Toxic Food 2 | How To Cook That Ann Reardon

[@skillstacker9268]

There are old mushroom pickers. There are bold mushroom pickers. There are no old, bold mushroom pickers!

[@zuzpager]

This reminds me of what my grandpa used to say: "All mushrooms are eadible. Some are just only eadible once."

[@Riker1990]

​@@zuzpager there's actually another distinction I've heard - some are edible, some are inedible (because the taste is so bad that noone wants to eat them) and some are poisonous (which are the ones that you don't want under any circumstances). The inedible are technically edible more than once, but you may have trouble finding volunteers...

[@curious_illithid]

Yeah, with mushrooms if you have a tiniest little bit of doubt it's best to just leave it. I've once left a bunch of what might have been edible honey fungus to keep doing its thing (growing on a tree stump), because the description of the difference between two species (one edible, other potentially deadly) was unhelpful: it was literally "the good one smells pleasant, the bad one smells flour-like", as if all people have same perception of what's pleasant and are well-acquainted with the scent of flour. Like, buddy, lives might be on the line, a lil' more detail, please!

[@defski]

Just like pilots!

[@rebeccachambers4701]

Lol

[@arandomfrog9493]

I'm just imagining humans first discovering mushrooms like: "This one tastes good" "Kyle ate that one and it didn't end well" "This one makes you see god" "They all look the same"

[@kjpcgaming9296]

Kyle the Caveman hahahaha

[@anders630]

You probably fed animals or your subjugates first. But if you are picking fungus and live in an area with a wider variety you learn to see the difference, just like you learn to see the difference of trees and flowers etc. A common pattern where I live, dont take this for granted where you live, is that bad mushrooms are usually pink/red and a small sample will taste bitter, the death cap however does not follow this colour rule and a direct translation from our language would be "sneaky fly agaric".

[@spiritbond8]

I doubt caveman Kyle would remember that a week to two ago he ate a mushroom and that's what's causing his poisoning.

[@YunxiaoChu]

Webcams on the other hand…

[@Mobin92]

Usually the poisonous ones taste bitter or change colors when you cut them.

[@STEMghost]

One of my neighbors here in Japan is an avid mushroom hunter. He doesn't eat them, he collects, identifies and dries them like one would flowers and then displays them on his walls. His home is filled with these displays. One of the things he's told me that has always stuck with me is that the "prettier" the mushroom, the more deadly it is.

[@zocansew]

check out chicken of the wood (not to be confused with hen of the wood)! totally edible and absolutely gorgeous. don't think it grows in Japan though,

[@dozzy9984]

While it seems mostly true, I wouldn't take that as a rule. There are really pretty mushrooms like girolles or parasol mushrooms that are perfectly safe to eat (only issue is, there are mushrooms that are really dangerous and look similar to them) and there are some really ugly mushrooms that are not safe to eat, like devil's boletes. Not to mention that beauty is subjective, f.e. for me buttons looks quite cute while redcaps are somewhat ugly.

[@quillclock]

@@zocansew idk man it looks like a pile of ear wax ot maybe a tumorous beehive to me that's just my opinion, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. i personally love the look of lions mane mushrooms

[@muffinland8660]

That's a pretty lousy rule. Death caps look like the first thing that come to mind when you hear the word "mushroom."

[@Mew2Man]

Amanita virosa: "The Destroying Angel". One of the deadliest mushrooms, even just a small part of it could kill you, and it is an extremely unpleasant death. It is the blandest looking mushroom you could ever look at- pure white, not very big, the most stereotypical shape you'd ever see in a mushroom. I worked with this mushroom for a final I had for a mycology class, and it is indeed truly unspectacular. This is what has caused many people to die or, should they be lucky enough to survive, lose their livers from eating it. It's a nice casual rule (e.g. the pretty red amanitas with white spots are very poisonous, and I do not know of any pretty edible ones off the top of my head), but never one to actually put any dinner decisions on. Before we were allowed to eat *anything* we field collected in that class, we *always* had to run it by our professor first- who is one of less than a handful of individuals certified to deal with fungi poisoning cases in North America. Given just how bad many mushrooms can be, and how similar they can look, I don't think I would have trusted anyone less; I never eat anything I find myself now that I don't have such an expert to confirm.

[@Bossarama]

New Fear Unlocked: Baby slugs in my salad

[@tanyanguyen3704]

Yep….

[@Coops1985]

my sister asked me to cut some celery, and the knife exactly missed a slug that had been hiding inside (and this is expensive stuff that promises no bugs whatsoever, especially grown, since our religion is very particular about eating bugs). she washed the rest of the celery real good, but i didnt want to eat any because i was grossed out.

[@Ray_Vun]

i mean, i've definitely bought lettuce and then either finding a snail in the fridge drawer, or spotting one when taking out leaves to use them, so this is nothing new. i guess if you buy pre-made salad, that's a risk you run

[@iseewhatyoudidthere1245]

I've unlocked the spiders-in-my-berries phobia😄

[@blastortoise]

That's why you should wash every vegetable and fruit anyways.

[@bartoszk966]

Mushroom foraging is very popular here in Poland. 20-30 years ago pretty much all the kids around age of 10 could tell apart at least 5 types of edible mushroom and 10+ non-edible or poisonous. I started around age of 6, with strict supervision ofc. But we are taught this kind of stuff not only by our parents but even in school. And there is one golden rule: if you're not 100% certain of what musroom it is, don't pick it up. I never heard any story of poisoning from my relatives nor my friends.

[@dbcooper1492]

Same, here in Canada it was scouts and family. We made wild mushroom soup canned and stored. Never been a poisoning but I always joke that nothing that can poison you lives in frozen Canada. Too cold in our igloos.

[@pemanilnoob]

Well now I’m 10 times more terrified than I was 11 minutes ago

[@TahtahmesDiary]

Yeah I'm tempted to go wash every leafy green in the fridge!

[@miloradvlaovic]

Lol me too, and I have an anxiety disorder. Worst yet, I'll probably be inspired to watch some ChubbyEmy or "monsters in me" after this.

[@theEMOR1]

That is fair. Lol

[@Craigskaters]

For real. 😅

[@Crochet_by_mic]

You should not be scared, the only surviver of this incident was the woman who prepared the meal. She knew what she was doing this is concidered to be a murder case. She did not buy them

[@FATxAZZxGONExCRAZZZY]

I remember as a young boy in school our class went foraging with a veteran mushroom picker. None was to be eaten and we had gloves on and picked everything in sight. At the end the picker went over our haul and this one example stuck with me.. she held up two mushrooms that looked identical, "This one is tasty and normally expensive to buy" and "This one will give you an excruciatingly painful and slow death". Dont F around and find out with fungi.

[@woodfur00]

That sounds like a great experience! Somewhere inside me has always been the repressed monkey urge to pick the funny mushroom, but in my area it's easy: if it's not a singular, easily recognizable, exceedingly rare type, it's poisonous.

