What are some easy and reliable tips for identifying edible mushrooms?

Poisonous mushrooms and edible ones can look very similar. You should never eat any mushroom that has not been identified by an expert. Yes, the poisonous assumption is the best bet.

@gussnarp hear hear!

Also, that’s what I’ve done, become an “expert” at a select few that I like. Those I can pick and feel certain that they are safe.

Why don’t you get a field guide like this? That should help you identify edible ones. (There are several others on the market too.) My sister-in-law, who is European goes mushrooming a lot. I would caution you to be cautious, though, and if you can’t make a clear identification, don’t eat it, Alice!

buy a mushroom book.

venture to the grocery store… it’s best not to tempt fate when it comes to these things, certain fungai look very similar to others, one type being poisonous, the other being edible. you should probably leave it alone if you don’t have a trained eye for it in most instances.

One of my favorite aphorism is this one:

“There are bold mushroom hunters.
There are old mushroom hunters
But there are no old, bold mushroom hunters.”

@all, thanks – they are quite beautiful so I will just be satisfied with looking at them!

I don’t see mushrooms around here often, but I’ll look in to the book thing for future reference (we have one here from 1904…has much changed? :P)

Either you appoint a taster to the court, or you get a book and when in doubt throw it out.

Picking mushrooms, huh. I don’t go down on forests like that. I go to the store and let them poison me.

It’s really quite dangerous, and you should not rely on a book. Get a naturalist to teach you.

Not dying.

I guess if you’re still alive a few days after eating it, it’s safe

The best way to identify the edible shroom would have to be by the trademark sunburst coloring on the cap of the mushroom. Also, the trippy ones have a purplish veil over their stem. Don’t ever go for the white ones; those are referred to as the White Death. Very poisonous. Also don’t ever go for the brown ones. And usually they grow on or around cow patties. A book would help to take along with you. Psilocybin Mushrooms.

I do like Psilocybin Mushrooms.

@pdworkin has it right, don’t trust your life to a book.

@pdworkin @Capt_Bloth I’m leaning that way, too – though for reference it would be nice so I could learn a little more about them in general.

The absolute best way to identify an edible mushroom is look for the ones sold in the produce section of the grocery store.

When I was a museum curator a family came to me and asked if a particular mushroom was edible. I keyed it out and was able to tell them that no, it wasn’t. They said they weren’t surprised because they had eaten some others from the same spot the previous week and had gotten very ill. They just wanted to be sure it wasn’t an allergy!

Apparently it looked just like some mushrooms they used to gather and eat when they lived in another part of the country. However, according to the key, the difference between those and the ones that made them sick was the color and appearance of the spores under the microscope. They were very, very lucky.

I’m sure you’re all right, but it was so lovely when I was in France in September and everyone was gathering cepes in the woods. Everywhere you went there were omelettes aux cepes and tartes de cepes on the menus. I guess the point is that they know what they’re looking for and we don’t, but it’s sad that we don’t and can’t.

However, I have rethought my advice and don’t recommend relying on a book in case you make a faulty diagnosis.

@Darwin “They said they weren’t surprised because they had eaten some others from the same spot the previous week and had gotten very ill”. That must have been an extremely d’oh moment, wasn’t it?

@Saturated_Brain – That would be a yes.

Whatever you do, watch out for these