Mushroom picking

We have stacks of fairy ring champignons in our area. Probably not as exiting, but they are easy to recognise and abundant.

Might go for a trip to the pine forest on the weekend to see what it’s all about.

I’ve been picking mushrooms all my life (in Australia and Europe) and while I wouldn’t recommend it to novices who haven’t been taught the art by sagely masters, it’s impossible to get a pine mushroom mixed up with a death cap. They look very distinct.

The pine plantations around Canberra should be ripe for the picking this weekend. If you’re interested, look out for European looking people carrying baskets in the woods and ask them to show you the ropes.

Myles Peterson said :

“Any news on how this years blue meanie crop is looking?”

I remember half of Narrabundah college wasted off a massive crop that spawned on Parliament House. The half that turned up to school that day.

Must have been the same time as when I was at Phillip College and kids used to draw giant mushrooms on the blackboards and organise picking exhibitions to the fields at Araluen 😉

jessieduck said :

Why would you feel the need to post this? It’s irresponsible and insensitive. Bad judgement call writing it and bad call posting it.

Oh please. I’m assuming akinom has the appropriate knowledge of mushroom identification to do it safely and his (or her) post is intended for other appropriately equipped individuals.

If some dim-wit who doesn’t know about them wants to go off and try their luck, that’s their fault. Really sick of all this cotton wool in society. Time for people to be responsible for themselves for a change.

“Any news on how this years blue meanie crop is looking?”

I remember half of Narrabundah college wasted off a massive crop that spawned on Parliament House. The half that turned up to school that day.

Any news on how this years blue meanie crop is looking?

Zan said :

I also recall see a photo on the front page of the Canberra Times of a mushroom which pushed its way through the bitumen in front of the ANU Drill Hall Gallery.

There was some of those at the old AME school too, yellow ones, I think they were those Slippery Jacks or whatever they’re called? They pushed right up through the road, and that bit of road had been there a while.

The Australian National Botanic Gardens have web page re fungi http://www.anbg.gov.au/fungi/deathcap.html

The link to the ACT Health no longer works. There is also a link to reports of poisoning. It is very interesting reading.

When I came to Canberra way back in 1949 (shock horror), the family lived on mushrooms, some of which were the size of dinner plates. I also recall see a photo on the front page of the Canberra Times of a mushroom which pushed its way through the bitumen in front of the ANU Drill Hall Gallery.

shirty_bear said :

Watson said :

In Europe it is normal to go out mushroom picking in autumn, and not because of the lack of poisonous ones…

What? You’re suggesting that mushroom picking would not lose popularity in Europe if there were indistinguishable yet lethal ‘shrooms also scattered around? That beggars belief.

I think they have the same types of poisonous mushrooms there as we have here. Awesome travelers, those spores. Yet people don’t go all hysterical about it there. In fact, they are a lot more aware of the need for education on identifying mushrooms, which is sadly totally lacking here.

I’m sure it cannot be that hard to tell a deathcap from a button mushroom if you know what to look for.

Mmmmm… mushrooms!

Did anyone else get that brochure about not eating wild ones and wonder why it wasn’t also written in foreign?

jessieduck said :

Why would you feel the need to post this? It’s irresponsible and insensitive. Bad judgement call writing it and bad call posting it.

Oh, FFS! Quick! Make it a crime to even mention wild mushrooms! Call the police!

I love pine mushrooms, but I let scandinavians do the collecting and cooking. Marvellous things.

I’ve had some curious mushrooms come up, never seen them before. They’re huge, bright white, with pale grey gills. I’m not eating ’em, mainly because I’m convinced all wild mushrooms now have maggots/worms after a horrible experience some years back.

But they’re quite different from the standard grubby-looking common wild mushrooms. These are entree-plate-sized, seem to grow on their own, on quite a skinny stalk compared to the crown. Very flat shape. Anyone have any ideas what they are?

Watson said :

I was just wondering if we have a mushroom identification service in Canberra (saw they have one in Melbourne) or some courses in identifying mushrooms.

I hope not. The last thing we need is a bunch of night course educated ‘experts’ running around.

shirty_bear said :

Watson said :

In Europe it is normal to go out mushroom picking in autumn, and not because of the lack of poisonous ones…

What? You’re suggesting that mushroom picking would not lose popularity in Europe if there were indistinguishable yet lethal ‘shrooms also scattered around? That beggars belief.

I think you’ll find that deathcap mushrooms are an introduced species originally native to Europe.

Australia does not have a monopoly on poisonous/dangerous/lethal flora and fauna.

shirty_bear said :

Watson said :

In Europe it is normal to go out mushroom picking in autumn, and not because of the lack of poisonous ones…

What? You’re suggesting that mushroom picking would not lose popularity in Europe if there were indistinguishable yet lethal ‘shrooms also scattered around? That beggars belief.

The Death Cap is actually widely distributed across many European nations.

I honestly don’t see what the fuss is, if he knows what he is doing and doesn’t kill anyone but himself why should the rest of us bat an eyelid.

There are plenty of poisonous fish out there but people don’t go into hysterics when you serve up a wild caught fish…

This rain will be brilliant for the mushroom lover.
You wouldn’t even need to go to the “secret spot” any more, just any pine forest will do!

Bring on the hundreds of jars of mushrooms in our store 🙂

(We are obviously from European origin)

If we don’t here from akinom again we can assume he learnt his lesson, one way or another.

shirty_bear said :

Watson said :

In Europe it is normal to go out mushroom picking in autumn, and not because of the lack of poisonous ones…

What? You’re suggesting that mushroom picking would not lose popularity in Europe if there were indistinguishable yet lethal ‘shrooms also scattered around? That beggars belief.

Maybe it does beggar belief, but it’s true. Those that heave learned can tell the good from the bad. Most of those that claim they can, can’t, they’ve just been lucky so far

jessieduck said :

Why would you feel the need to post this? It’s irresponsible and insensitive. Bad judgement call writing it and bad call posting it.

Well I think it could be a reflection on our time. I use to pick mushrooms with my dad whats wrong with that. And I learnt the bad ones and good ones.

Watson said :

In Europe it is normal to go out mushroom picking in autumn, and not because of the lack of poisonous ones…

What? You’re suggesting that mushroom picking would not lose popularity in Europe if there were indistinguishable yet lethal ‘shrooms also scattered around? That beggars belief.

jessieduck said :

Why would you feel the need to post this? It’s irresponsible and insensitive. Bad judgement call writing it and bad call posting it.

Six months ago, you wouldn’t have even blinked.
Car accidents kill and maim people in the world every single day, but you’re not concerned about people saying “Have a safe trip”?

The only reason that you find this post in any way appropriate is that YOU PERSONALLY find it that way. If there had been more education available and experience had by everybody, there would be no deaths. Can you comprehend that?

Yes, I didn’t wonder if I’d get branded irresponsible. But I did try to put caveats around the post. Obviously still not enough. So much for free speech.

I was just wondering if we have a mushroom identification service in Canberra (saw they have one in Melbourne) or some courses in identifying mushrooms. I don’t think I have ever seen so many out and it seems like such a shame to waste them! In Europe it is normal to go out mushroom picking in autumn, and not because of the lack of poisonous ones…

Let’s all hope akinom is not chef in a restaurant, if so it would be nice to know where. 😛

Why would you feel the need to post this? It’s irresponsible and insensitive. Bad judgement call writing it and bad call posting it.