[@y-yyy]

FYI there was no need to wear gloves. There is no such mushroom that will harm you by touching it. I would be really curious to know which two mushrooms those were, I can't think of such a deadly mushroom that also looks identical to a wild mushroom that is commonly sold off the top of my head🤔Which continent are you from if you don't mind sharing?

[@kimrharding]

@@y-yyy could be two Amanita? Personally, though I know there are loads of edible and delicious amanita, would never risk it. There are just too many lookalikes.

[@y-yyy]

@@kimrharding That's a very sensible choice I think! I can't think of Amanitas that are commonly sold commercially tbh, the most popular edible Amanita is probably a blusher, and I guess a spotless and pale blusher specimen can look very vaguely similar to a destroying angel, but I never heard of blushers being sold... Might be a regional thing though!

[@sonea9444]

if they were indeed children, it was because they have no self control and put their fingers into their mouths and eyes at random. if they picked up a poisonous mushroom beforehand, it gets ugly real quick. butbin general you are of course right ​@@y-yyy

[@Miss_Cryspe]

Probably not the smartest idea to eat a full English while watching this. Highlight was definitely either the story about killer mushrooms while chewing a forkful of fried mushrooms, or taking a sip of smoothie while learning some people get Lung Worm from them. On the plus side I found a great new diet hack to get rid of your appetite if anyone is interested.

[@HowToCookThat]

Sorry

[@myladycasagrande863]

It was a mistake for me to watch this while eating breakfast, too! Didn't mind the mushrooms so much (I don't care for them), but the slugs and snails were gross!

[@AshleyfromTX]

I feel so bad for laughing at this comment 😂

[@asthehind]

I was going to have sushi for lunch, now...

[@samscatsandcrochet]

Fortunately, my breakfast seemed pretty safe. I also finished before I got to the part about rat poop, which is always a plus.

[@beatriceerikson7705]

The thing with foraging is really that you don't go looking for mushrooms, find one, and try to decide if it's edible - you go looking for specific kinds of mushrooms that you are sure you can differentiate from any other mushrooms (that don't have poisonous lookalikes which grow where you live) and you don't eat anything unless you're totally sure. Morels around here, for example, very distinctive (and very easy to tell apart from gyromitra if you're not in a situation where you stumbled on a gyromitra and are trying to determine if it looks like that morel mushroom you heard about)

[@Greentrees60]

That is exactly my situation - I am in Ontario, and the ONLY mushroom I would consider picking is Morel, which is super distinctive from everything around it, including the most similar false morels. And I still wouldn't pick it - I would show it to experienced family members who learned from other family members AND studied with the local mycological society. Only with their confirmation would I pick only that mushroom.

[@tinknal6449]

Exactly. There are probably hundreds of edible species where I live but I will only eat around a dozen of them.

[@tinknal6449]

@@Greentrees60 You should check out hen of the woods and sulfur shelf. Easy to identify and depending where in Ontario you are plentiful.

[@Pallomember]

Many sources warn that morells look like gyromitras, but they are easy to distinguish with good references. I eat gyromitras every spring as well. After three blanchings under good ventilation they're good to go. Living on the edge I guess

[@beatriceerikson7705]

@@Pallomember Yes, I don't think they look at all alike, but maybe if you haven't seen both a morel and a gyromitra and you don't know the very distinguishing features? 🤷‍♀️

[@Leena79]

I live in Finland, so probably many of the mushrooms here are different than in Australia, but I think the universal rule, which applies everywhere is, never pick something you don't recognize.

[@ThePelitin]

You'll never learn anything new unless you pick them and observe the different parts of the mushroom. Of course don't pick something to eat unless you're a 100% confident. When learning new species, probably the most helpful thing is learning any and every species which are potential lookalikes. This way is the easiest for confirm what you're picking is not poisonous. Also be sure to use guides for your local area.

[@Leena79]

@@ThePelitin I was talking about picking things to eat, since that was kind of what the video was about. If you collect mushroom specimens just to study and learn, make sure you have a separate basket or container for them, you wouldn't want to put potentially poisonous mushrooms into the same basket with something you plan to eat.

[@Love333.]

Or honestly just don’t pick wild mushrooms at all some look like the ones you recognise

[@loise-vr5si]

@@Love333. I don't know what it's like where you live, but in Sweden we have a long lived tradition of picking mushrooms and less than 1 person dies from it per year. There are ways to pick mushrooms responsibly and it's very much worth it to get some time in nature and cook a meal from what you've gathered.

[@kylehanley5564]

Here in Canberra, death cap mushrooms are prevalent in some suburbs to the point where we've got permanent street signs up warning of the dangers.

[@HowToCookThat]

There's no stopping them, they are at least helping the trees grow.

[@treverthetree]

@@HowToCookThat If we cut down every introduced tree species tomorrow, would the death caps all die too? Does this mean that in a completely native forest there can't be any death caps? (I'm not going to forage there either don't worry haha)

[@HowToCookThat]

@@treverthetree There are 'naturalizing' to some native trees. If trees have roots that touch underground they can spread that way - but not all trees suit them.

[@GerardMenvussa]

What happens if they grow around a fruit tree? Do the fruits become poisonous as well?

[@treverthetree]

@@HowToCookThat Oh 😭 Thanks for letting me know!

[@lyn6768]

I had a mushroom poisoning as a teenager. It wasn't from death cap mushroom specifically, it was a different mushroom, Cortinarius, but it was an incredibly unpleasant and painful month in hospital on fluids, I seriously thought I was dying.

[@HowToCookThat]

I'm so glad that you recovered lyn

[@Misshughestrm]

You were dying. Glad you're ok

[@TahtahmesDiary]

​@@Misshughestrm Yeah, I was gonna say it. They WERE, but their body and the medical intervention fought it off.

[@lukesalazar9283]

​@@Misshughestrmfr

[@robdidopp7769]

Some of those are really hard to distinguish - I'd never pick such mushrooms. There are tons of mushrooms that are (at least to me) really easy to identify with absolute certainty. Or where you realistically only risk a bit of vomiting or having a horrible taste in your mouth if you act like a complete idiot and pick them without knowing anything about what you might confuse them with (like boletes). But cortinarius is something for the advanced crowd. I'm glad you survived this mistake of whoever picked them.

[@WannabeMarysue]

Death caps are also a danger for pets, so don't let your pets eat unknown mushrooms they might find on walks either.

[@shibibi1]

So, funny story... I rushed my dog to the vet after seeing her eat mushrooms. Took a few with me so the vet knew what she'd eaten... She was behaving odd but not distressed... She was high. My dog ate magic mushrooms. 😅

[@carpiioo.806]

@@shibibi1lucky dog 😭

[@John_Smith_60]

@shibibi1 Did she find Dog?

[@LTSmash414]

​@@shibibi1 magic mushrooms don't grow out there like that and they need to be treated before they're potent so i don't think that happened

[@misamisaa4547]

This is how dad lost his hunting dog when I was little. She was still young & he never got another dog after she passed away despite hunting/walking around the woods being one of his main hobbies

[@dawidtomczak3950]

Hi Ann, Polish fan here. Here in Poland mushroom picking is a very old and cultivated hobby. Even if I have a good knowledge in gathering shrooms I usually leave those which are questionable. We have lots of lots of varieties and species in here that share so many similarities, thankfuly We don't have many cases of shroom poisoning in here.

