# Safety of eating wild mushrooms (picture) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 24, 2007, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369 "2007-05-24T16:33:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369/1 "2007-05-24T16:33:12Z")
I found some wild mushrooms in my yard last night. They _looked_ tasty, but I was hesitant to eat them. Any budding mycologists out there? What are the odds that random mushrooms found in Pennsylvania will: [ul] [li]kill me[/li][li]cause gastroenteritis[/li][li]cause delirium/hallucinations/etc[/li][li]be unappetizing[/li][/ul] I am guessing someone will suggest I buy a field guide, and I plan to, but I am just curious what the odds of finding “bad shrooms” really are. Thanks! Here is the kind that I picked (George Costanza’a head in background): [![](https://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s218/vetbridge/shroooom.jpg) ](https://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s218/vetbridge/shroooom.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369/2 "2007-05-24T16:58:42Z")
From PennState Agricultural Information Services: [“Poisonous mushrooms are very toxic and in most cases lethal,” Stewart warns. “Although there are few deaths annually from mushroom poisoning, in this case, one mistake could be your last.”](http://www.aginfo.psu.edu/psp/03psp/pr/03128_pr.html) So, ya feelin’ lucky? ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369/3 "2007-05-24T17:05:48Z")
[QUOTE=DeVena] So, ya feelin’ lucky? [/QUOTE] Well, Amanitas are mostly what comprises Pennsylvania’s “deadly” mushrooms, and my shrooms looked nothing like this: [http://amanita-muscaria.org/mushrooms/images/amanita\_mushroom1.jpg](http://amanita-muscaria.org/mushrooms/images/amanita_mushroom1.jpg) So, while I understand what you are saying, I guess I am a little more adventurous than you. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369/4 "2007-05-24T17:09:25Z")
I wouldn’t recommend that you eat **anything** that doesn’t cause death. You can stilll get pretty f’ed up by eating the wrong mushroom. One or two types in PA might kill, but what other kind of ailments are you willing to risk? Here’s the North Eastern USA list of mushrooms w/pics and other info. Maybe a coma is more your style, or loss of vision, etc. Sometimes, mixing edible mushrooms with the wrong ingredients leads to problems. [http://www.nemf.org/files/lincoff/beginners/poison.html](http://www.nemf.org/files/lincoff/beginners/poison.html) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369/5 "2007-05-24T17:13:33Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] So, while I understand what you are saying, I guess I am a little more adventurous than you. 😃 [/QUOTE] There are adventurous wild mushroom tasters, there are old wild mushroom tasters, but there are no adventurous old wild mushroom tasters. Seriously, tasting wild mushrooms when you have no idea (and pictures in a book are not reliable enough when your life is on the line) if they are poisonous is not a great career move. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369/6 "2007-05-24T17:14:36Z")
If you are not certain what specific species your mushrooms are, you should not take the chance. Even folks who know how to identify mushrooms probably won’t be able to do so just from pictures. And even if anyone could identify your mushrooms from picture alone, they’d be fools to do so, because you went and ate something poisonous, they’d be liable. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369/7 "2007-05-24T17:17:19Z")
OK, y’all have me convinced. This was what I was looking for. It’s a shame though, they looked yummy. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369/8 "2007-05-24T17:18:23Z")
[QUOTE=Philster] I wouldn’t recommend that you eat **anything** that doesn’t cause death. [/QUOTE] I on the other hand recommend that people should _only_ eat things that don’t cause death. In any case I don’t know anything about mushrooms but I would only eat ones that have been identified by an expert. You can’t know if anybody here is really qualified, you can’t trust your life to a stranger in thhe Internet. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369/9 "2007-05-24T17:22:35Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] OK, y’all have me convinced. This was what I was looking for. It’s a shame though, they looked yummy. [/QUOTE] Whew! I was worried there for a minute that you were determined to deprive the SDMB of not only a good poster, but revenue. 🙂 I’ll leave this one open, but I don’t want anyone to chime in trying to reassure **vetbridge** that he should eat those things. **samclem** GQ moderator ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369/10 "2007-05-24T17:27:58Z")
