Do you hunt and eat mushrooms?

JMapleton

Diamond Member
Nov 19, 2008
4,179
2
81
I was talking to this guy at work who claims he hunts and eats "Morel" mushrooms. I told him he's crazy, some mushrooms are poisonous.

I told him, does he hallucinate when eating these mushrooms, he said no, they're normal mushrooms.

Anyone else do this? Apparently he goes to the forest or something and goes mushroom hunting.
 
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KillerCharlie

Diamond Member
Aug 21, 2005
3,691
68
91
Morels are great mushrooms to look for - they're hard to find in grocery stores and are extremely expensive.

I live in the PNW so mushrooms grow everywhere. I think next fall I'm going with a friend to look for chantrelles. Yes, some are poisonous and yes, some are hallucinogenic, but some of the more popular ones are pretty easy to tell apart.
 

PottedMeat

Lifer
Apr 17, 2002
12,363
475
126
nothing wrong with it, you just need to go with someone experienced in that region.

i guess morels are less risky, they've got a distinctive shape - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morel

When gathering morels, care must be taken to distinguish them from the poisonous false morels, including Gyromitra esculenta, Verpa bohemica, and others. Although the false morels are sometimes eaten without ill effect, they can cause severe gastrointestinal upset and loss of muscular coordination (including cardiac muscle) if eaten in large quantities or over several days in a row. They contain a gyromitrin-like toxin (an organic, carcinogenic poison) that is produced by the mushroom.
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
72,229
32,640
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Chanterelle mushrooms are awesome fried up in butter. I'm never had any morals so I couldn't tell you if they are good or bad.
 

Locut0s

Lifer
Nov 28, 2001
22,205
43
91
Certain mushrooms may be safe to hunt and eat but it IS a dangerous hobby in general. Every year you hear about some mushroom expert who dies from misidentifying a poisonous species as an edible one.
 

NetWareHead

THAT guy
Aug 10, 2002
5,847
154
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Nothing wrong with this. My buddies did it too but used to go looking for these strange blue colored mushrooms...
 

feralkid

Lifer
Jan 28, 2002
16,826
4,925
136
Good Lord they are tasty.

morels.jpg
 

destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
28,799
359
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This topic, it smells fishy. Like parody fishy, but the almighty search says otherwise.

:hmm:

Hunting mushrooms. :hmm:

If one is botanically-inclined, at least in the ways of the mushroom, it shouldn't be hard to know what mushrooms are good and which ones are not based solely upon looks and the environment.

If you know what grows in what type of environment, what they look like, and what does and does not grow in the geographical region, I'd image it's not too hard.

For the educated one in the world of fungiculture should be able to forage in the foliage of the forest floor, for the fruitbodies of fungi to be farmed for food.
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
72,229
32,640
136
For the educated one in the world of fungiculture should be able to forage in the foliage of the forest floor, for the fruitbodies of fungi to be farmed for food.

Fearful foreboding fills the future with fits of frivolous fungal fantasies.
 

mcurphy

Diamond Member
Feb 5, 2003
4,150
8
81
Morels are great, and it is getting very close to the time of year that is best to find them in my area. I know several people as well as myself who hunt them. I usually take one or two trips into the woods to look for them, and I usually find enough to mix into a couple good meals. They are easy to spot, and there really isn't any risk in hunting and eating them.
 

brblx

Diamond Member
Mar 23, 2009
5,499
2
0
Nothing wrong with this. My buddies did it too but used to go looking for these strange blue colored mushrooms...

your buddies are idiots. there are so many varieties of mushroom out there that can be easily confused with those that produce psylocybin, and some could be deadly.

there's no fucking way i'd eat any mushroom out of the woods that wasn't picked by some kind of accredited fungi expert who also happened to be a personal friend.
 

JMapleton

Diamond Member
Nov 19, 2008
4,179
2
81
Morels are great, and it is getting very close to the time of year that is best to find them in my area. I know several people as well as myself who hunt them. I usually take one or two trips into the woods to look for them, and I usually find enough to mix into a couple good meals. They are easy to spot, and there really isn't any risk in hunting and eating them.

What about these "false morels" I read about?
 

ZOXXO

Golden Member
Feb 1, 2003
1,281
0
76
Too dry this spring in my area but was able to find enough for a couple of messes. May go one more time this season if we get some rain.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
59,243
9,750
126
your buddies are idiots. there are so many varieties of mushroom out there that can be easily confused with those that produce psylocybin, and some could be deadly.

there's no fucking way i'd eat any mushroom out of the woods that wasn't picked by some kind of accredited fungi expert who also happened to be a personal friend.

This stuff isn't rocket science. It doesn't take any kind of professional to pick mushrooms :^S
 

mcurphy

Diamond Member
Feb 5, 2003
4,150
8
81
What about these "false morels" I read about?

I have never come across a false morel or any other mushroom that looks like a morel in my area. Nor have I ever heard of anyone mistaking a morel for something else. Perhaps the "false morels" are non-exitent in my area, or just extremely rare. I know a lot of people that eat morels every year and I can't say I have ever heard of anyone getting poisoned by eating the wrong mushroom.
 

Locut0s

Lifer
Nov 28, 2001
22,205
43
91
This stuff isn't rocket science. It doesn't take any kind of professional to pick mushrooms :^S

It does for certain species. This is why I was saying that even experts are known to make these mistakes. Stay away from those species and you are right. Otherwise it's a very dangerous hobby actually.
 

Locut0s

Lifer
Nov 28, 2001
22,205
43
91
I have never come across a false morel or any other mushroom that looks like a morel in my area. Nor have I ever heard of anyone mistaking a morel for something else. Perhaps the "false morels" are non-exitent in my area, or just extremely rare. I know a lot of people that eat morels every year and I can't say I have ever heard of anyone getting poisoned by eating the wrong mushroom.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_morel
 

NetWareHead

THAT guy
Aug 10, 2002
5,847
154
106
your buddies are idiots. there are so many varieties of mushroom out there that can be easily confused with those that produce psylocybin, and some could be deadly.

there's no fucking way i'd eat any mushroom out of the woods that wasn't picked by some kind of accredited fungi expert who also happened to be a personal friend.

My buddy is actually pretty smart, has received extensive training and has been doing this for many years (10+ ). Those mushrooms aren't my thing but according to him, he knows what to look for and has never killed anybody.