[@thesupergreenjudy]

In Germany many people grow up learning how to forage mushrooms. But I have to admit I never had the courage to do it without my dad.

[@Tina_42]

It's not that common. I live in a region with a lot of forests but only a few eldery people go an pick mushrooms.

[@desperadox7565]

@@Tina_42 It was very common when I was younger and now my son is doing it but sure, most young people today don't know anything about their local environment anymore.

[@Tina_42]

@@desperadox7565 I even don't know any older people hunting for mushrooms. Maybe it's a regional thing. :)

[@desperadox7565]

@@Tina_42 Probably. And I asked my son and he told me he's probably the only one in his generation who still knows his mushrooms.😎

[@grassytramtracks]

In France you can bring mushrooms to the pharmacy and they'll test them to see if they're edible or not

[@zuzpager]

Mushroom foraging is very popular where I'm from and those of us who live in villages or close to forests are taught from a young age about how great but also how extremely dangerous it is. We will never pick a mushroom we aren't 100% sure about. My family specifically taught me never to buy mushrooms from anyone but the grocery store, because there are lot of little pop up mushroom seller stalls here. Nope. Even though I might recognize their mushroom, you never know where they came from. My family for example never picks mushrooms with gills (my grandpa did but he knew much more about mushrooms than any of us), because they all look very similar and a lot of them are poisonous. What I wanna say is, you can pick wild mushrooms, but it's not a fun one weekend kind of activity. It's years of learning and doing it with supervision, following strict rules and being extremely careful, while also learning to be gentle to the forest and making sure you don't bleed it dry.

[@evae3839]

My family does the same! We were taught very carefully and for many years which mushrooms are safe and we still don't pick mushrooms with gills (except for Parasol mushroom (Macrolepiota procera)) Our grandparents generation was also a lot more proficient and confident at mushroom picking. They could even tell the many Russula mushrooms apart ❤

[@selfironic]

Very much so! I live in Finland and we have plenty of amazing wild mushrooms here. I started foraging them only about 6 years ago and I would never have gained the knowledge or confidence to recognise even the safest ones without my mother-in-law, who taught me and guided me by showing what to look for. Now I’m pretty good at finding some of the easily recognisable species but I still don’t pick some of the ones that I’m not completely sure of and I’m still learning. It takes a long time!

[@zuzpager]

@@evae3839 Sane here with the generations. It feels like each generation becomes more and more cutious and some of the knowledge slips away. Btw we also pick Parasol mushrooms as the only gilled one. They are great fried in eggs and breadcrumbs or just as they are with herbs on a pan.

[@zuzpager]

@@selfironic I feel like this is a great way to go about it! Somehow it always passes down through family and it's really heartwarming to see

[@hermenegildakociubinska6665]

I also avoid gilled mushrooms, but I do pick up chanterelles - there's a similar inedible species, but it's easy to tell them apart.

[@kristinahildebrand4015]

I forage for mushrooms, but I was taught this by my parents since I was old enough to walk. There are lots of wild mushrooms here in Sweden that are not possible to confuse with poisonous ones, and despite many people foraging for mushrooms we've had only 17 deaths since the early 1950s - although there are of course more cases when people don't die. The important thing is to know what is safe to pick, and also that this knowledge does not transfer to other places - sometimes not even within your country if (like mine) it's 1600 km long.

[@Wolfinchen-o8z]

Same here in Germany. But some of the mushrooms my grandfather picked that were then seen as safe to eat are now known to be dangerous. For example Paxillus involutus, a mushroom that might damage your red blood cells, but not on every occasion you eat them. They just did not realize the correlation between the mushroom and the cases of the syndrome they caused.

[@SysterYster]

Don't eat "tickor". They are poisonous, even when cooked.

[@siliinnorway]

Same in Norway. I was taught by my parents and we only stick to the ones we know well. The general rule is: If you're not 100% sure, just leave it. We have poisonous mushrooms up here where I live (arctic circle), but none that are deadly. I stick to chanterels and a couple of others I don't know the English names for (Piggsopp & Steinsopp) as that is what I know.

[@heinipankakoski7636]

It’s same in Finland too. When you are familiar with the mushrooms of your area, it’s probably more dangerous to drive your car to the forest than it is to responsibly forage those mushrooms. You learn to tell them apart, just like you learn to tell apart apples and pears. Just don’t over-estimate your skills and stay clear of all the easily misidentifiable mushrooms.

[@splendidcolors]

Yeah, I've heard that immigrants to the US who forage often mistake our toxic species for similar edible ones from where they lived before. There are such big differences between mushrooms in the same genus. It isn't like foraging for blackberries where AFAIK anything in that genus (invasive "Himalayan" blackberries, wild blackberries cloudberries, thimbleberries, raspberries of different colors, rosehips) are edible.

[@sparrowwilson4514]

That rat lung worm story gives me nightmares.

[@letsdoodlesomethinghome3404]

Well it’s definitely better than other parasites . There are many that you don’t even want to know (there’s also this disease that could happen to anyone where your brain cell mutates and destroys itself, one minute earth got a great video on that 😅😅). Basically from the video these parasites travel up to your brain and dies, but that foreign object triggers inflammation (due to immune system) and only then does nerve cells get damaged. (I’m just saying this is a lot of better than brain eating parasites that are present in some lakes, especially green ones). Sorry for scaring you further if that was the case, just wanted to highlight this isn’t one of the worst ones… 😅

[@OrWhatWeHave]

If there's anything I learned from my parasitology course, it's that if someone dares you to eat a slug or snail, you should cook it thoroughly first 😂

[@altairibn-laahad1309]

i was like "oh, i am fine, i dont eat that" and then she mentioned fish and barely visible baby snails on vegetables

[@feyetho9524]

when I found a slug in my Maccas salad...

[@vizzzyy190]

i know,,, every time i hear it, i just feel so bad for everyone involved. its horrifying and tragic

[@luminoustarisma]

Coming from a foraging culture, where people often go out to forage for mushrooms and berries, rule no one is: Never pick anything you don't know what it is, and if it can be mistaken for something and you are new to the trade, just don't eat it. If you, like most who grew up with this tradition, know some edible mushrooms, you stick to those. And then you do not dump those straight into a pan, you sort them, clean them and gt rid of the moss, the sticks, the bugs, oh, and sometimes the mushrooms you don't want.

[@sllizarrd]

I've found slugs on the parsley I've bought from the grocery store the last two times I've bought it. One was maybe a half inch long, and I found it in the bottom of my salad spinner after rinsing off the parsley. The second one was extremely tiny, and it made it through the rinse and the salad spinner, and I only noticed it on a leaf as I was chopping up the parsley for my tabbouleh (and only because I was on the lookout for slugs that time!). Even a very thorough rinse and going through the salad spinner didnt get that little guy off the parsley... I'll definitely be on high alert next time I make tabbouleh!