[QUOTE=samclem] Whew! I was worried there for a minute that you were determined to deprive the SDMB of not only a good poster, but revenue. 🙂 I’ll leave this one open, but I don’t want anyone to chime in trying to reassure **vetbridge** that he should eat those things. **samclem** GQ moderator [/QUOTE] Thank you for your concern. 🙂 I see the value of the advise I’ve gotten so far and will continue to purchase my fungus from reputable grocers. I was so hoping that someone would tell me that if I just avoided Amanita spp I would be in the clear, or at worst suffer some diarrhea. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369/11 "2007-05-24T19:30:24Z")
[QUOTE=riker1384] I on the other hand recommend that people should _only_ eat things that don’t cause death. In any case I don’t know anything about mushrooms but I would only eat ones that have been identified by an expert. You can’t know if anybody here is really qualified, you can’t trust your life to a stranger in thhe Internet. [/QUOTE] It was implied that a mushroom was ok if it didn’t kill you. I was stressing that one cannot recommend that you eat anything as long as it doesn’t kill you. Because there is great harm that can be done, even if it doesn’t kill you. I did not reverse the negative by accident. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369/12 "2007-05-24T20:24:37Z")
Reminded me of [This](http://www.arcamax.com/bc/s-194081-496775). ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369/13 "2007-05-24T20:30:11Z")
I grew up in N.E. Ohio and my granny used to pick wild mushrooms all the time. I never ate any and neither did my mother (her daughter). On the other hand the old witch lived into her 80’s (Only the good die young.). ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369/14 "2007-05-24T20:37:48Z")
[QUOTE=samclem] Whew! I was worried there for a minute that you were determined to deprive the SDMB of not only a good poster, but revenue. 🙂 I’ll leave this one open, but I don’t want anyone to chime in trying to reassure **vetbridge** that he should eat those things. [/QUOTE] I can’t imagine anyone actually knowledgable about mushrooms telling you to eat them without physically seeing and holding them, and probably also seeing them growing in the ground. Unless they had an overwhelming desire to get sued for wrongful death. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369/15 "2007-05-24T20:38:51Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] [![](https://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s218/vetbridge/shroooom.jpg) ](https://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s218/vetbridge/shroooom.jpg) [/QUOTE] Looks like a “Little Brown Mushroom” to me. [Those can be difficult to identify down to a specific species, so mushroom experts recommend staying away from all of them.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushroom_hunting) ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369/16 "2007-05-24T20:45:22Z")
[QUOTE=Duke of Rat] Reminded me of [This](http://www.arcamax.com/bc/s-194081-496775). [/QUOTE] hehehe. That’s the first _funny_ BC I’ve seen in a long time. (Johnny Hart RIP) From **Anne Neville** ’s link (Wiki): > [@](#): > > For mycologists, LBMs are the equivalent of LGBs (“little gray birds”) and DYCs (“damn yellow composites”) that are the bane of ornithologists and botanists, respectively. hehe. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369/17 "2007-05-24T20:50:28Z")
I hate to hop on a pile on with a me-too post. But. I worked in a mycology lab. The professor insisted on never eating anything that hadn’t been properly identified. Proper identification meant, in many cases, destroying at least one specimen, so we were encouraged to pick up a lot of whatever it was that had caught our interest. Our prof was always encouraging us to try wild mushrooms (after proper IDing). We soon learned the difference between non-poisonous and palatable. Just because it won’t kill you, doesn’t mean you will enjoy it. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369/18 "2007-05-24T21:46:45Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] Any budding mycologists out there? What are the odds that random mushrooms found in Pennsylvania will: [ul] [li]kill me[/li][li]cause gastroenteritis[/li][li]cause delirium/hallucinations/etc[/li][li]be unappetizing[/li][/ul] [/quote] In order of most likely: 1.) **Be unappetizing** - most mushrooms don’t really taste that great. 2.) **Cause gastroenteritis** - many mushrooms ( even some ‘edible’ species for some people ) will cause tummy aches. 