5 thoughts on “Ask A Broadsheet Reader”

  1. Sheik Yahbouti

    DON’T EAT IT, until you’re really sure looks like a Chanterelle but may be something different! Try internet. BBC had a prog called “Mushroom Magic” which displayed, and explained, all edible and non-edible fungi. Better safe than sorry.

  4. lolly

    Hard to tell without having it in your hand and looking at it closely. I can say that I’m virtually certain that it is inedible. It is certainly not one that is regularly collected by mushroom hunters. (e.g. me. been doing it for 15 years). I’m not an expert but I do have experience and I wouldn’t touch it. It could be be a russula which are often edible but uninteresting but it could also be poisonous (make you sick or taste bitter) or it could be deadly (make you dead or lose your liver at best) such as a Cortinarius which look like this when mature (a younger specimen will have a veil – this falls away to form a ring on mature specimens). If it leaches a little milk it is a lactarius but it is highly likely to be a poisonous one. I’ve yet to find an edible lactarious such as Caesers Mushroom. you could take a spore print which may help identify it but will only give you a clue in which direction to look. I’ve gone through my Roger Phillips book and it is not pictured. If you are interested in the subject I recommend any book by Phillips and if you are interested in looking for edible mushrooms then I suggest the River Cottage guide which is well written and useful. Don’t bother looking on the Internet to identify it as you will only find American species (many are related to our but many are not).

Comments are closed.

Broadsheet.ie