[@1234321JR]

There's been many cases of enthusiasts being confident in their mushroom identification and dying from eating foraged mushrooms :( even highly educated and experienced people

[@Tolly7249]

I have just enough experience to know that I don't have remotely near enough experience to ever try foraging! Here in Tassie mushrooms grow everywhere and there's enough different varieties that it's just not worth rolling that die.

[@libbybaker86]

We had a lady in the UK that got picked mushrooms from a local botanical garden. She unfortunately died. She was an expert in identifying mushrooms but got it wrong just once.😢

[@myladycasagrande863]

To complicate things further, some toxic mushrooms look nearly identical to safe ones. There was an incident in my home state (US) where someone was absolutely sure that they'd found edible mushrooms and served them to several friends/relatives. They hadn't realized that those mushrooms were the evil twins of an edible species, near identical in looks, but deadly. Everyone in that case survived, but they all got liver transplants and it was very dicey for a while.

[@likestriangles]

I think I remember them saying on QI that nobody knows how many different types of mushrooms there are because there are tens of thousands and new ones are being discovered all the time

[@GoosterHiista]

I think confidence is the killer because it can lead to foraging mushrooms that have poisonous look-a-likes. Foraging is kinda big where I live but most people mostly stick to the few mushrooms that are easily identifiable, have no poisonous look-a-likes and are very common. Though one of the common food mushrooms (Gyromitra esculenta) is actually pretty poisonous when eaten raw but everyone knows it has to be boiled thoroughly before eating. Most of the poisoning cases are from Destroying Angels, Deadly Webcaps and Deathcaps and noticeably often are "verified" by confident foragers as edible for some reason like bad eyesight (because they're usually old). Foraging can be very fun and rewarding, but only if you know what you're doing and don't take risks by picking up questionable stuff.

[@galacticmechanic1]

The reason they can't grow deathcaps in a fungi farm is the same reason they can't grow truffles. Both need particular trees to grow.

[@erzsebetkovacs2527]

Agree on wild mushrooms being potentially dangerous. That's why in my home country (Hungary) every farmers' market has to employ an official mushroom expert who will check your wild mushrooms for you before you can sell them or take them home. Alternatively, there are also companies who buy wild mushrooms off of freelancing pickers, and they will check them before processing and selling them as mushroom products. Main thing is, have an expert check what you have picked before you cook and eat them.

[@AmyLSacks]

Yes. I'm grateful for the expert sellers we have at our farmers markets here (Northwestern U.S.). I've tried some truly delicious stuff thanks to them, and had no problems. It's also the reason I don't balk at the mushrooms being expensive. Education and expertise don't come cheap. You can make a little go a long way in the right dish. :)

[@TomJakobW]

@@AmyLSackstrue! Especially in the US - that potential hospital visit surely is more expensive! 😅

[@AmyLSacks]

@@TomJakobW Don't even get me started on that. I'll never be able to shut up, or shut off capslock. 🙀

[@WooHooCelery]

Around ten years ago, my other half and his friend decided they would go to the woods to pick wild mushrooms in hopes of finding one that would get them high. They printed out pictures of mushrooms which actually stopped them from going through with their odd plans as they could only get the printer to print in black and white so couldn’t tell which mushroom was which. I imagine the likelihood of them coming across a death cap mushroom would’ve been low as they don’t seem to be common where we live, but finding out that there’s a mushroom that will casually kill you has really made me realise just how daft their plans were.

[@danielthecake8617]

Perks of being poor

[@shadoww2231]

Jeez, yeah that's a bad idea! it's totally possible to learn to ID mushrooms and consume specific species safely, but it's a highly involved art, involving spore colors, minute texture of the gills, stem textures, smells and tastes... just using printed images probably isn't going to cut it. not a hobby to jump into the deep end with.

[@GamerAbbylee]

I took an online class in toxicology a few years back. They had an entire section dedicated to mushroom poisoning. One of the key notes they kept emphasizing: every mushroom is edible at least once.

[@ghz24]

It's a funny joke/trope but in fact edible means safe to eat, so no poisonous mushrooms are not edible once.

[@SanderEvers]

Usually buying in a store means regulated food. They are meant to be non-toxic. (Or have very special preparation requirements) Food from nature is dangerous, and you should only eat those when you know what you're doing. Even when grown in your own garden. Also don't put something in your mouth if someone else dares you to do so. Ever.

[@blueprairiedog]

Duh.

[@Snigelkrantz]

I've foraged mushrooms my whole life, and one thing I was taught was to never forage in another country without a well educated local guide. A mushroom that is edible in one area may have a poisonous look-alike in another area. Nearly all serious poisonings where I live happens to foreigners for that reason. Then there's the more complicated problem of introduced species, you can never be too vigilant when hunting mushrooms.

[@schrodingerskatze4308]

I never foraged, but I heard once that in some cities, there are places with experts on mushrooms where you can go to to see if the mushrooms you picked are actually what you think they are. I think having more places like this everywhere would be a bit more helpful than telling people to not forage their own mushrooms because mushrooms are expensive to buy, so it's really understandable that you would want to go with the cheaper option of just going outside and finding them.

[@jlt131]

there are also cases where what is an edible mushroom to one person will make another person sick. Any time you try a new wild mushroom, even one you are 100% sure of, you're supposed to do it in three stages - first touch it (after cooking!) to your lips, wait several hours, then taste just a tiny portion. If you're still fine 24 hours later, then you can try eating a normal portion. everyone seems to react slightly different. so even if it's marked "edible" still be cautious the first time!

[@Nemrai]

Exactly. I live in Norway, and have picked mushrooms for years. I'd probably also pick in Sweden no problem. Further than that I'd try to find someone in that country to go with and learn just in case.

[@sphhyn]

I agree and just wrote a comment with the same message. I read in an article last year that every year a number of people here in Germany die of death cap poisoning and they are often immigrants. They think they know how the mushroom look from their origin country but they might look different here.

[@Snigelkrantz]

@@schrodingerskatze4308 Yes, I have seen that available in my city! I have also gone on foraging excursions with mushroom experts, and I have a ton of books. (Beware of older books, a lot of mushrooms that were thought to be safe are in fact, not.) Mushroom hunting is pretty popular here but most people just go for the most well known mushrooms (chanterelle, funnel chanterelle, porcini, black trumpets and hedgehog mushrooms) so I have taken to learning the more overlooked ones with less competition. One new species per year is a good pace. It really is a wonderful (and tasty) hobby, that I wish more people would partake in. But it requires patience, diligence and respect. 🍄 -Oh! And for a totally safe experience, hunt mushrooms with a camera instead! I've never met a camera shy mushroom yet. 😆

[@MichiruEll]

In Switzerland, we have specific mushroom checking services (officially sanctioned by the cantons). You can make an appointment and go show them the mushrooms you picked. If there are any toxic mushrooms, they will eliminate your collection. The only articles I can find about mushroom foragers dying are about people having accidents and falls while foraging. You should still be trained ahead of time, and go with experienced foragers when you start. Recently however, there was a case in Austria of a couple who died after eating the (what they thought) Wild garlic they foraged. Turns out it was autumn crocus.