3-20.) NA 21.) **Cause delirium/hallucinations** - psychotropic mushrooms are way down the list in terms of how common they are. Odds are rather low you’d randomly get ahold of one, though in my area one rather potent ( but unappetizing looking ) critter isn’t that uncommon on second or third-year wood chips used in gardens. 22.) **Kill you** - Contrary to popular opinion the vast majority of mushrooms are non-fatal. Make you feel a little sick, common - kill you, rare. The comment that “poisonous mushrooms are very toxic” is, by and large, fairly true. But most mushrooms are not poisonous in any real sense. That said some really nasty ones DO come up on lawns and every admonition you’ve gotten up to now is spot on. NEVER mess with a mushroom that hasn’t been reliably identified. The half-assed, semi-educated guess I’m about to give you should not in anyway be considered reliable. > [@](#): > > I am guessing someone will suggest I buy a field guide, and I plan to, As far as I know the best general guide is still Daniel Aurora’s Mushrooms Demystified, though it really is more Pacific coast oriented. However no truly definitive general field guide exists - the topic is too huge. It would be like a field guide to insects of North America. I have the best available keys as of ten years ago to most of the North American genera and they fill two massive binders ( and would require a good microscope and some minor chemistry ) and are quite incomplete. > [@](#): > > Here is the kind that I picked (George Costanza’a head in background): > [http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s218/vetbridge/shroooom.jpg](http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s218/vetbridge/shroooom.jpg) But if you were asking me casually, my best GUESS ( assuming dark gills, but they are still not really identifiable from a photo ) is some species of _Agaricus_, the same genus as the species that includes your store-bought crimini, button and portabella mushrooms ( all the same specis - _A. bisporus_ ). Which doesn’t mean it’s edible by any stretch, even if I’m right. Many _Agaricus_, including some of the most common on lawns, are in the inedible, gastrointestinal upset group. A very general rule of thumb for that genus is that if it has a yellow or yellowish stain when you score it with your fingernail ( at the base of the stipe is often best ) and has a phenolic odor, it is more likely to be inedible. If it stains reddish brown and smells of almonds/marzipan it is more likely to be edible. But DO NOT take that as gospel. Please. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369/19 "2007-05-24T22:10:01Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] I found some wild mushrooms in my yard last night. They _looked_ tasty, but I was hesitant to eat them. Any budding mycologists out there? What are the odds that random mushrooms found in Pennsylvania will: [ul] [li]kill me[/li][li]cause gastroenteritis[/li][li]cause delirium/hallucinations/etc[/li][li]be unappetizing[/li][/ul] \*\*I am guessing someone will suggest I buy a field guide, and I plan to, but I am just curious what the odds of finding “bad shrooms” really are. Thanks! \*\* Here is the kind that I picked (George Costanza’a head in background): [![](https://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s218/vetbridge/shroooom.jpg) ](https://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s218/vetbridge/shroooom.jpg) [/QUOTE] (bolding mine) I’m not an expert nor can I tell you the odds of finding bad mushrooms. But I will offer this anecdote. I woman that I knew (not a friend of a friend - I knew this woman) in central PA (coal miner country) picked some mushrooms a few years back and died from consuming them. IIR, it was liver damage. It took a week. Do what you will with this anecdote, but my thought is, what is the ROI? Are store-bought mushrooms so expensive as to make this worth the risk? ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369/20 "2007-05-24T22:30:16Z")
[QUOTE=Khadaji] (bolding mine) Are store-bought mushrooms so expensive as to make this worth the risk? [/QUOTE] I have no quarrel with the price stores charge for mushrooms, however the shrooms I found looked great and I **was** ignorant as to their likely edibility. Said ignorance has been fought. **Tamerlane** : I have been looking at pictures, and agree with your guess. As an aside, I see a few dozen dogs every spring/summer with mild, self limiting, gastroenteritis after they ingest mushrooms from the owner’s yard. :smack: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safety-of-eating-wild-mushrooms-picture/405369.md?page=2)