroom poisonings in dogs. The common name for Amanita phalloides is "Death Cap Mushroom." This one alone is responsible for 50% of human deaths, and most of the fatal dog cases.
One summer working at an emergency veterinary hospital, I saw 2 or 3 cases of Amanita toxicity in dogs. They got horrible liver failure and died despite all we could do. It was fast, too. Signs develop within 10 hours of ingestion and death occurs in 3 to 7 days.
Identification of mushrooms can be quite difficult, and as Birdchick says, you must be absolutely certain of your ID before you start eating them. Remember, "There are OLD mushroom hunters and there are BOLD mushroom hunters, but there are no OLD, BOLD mushroom hunters."
~Kathi
I will stick to getting my mushrooms in the grocery store.
kitmarlowescot2
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