[@erzsebetkovacs2527]

Same in my home country (Hungary), too. The expert will have you even throw out the whole basketful if it turns out that the poisonous ones have been touching and contaminating the edible ones. Btw, lily of the valley is also often taken for wild garlic, even though it's pretty easy to distinguish between them, because wild garlic smells and tastes of garlic.

[@harmonicaveronica]

Onions and garlic are so easy to identify, too! If it smells like an allium, it very likely is an allium. But I suppose someone could make that mistake if they're picking lots of the thing they're looking for, so their hands smell and they don't realize

[@MaxOakland]

That’s an awesome public service. That’s the kind of thing American conservatives cut as soon as they get in office so we don’t get stuff like that!

[@Aghul]

@@erzsebetkovacs2527 See, that's where I'd be in trouble: I physically cannot smell garlic. I wouldn't know what it smells like. But then again, I also don't eat stuff I pick up 'off the side of the road' so to speak.

[@mellie4174]

I live in France. In the past, pharmacists used to be trained in this and you could take your mushrooms to any pharmacy and they would be able to check for you. Nowadays they've eliminated this from pharmacy school and there's no one to help. However, they do have mushroom associations where scientists and naturalists take people on mushroom hunting trips. And they will check for you. But they all tell me that they do NOT ever eat wild mushrooms because they're to sponges of the earth and any contamination in the soil gets absorbed by them and then you ingest it. They only eat farmed mushrooms.

[@juu366]

Where I am it's completely normal and even widely encouraged to pick mushrooms. Not only is it fun and therapeutic to pick them but some are plentiful enough to be sort of a staple food and there's so many amazing flavours you'll find nowhere else. Though my area has only 4 deadly ones and they're easy to identify even from afar.

[@bean3550]

My mum lives in a city with a large mushroom foraging community and identification, location and also season are incredibly important if you are choosing to go foraging. Some mushrooms can only be picked at certain times in their development before they become very dangerous to eat. Puffballs are like that for example.

[@elliganange]

the most common way people ingest poisonous mushrooms like death caps is mistaking magic mushrooms for poisonous ones. Be responsible and don't eat what someone else tells you is a magic mushroom. It's even harder to tell when they're dried.

[@sascha8669]

I tried Amanita Muscaria, and it is relatively safe, if you do it right. But its not worth the naussea that comes with it. Same with other "experiments", most of these drugs bring you near death for sure, but the experience is not worth a penny.

[@YTKeepsDeletingAllMyComments]

While I would agree, in my experience most magic mushrooms are grown and not foraged (at least here in the US). Never trust foraged mushrooms and if you are unsure don't eat them.

[@GetOfflineGetGood]

All the magic mushrooms I've had were grown indoors from a spore syringe

[@gilmour6754]

@@YTKeepsDeletingAllMyComments Bingo, if you're going to get magic mushrooms you want to make sure they're cultivated as even if they're properly wild grown, there's health risks since a lot of shooms naturally grow on animal (often cattle) shit and there's a parasite risk if they're not properly cleaned. cultivated is just safer.

[@Misshughestrm]

There are safe ways to source magic mushys. Please don't randomly pick them in a cow field.

[@qyn8886]

Once as a 2 year old I was caught in the garden eating a slug by my mother, only when you showed the world map of where rat lung worm can be found, did i realise how serious this could have been. Thanks Ann again for another educational morning x my future kids sure as hell aren't eating any snails or slugs.

[@clogs4956]

My eldest son is a groundsman. He declares that the taste of shredded slug was the reason he started to wear full face protection when strimming long grass!

[@hannahmonroe3094]

I had to reread this, I'm outside and the glare was messing with eyes. I first read it as YOUR mom showed you the map at 2 years old and I was like "Whaaaat"

[@John_Smith_60]

Slugs and snails (aquatic or terrestrial) can be primary or secondary hosts of many, many parasites. Rat lung worm is just one of the many possibilities of eating undercooked gastropod.

[@Snigelkrantz]

My mom caught me eating a big fat earthworm when I was 2. 😭 Toddlers are *quick*. And they'll refuse to eat an apple slice but then wolf down a lego piece, slug or wild mushroom like their life depended on it.

[@lorien1147]

It can also be really serious for your pets, so make sure any cats or dogs you have don't eat any slugs or snails.

[@esclave29]

Oh god I thought I was safe for a minute there! 'Don't eat wild mushrooms!' no worries. 'Don't eat a slug!' no worries. 'Thoroughly wash your lettuce!' 😬😬😬

[@cakerbaker9965]

Exactly the same for me!

[@zethcrownett2946]

Welp. Time to change up my habits of how I food.

[@Broeckchen]

My Mom and I pick wild mushrooms every year. We stick to only very easily identifiable ones as a reason: the ones with brown caps and sponge under the cap. The only exception is the parasol mushroom. It's my absolute favorite so I can rarely resist when we find some! So my Mom trained me very well to safely identify them. If they don't have the bork-like scales on top and a ring around the trunk, or are too brown, hands off! Whenever I'm even the slightest bit unsure, I leave it. Better safe than sorry!

[@jbodenauthor]

I'm a mushroom hunter. didn't love the tone of the mushroom segment, but there are beginner mushrooms that have no dangerous lookalikes, so it's not all death and danger.

[@Becca9488]

I remember hearing about that Erin Patterson story. Police think it may have been a deliberate poisoning since it was her ex-husband's family who ate the mushrooms, and her ex was supposed to attend the dinner with them. Her ex had also had "mysterious" illnesses when he was with her. Very sad stuff.

[@hopehoping]

Sad, whichever way you cut it.

[@trishoconnor2169]

And yet it is held up as a cautionary tale about "This is why you should never eat wild-foraged mushrooms."

[@BaeYeou]

​@@trishoconnor2169 Because in either scenario, whether she intentionally poisoned the guests or not, it's still a strong example about the dangers of eating mushrooms you don't know the source of.

[@trishoconnor2169]

@@BaeYeou I think if it was a murder, it makes a far better cautionary tale on the dangers of eating or drinking ANYTHING prepared or handled by someone you don't know you can trust. In that case, it wasn't a mistaken identification of a poisonous mushroom as an edible species. The mushroom would have been quite accurately identified by the person who picked it, and used intentionally as a poison. In fact, such a tale suggests that for people who know what they are doing, yes, it is quite possible to tell the difference between edible and poisonous varieties, which is the opposite of the message Ann was implying with her incredulous little chuckle at the very idea of eating something someone "just walked into a field and picked."

