Just out of curiosity....... When I was a kid, Mom used to go out under the Doug. Fir trees and pick rather large, ugly (6-8 in. across), dk, brown to blackish mushrooms. I believe the undersides were rose colored but not sure. She would cut out the slug bites and may have peeled off the top skin, sliced them rolled them in egg and bread crumbs and sauted them. She had checked with a neighbor that "knew" mushrooms and these were deemed OK to eat. They thought they were delicious, I avoided them. Any idea's on what they may have been? I know this is not much to ID, but, they supposededly only grew under the firs. Kinda curious...barb
Hmm. Might've been meadow mushroom, Agaricus campestris, or mebbe a Russula of some variety. Fear not! C.Wick will know.---Yeah, I'm with you. When it comes to mushrooms picked wild...I have Doubts. Capital D.
I would say you're talking about Boletus, Leccinum, or Suillus, all of which grow in the habitat you describe.
I agree with MycoRob?...they sound like a Bolete of some sort. Many of the dark capped species are favorites of mushroom munchers...I just avoid the ones with the reddish undersides as this usually are the toxic ones of the family...I'm not familiar enuf with many Fir habitate mushrooms unfortunately...so am probably not the greatest of help here. :o)
The mushrooms you all are talking about are roundish or half round, this one was flater & more like a large shitaki. I really appreciate all your idea's and would like to continue with this if possible. barb
How about the honey mushroom? Armillaria mellea. If not, it could help if you indicate if your mom or her family learned picking from a particular country or area? Eastern Europe, Russian, etc.?
Do you remember if they had gills or pores by any chance? When I look up info for Douglas Fir mushrooms there's listings for over 1000 species....
Mom was a city kid from Billings Mont. that had gone hungry during the depression. Dad was raised on a dry land farm near Paola Ks. We moved to what Dad called a Stump Ranch locaed 1/2 mi S. of Sea Tac airport, planted a garden, added cows, pigs, chickens, etc., Mom learned to barter and to hunt in the wild for edibles. She learned from a neighbor in the area, that was a mushroom "ologist"? So no old world ties. I have looked up the possibles you gave me and they don't look right. Spent another hr+ going thru another site recommended by UBC and came up with some similarities. Pluteus romellii & Tricholoma imbratum. If by gills you mean thin leaves of membrain under the cap Yes. I'll also try the Doug fir mushroom site. Now I'm really curious! barb
Fish dr, I'm satisfied with this, it looks like the best match yet, and the discription matches. I'm assuming that the older the mushroom the more spread out the cap. Mom always waited untill things were as big as possible before harvesting. I never knew you could eat zucchini squash at under a foot long till I left home. Thank you all for your time and efforts on my behalf.......barb
That's a bit of a shame if those are the right ones because they are good only when young and are reputed to taste quite foul in older age and be quite infested with maggots. Perhaps she knew when they were as big as they'd get before being on the old side. Mushroom expert Paul Stamets claims that these mushrooms, if consumed three days running cause extreme, painful indigestion because they temporarily halt the body's production of an important digestive enzyme. Alcohol is said to intensify this effect.. I have these mushrooms in culture and am hoping for a first crop this year.
