Mushrooms. Literally everywhere. These little buggers are good for more than a good time.
When trekking in the wilderness or even just our backyards we see them everywhere. Not all are your friends or should be consumed. Skillfully knowing what the good ones are is important when foraging for obvious reasons. Usually, the ones popping up are not just inedible but also poisonous.
How to spot the evil ones:
Color: Most fall into the color range of orange, yellow, red, white, or grey. (so, everyone you see, right?) They may also stain fingers if broken or bruised.
Shape: Cap umbrella shape, wart/lumps and scales are also indicators.
Feeling: All poisonous mushrooms have an appropriate slimy feel. If it has just rained or there is precipitation, set the mushroom out a day or two to see if it the cap dries.
A lot of poisonous mushrooms have colored patches on the cap that make it easier to spot. (off-color, not like willy Wonka multicolored dots) ie slightly brown scales on white ones and I take the Willy Wonka comment back because some red ones have white dots.
Another indicator is a ring just below the cap and is the same color as the stem. This isn’t always easy to spot. While you are looking under the hood look at the gills. A clear distinction of a poisonous shroom are white or light pale gills.
When in a situation where you must eat what grows from the ground you absolutely need to know what you're doing. This is just a taste of how tricky it can be.
We at American Survivalist want you to live. So, educate yourself before cooking up a shroom.
Next up - Berries
Your friends,
American.Survivalist.US
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