[@BaeYeou]

@@trishoconnor2169 That's still not a reason to walk away from hearing the story without thinking of the dangers of improperly checked mushrooms. In any case, the victims clearly trusted her given that they were relatives of her ex and came to eat with her; they'd have no reason to make the jump from "having a nice dinner with a family friend" to "this dinner is a facade, we are being poisoned". I'd argue your line of thinking encourages paranoia more than healthy scepticism, because you can pretty much make any kind of excuse for how someone you're even slightly unfamiliar with isn't trustworthy. In any case, the mushroom poisoning being a murder shouldn't detract from being cautious with mushrooms you're unsure of (namely sources like smaller stalls in pop-up markets, rather than large chains of supermarkets, for example).

[@thatfuzzypotato1877]

Holy crap never caught a video in under 45 seconds before. Mushroom toxicity is exactly why I wont forage them. I don't trust myself to differentiate the good ones from the toxic ones.

[@HowToCookThat]

there's lots of look-a-likes when it comes to mushrooms.

[@HOTD108_]

​@@HowToCookThatThat's where eenie-meanie comes into play.

[@Mattchupichue]

​@@HowToCookThat That's how they get you I'll stick to chestnuts since that easy to sweet from horse

[@sarahsleamanova2072]

You can also learn to identify 1 specific mushroom that isn't easily mistaken for any poisonous ones in your area. And huge advice is to always pick only adult and big mushrooms. Most mushrooms are hella similar when very young. And sometimes even if you find a field of one, some poisonous could infiltrate this field and you can't be sure it's the right one. So yeah, never pick a mushroom if you can't identify it 100% especially if you could find similar looking ones that are poisonous in the area.

[@karamia1392]

The South-West Australian Aboriginal people learned to make some toxic foods edible by leaching them in water or earth. But as far as I’ve read, mushrooms were not a big part of their diet if at all. They had a large white fungus the settlers called ‘native bread’ which was apparently quite palatable. There’s even a variety here that emits light. Unfortunately I’ve never seen any. Thanks for your beautiful, informative, video. ❤

[@AbsolutnieNieSzymon]

Here in Poland mushroom foraging is very popular, and in fact a part of culture (it's common tu use the mushrooms you gathered in christmas dishes, and there are many that contain mushrooms). And I remember there was a severe death cap poisoning case maybe 10 years ago. However, we have one rule "only pick those mushrooms you are 100% sure about". Where I'm from, the most common mushrooms are bay bolette with some penny buns. And I'd only pick those. However, I remember one time my mum found mushrooms she thought were parasol mushrooms. Those are uncommon in my area, but are liked to fry like a wiener schnitzel or so. So my mum was enthusiastic about them. But me and my mum's collegue noticed that they didn't have the brown speckling on top. But my mum insisted to pick them. Thankfully, we forbid her to do it, as they may have been death caps. Still, mushroom picking in Poland is very seriously taken and people going for it tend to be very picky about it! It's actually kinda weird watching this video and being like: yeah, it's a common knowledge here. But I guess if you made a video about some common knowledge in Australia, I'd be like: seriously? I'd never think about it! 😮

[@HCC6507]

Ann, I can’t really put my finger on it, but there’s something so comforting about your presence and the general atmosphere of your videos that makes me feel “at home” if that makes any sense :) maybe it’s your effortless devotion to honesty in your content, or just how genuine you are all of the time! I just love seeing whenever a new How to Cook That video shows up on my feed!

[@jpe1]

No insult intended to anyone, but from the age of about 5 onwards my mom repeatedly drilled into me and my sister how to identify (and avoid) poisonous mushrooms, berries, and leafy plants, and this was repeated in elementary school. I assumed that most parents and/or schools do this, but apparently not, seems like something that needs to be addressed! Kids should know this stuff.

[@Star1412s]

It isn’t addressed at all in the States in my experience.

[@beth7944]

I'm usually pretty slack when it comes to washing my leafy greens but this has taught me a HUGE lesson. Thanks so much for making this video!

[@Tired_Panda_Zzz]

Midsomer Murders is a village crime show in the UK and my favourite episode since it came out 15 or so years ago (we’re on season 24 and still going) is called Destroying Angel. It’s about a person murdered by mushrooms and then they go to the hospital and literally ask the victim who murdered them. I just found it fascinating that they could help in their own murder investigation, but also kind of terrifying as a 19yo lol!

[@jlt131]

a great show! I'm way over on the west coast of canada and have been watching midsomer murders for years. i like that it isn't as graphic as a lot of the american murder shows.

[@AndiNewtonian]

The first thing I thought of was that episode of Midsomer!

[@thomasdjonesn]

From the USA, here, and I love Midsomer. It's a relaxing murder mystery show, if that makes sense? I also remember that episode.

[@John_Smith_60]

My favorite advertisement for the show is one where, while talking about the setting of the show, the only image is a sign welcoming you to Midsomer, with the population posted. About halfway through the ad, the population number decreases by one. Several seconds later it decreases by another one. For the rest of the ad, the decrease in population happens faster and faster.

[@ninjakitteh9095]

​@@thomasdjonesn It does make sense. Midsomer murders technically falls into the "cozy mystery" category. In these, the murders exist, but the show is more about the detectives and their personal interactions, and they're always gonna get their badguys. (Marple, Poirot, murder she wrote, death in paradise.. all fit the bill)

[@applegal3058]

I once had someone blame me for getting sick after eating a BBQ at my place. I'm very particular hygiene wise in the kitchen. Someone else brought a pack of cheesy sausages to cook and he ate like a half dozen of them. He's the only one who got sick. I said perhaps all the grease in those sausages didn't help lol I wouldn't pick or eat anything if I didn't know for sure what it was. I wouldn't feed anyone else something without knowing it was safe as well.

[@fretzil]

What a dick, I've had that happen to me too, turns out he was mildly allergic to tomatoes and hadn't had tomato soup before.

[@applegal3058]

@@fretzil ah, I didn't take it to heart...although he is my ex lol Yes, I know someone who has an autoimmune disease who can't eat tomatoes because of sensitivity to the nightshade fruits.

[@dominika3762]

In Poland it's easy to differentiate some mushrooms. There are no poisonous mushrooms that look similar, there may be inedible. But you won't die. Others are more tricky to recognise and most people don't pick them if they are similar to deadly mushrooms.

[@kimmcdonagh6756]

Learned about death caps & destroying angels from an episode of Midsomer Murder.... And went down a rabbit hole of real life stories....absolutely fascinating

[@gabbywills98]

Ann, have you considered doing or joining a podcast or the like for dangerous food and general food safety? This kind of video is fascinating to me, i for one would gladly listen to a long-form TED talk or similar from you!

[@grogu3789]

Hello Ann. Really enjoy your medival/ historic recipies from the old cookbook you have and the commentary you give to that vid. Pleasr continue that series. Thanks.

[@HowToCookThat]

Your wish is my command, seriously - that is coming up in a couple of weeks, but shhh don't tell anyone.

[@ChaoticYak1]

@@HowToCookThat Those are the first videos of yours that I watched and are still my favorites.

[@embee7434]

​@@HowToCookThatExciting! I won't tell anyone either!

[@lisaroper421]

Yay!

