Pecos Wilderness. 10000 ft ASL. All spruce around. Spore print is creamy white. I'm particularly in interested in this one because the books say it is edible and they do appear in sufficient quantity. However, it appears that the subspecies has a lot to do with how it tastes. Does anybody have experience eating these?
This is the favorite mushroom of an ex-president of the Colorado Mycological Society (not me!). I leave them in the woods.
MycoRob: I've found some more of these (new photos attached). I'm considered eating one if you can confirm that they are L. laccata. Can you tell me ... why don't you eat them? why did the ex-pres eat them? The stalks are really tough, so I guess one eats only the cap.
I believe the other ex-pres liked them because they are often plentiful in an off year, easy to ID, and versatile in the kitchen. I agree with these 3 points, but don't love the taste. Also, Laccaria bicolor was equally as common as L. laccata in CO. They are both edible. Look for a purplish hue in the mycelium as you pull the mushroom up: the color fades quickly, so you have to check in the field. As long as your specimens have a white spore print, then the look ok for the table.
actually, i can't think of anything off hand. I just have a personal rule that someone who eats a new species without having it checked out, in person, by an expert should take a spore print to confirm the id. =)
Update: So the spore print of the large cap (of the 3 specimens in the most recent photo set) was indeed white. So I sauteed and ate the 2 smaller ones (just the caps) ... 72 hours later and no ill effects. The mushrooms tasted pretty good, like mushrooms, and had a nice texture. Out in the wild, this species is rather attractive with the cap a nice cinnamon color and the gills a lighter shade of that. Unfortunately, however, when cooking these, the gills turn an unappetizing dull gray. Next year (mushrooms in the Southern Rockies are pretty much done for the year), I might try sauteing them with beets or turmeric for some color. Also interesting: In the first post, the last photo of the set shows a group of smaller specimens. I put these in a ziploc bag and then put them in the fridge and forgot about them, until last weekend. They had been there for 2 weeks and were essentially in the same condition (see new photos). This is unusual, most species would have either deliquesced or been consumed by maggots by then. I didn't eat these and would likely not at that age, but their longevity is impressive. MycoRob: Do you know if the ex-pres ever dried and reconstituted this species?