[@wayfaringspacepoet]

@@HowToCookThatwould you ever do a collab with Tasting History for this kind of thing?

[@jarrodwraight9971]

The Beef Wellington woman also changed her story and said they went foraging. Her story has been all over the place and very suspect. And the baby snail on my food is going to make me paranoid 🤢

[@GenJuhru]

Sus AF

[@PixieApples]

and she'd poisoned the ex-husband before!

[@peaceful3250]

Also she and her sons didn't eat it. Only the inlaws.

[@llewelynshingler2173]

Story drift isn't unusual, but a complete shift from "Hard to trace Asian Guy gave me poison instead of food" to "I when on a Foraging trip and made the most common mistake there is" is dubious.

[@schrodingerskatze4308]

​@@llewelynshingler2173 Not really. It kind of makes sense that you wouldn't want to admit that you made a deadly mistake, so I think it's actually understandable that she tried to blame someone else.

[@lubomirkompis9441]

As a mushroom picker, I felt kind of insulted at first, but you're right. Plebians should stay home, throw back light beers, watch telly, and buy everything safely packaged from the supermarket, or frankly, why bother, always just eat out.

[@magicalspacegiraffe]

Mushroom picking is very popular here. The easiest way to not get poisoned is only pick the ones who have no poisonous lookalikes, for us it's boletus and cantharellus. It helps they're also the cutest and most delicious wild mushrooms. Russula is also safe and easy to recognise but is advised not to pick unless you're well familiar with the spot - they have a greenish variety that only lacks the skirt compared to deathcaps. It's not as yummy anyway so no loss to leave it be in forest, though can come in gorgeous red shades. But we learn about them in the wild as kids, without proper education it's best to forgo foraging.

[@umbertlambert2113]

I started watching H2CT in mid-2018. My first episode was the giant M&M for James. I have watched all videos since. 2 days back an old debunking video of Ann was recommended by the algorithm. After that ALL of Ann's debunking videos were recommended one by one. There were so many! I had watched every one of Ann's videos including her debunking videos at time of release but I failed to realize how history was being created in front of me. Ann's debunking videos are now an amazing collection that will be looked into for ages!

[@wilenglish2991]

We have rat lung worm in the uk already. One of my dogs passed away from it and although iv not personally heard of a human case it’s widely known that children can get it and die

[@hopehoping]

Sorry to hear that. :(

[@stapuft]

Visual identification of mushrooms is never enough, there are multiple perfectly safe mushrooms, that look almost identical to dangerous ones, the best way to identify is to not only visually identify, but also do a spore print, different species will have different patterns. Multiple points of identification is FAR better than only one.

[@reid3031]

I haven't heard of that before, what's involved in a spore print?

[@jlt131]

@@reid3031 you cut off the cap, put it onto a sheet of paper - depending on what spore print you're expecting, you use either black or white paper to see it better. leave it overnight. the spores will fall out of the gills and leave a print on the paper. They're actually quite pretty, some people have made art out of them

[@stapuft]

First-nature has a great guide I'd love to link you, but KZbin won't let me, but a quick Google of "spore print first nature" should pick it up.

[@stapuft]

What jlt said is a decent summary though!

[@Rea84]

haven't started yet, just loving the title: "Poisonous foods 2 | How To Cook That " :D

[@SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648]

sounds a tad macabre, however inadvertently (she's a fine lass)

[@littlebear274]

To be fair, there are foods that are poisonous when raw but fine when cooked (including many mushrooms)!

[@sensilvar7709]

Forest picking wild mushrooms is a national sport in Poland. "Don't eat wild mushrooms" is not an option xd

[@agnieszkaadamkiewicz4747]

in Poland every pharmacist should know wild mushrooms, you can ask in pharmacy/drugstore if you can eat the one you found, or just don't eat it

[@HowToCookThat]

that's a great service. We do not have that here.

[@tookitogo]

@@HowToCookThatHere in Switzerland, there is a mushroom inspection service, provided by hundreds of certified mushroom inspectors. They typically have some set times during mushroom season in the fall, and by appointment otherwise. Usually it’s free for local residents, sometimes a trivial fee for visitors.

[@KatzeBabes]

I know you probably won't see this but I want to say: I have watched every video of yours every since I started watching you back in 2020. I have loved all of the new things I've been taught and all the things I could (someday maybe) make. You have inspired me greatly, and it's unfortune because I wish more people knew about you. You put a smile on my face every time you upload

[@Xubono]

Love your videos Ann. Thank you for always being interesting and informative with some good natured humour sprinkled in. Also enjoy the videos when your family members participate as expert tasters and critics! This quality channel is exactly what KZbin should be promoting, supporting and financing. Your public service role is exemplary, and I would nominate you for a relevant government award / medal / prize. Best Wishes.

[@HowToCookThat]

Thanks so much Xubono your encouragement means a lot to me. 😀

[@Mewobiba]

As a Swede, I definitely eat wild mushrooms and think it's a fair idea to do so. Not only can it save a few bucks if you're poor and live close to the forest, it also serves to motivate me to get out into nature, and there's something psychologically satisfying about having some food one isn't entirely alienated from. But: The key is to never eat a mushroom unless you're sure exactly what it is - and this goes double for gilled mushrooms, as that's where most of dangerous ones are in this region (there's no actually dangerous bolette mushrooms in Sweden). If there's *any* uncertainty, just leave it. Being able to make creamed chantarelles a few times a year despite being a poor bastard is amazing, but it's not worth food poisoning (or worse).

[@Annurgaia]

As a Finn, you can definitely eat wild mushrooms, you just don't eat anything you don't recognize/can't identify with 100% accuracy.

[@chadsuke]

Making me very paranoid about my salad tomorrow, new fears unlocked! But thanks for the video!

[@DarenStratton]

This is a very interesting series you have here Ann. Thank you very much for opening my eyes up to the poisonous foods that are in the world. You truly are amazing

[@MollyP23]

New fear unlocked with the snails hiding in my salad mix! 😳

[@ElleriaZer]

I'm in an area where there is one mushroom that is safe when found wild. It has no mimics that arent easily identified as not safe. I've never wanted to go foraging for mushrooms, but i think it's fun to learn about it.

[@greenmtnmellie]

The part of NC I live in has morels in the spring. We also have hen of the woods, beefsteaks, chanterelles, indigo milkcaps, lionsmane, chicken of the woods... We were always told not to eat morels raw. And they are absolutely delicious, fried in butter, with a cream sauce...the flavor is delicate.

[@greenmtnmellie]

My grandmother had an old cookbook that told how to prepare amanita mushrooms to make them edible, but I was never that brave.

[@lauranaranjo9633]

Wonderful topic you brought us today Ann! Its a good way of reminding people that food production is actually intended to deliver safe groceries. Best regards from a fellow food technologist!

[@mwf7731]

Terrible time to come home and sit down with a cup of mushroom soup 😅. Thank you Ann!!

[@samarah.2945]

More of this series please! I'm learning so much!!

[@ESwift-Arts]

I’m glad you mentioned washing produce well to avoid slugs with rat lungworm! I grow my own salads in the summer and it’s surprising what can hide in the nooks and crannies of leafy greens that look clean enough on the outside.

[@soundshifterx]

You know that feeling when you sense that someone is truly an asset to humanity? Ann gives that feeling. 🧡

[@bigfrankfraser1391]

when i was travelling the amazon years ago (i love learning about indigenous cultures by living and experiencing them), i had wisdom tooth pain, so my guide told the local tribes shaman, he went and got some curare bark and rubbed a bit on my gums, my whole mouth was numb for the rest of the day, worked a treat and it was only when i got back to my hotel that i learned curare was a poison when it is boiled and concentrated

[@FaeQueenCory]

TBF that's how most of our medicine works. Poison enough to kill the thing that ails you, but not poison enough to kill or harm you.

[@bigfrankfraser1391]

@@FaeQueenCory yeah, but in my defence, i thought curare was something like spilanthes that simply just have a numbing sensation, i didnt know that it was numb from the poison, and a week later i went and hunted with the same tribe and saw how deadly curare could be

[@erzsebetkovacs2527]

@@bigfrankfraser1391 That sounds like such a fascinating experience.

[@amethyst_cat9532]

Medicine is just strategic poison

[@bigfrankfraser1391]

@@erzsebetkovacs2527 it was, spent 15 years travelling south america visiting indigenous tribes and learning there cultures, with a main focus on shamanic medicines, to this day i still get my painkillers sent directly from the amazon, and they work a treat, nothings more natural of a remedy than nature itself

[@Blegg000]

The "don't pick wild mushrooms" suggestion apply somewhat different for various parts of the world. For example here in sweden there are a number of wild mushrooms that are quite safe to pick, especially chantarelles (spelling?), which are easy to learn to spot and don't have any toxic lookalikes (locally). Some education, be it from those more experienced, a web course or a book, is not a bad idea before you go forage thou. And having someone go over and identify your forage before you eat it, the first few times at least, is also a great idea.

[@rolfs2165]

Yup, although I'd say that you should do _at least_ one tour with a qualified local guide who can show you a couple of known good spots and how the mushrooms look in those places. My mum learned it from her dad, and she pretty much only forages mushrooms in the spots he showed her, because she's always gone there. New spots she only does with people who have done the same there.

[@etheleiknem]

I think that “don’t eat wild mushrooms” is a generally sound advice for most people on the planet. Like “don’t rocket yourself into space”. It’s not that you can’t - but by the time you have the expertise to do so safely, you know this advice doesn’t apply to you specifically.

[@johannao4849]

Yeah, the "Don't eat wild mushrooms" sounded a bit harsh to my Swedish ears too... I think it's of great value to keep foraging knowlege alive through generations. But ALWAYS be safe, never wing it with mushrooms.

[@stolenbyfairiesmorrigan5085]

@@etheleiknem The thing is that in many, many European countries, most people have forraged for wild mushrooms at some point in their lives. It is a common knowledge, something you are taught to do safely since early childhood. I am not a mushroom expert by a long shot but I trust myself to pick edible mushrooms where I live.

[@etheleiknem]

@@stolenbyfairiesmorrigan5085 I get that, and what I mean is, having some sort of experience, you can gauge how much this advice applies to you… maybe not at all, maybe just a little. Having zero experience, I will follow this advice until someone I trust show me how to do otherwise 😄

[@dorothyfrye8871]

We forage mushrooms occasionally, but we have multiple print sources specifically made for our area. People who pick mushrooms haphazardly scare me!

[@Nemrai]

I live in Norway, and is very lucky to have learned some safe mushroom to pick from my mother. Starting with for example chanterelles and hedgehog mushrooms, those that are easy to recognize. Since then I've gradually learned more, and now I know of a few more edible species than my mother. Before acctually taking them home to eat, I worked on learning to id them for sure while out picking other mushrooms. Taking pictures, and talking with people who knew more than me, to become sure that I'd found the right ones. This year I'm hoping to try chicken of the woods(just a little bit at first) if I find it again.

[@techpriestsalok8119]

Also if you are from central Asia and just moved to America, the wild mushrooms that look almost exactly like the delicious ones from back home have the very subtle names of “deathcap” and “destroying angel” for a reason. Most of the fatalities from these two are apparently because in central and Eastern Asia there’s not as many dangerous mushrooms, and those two in particular are very similar to ones from those areas.

[@WaltraudWichtel]

"Mushroom poisoning" is not only caused by poisonous mushrooms. In my country, cases caused by rotten mushrooms are much more common

[@erzsebetkovacs2527]

I am curious, can you elaborate on that?

[@saturnhex9855]

@@erzsebetkovacs2527 yeah I'm curious too. Like, is it genuine toxic poisoning, or just stomach upset from the bacteria of rotten food? If rotting can cause legit toxins to form or accumulate...oh my god.

[@WaltraudWichtel]

​@@erzsebetkovacs2527 Well, I'll try. I think they wording is quite different in english 😅 Edible (i.e. non-poisonous) mushrooms can also cause symptoms similar to mushroom poisoning after consumption - namely if the mushroom triggers an intolerance reaction in the person concerned. Doctors call this fake mushroom poisoning. It is accompanied by abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. If raw edible mushrooms that contain so-called hemolysins have been consumed, bloody stools and kidney pain may occur. Hemolysins dissolve red blood cells. It is difficult for laypeople to recognize real mushroom poisoning or to distinguish it from a fake one.

[@WaltraudWichtel]

@@erzsebetkovacs2527 The consumption of spoiled fruit bodies that are no longer suitable for preparation is the most common form of mushroom poisoning, in which a poisonous mushroom is not the cause. Mushrooms can no longer be edible for a variety of reasons: The fruiting bodies were no longer suitable for consumption when they were collected: Particularly with boletus species, mold can quickly develop, which is not visible at first glance. Many types of fungi also tend to very quickly become infested with maggots and rot quickly. Boletus mushrooms in particular often look completely intact at first glance, although upon closer examination of the fruiting bodies they are already decomposing from the inside or on the underside of the cap, which is covered by the sponge. The mushrooms are not yet old in principle, but they are soaked due to heavy rain: When it rains heavily outside, a short time later, especially in autumn, every mushroom picker is drawn to the forests, as abundant mushroom growth can be expected after extensive rainfall. However, it is important to distinguish between fruiting bodies that only emerged after the rain and those that were already there before and were soaked with rainwater. For this reason, it makes little sense to go mushroom picking on the first day after a heavy rainfall. The best time is 3 to 4 days. On the one hand, the completely absorbed mushrooms lose their spicy taste, on the other hand, their consistency is unappetizing and they may already show the first signs of mold or decomposition. The mushrooms were transported improperly: Mushrooms should only be transported in a basket. A classic chip basket in particular allows the collected goods to be well ventilated. The use of plastic bags is strongly discouraged. The collected mushrooms begin to sweat within a very short time and the proteins become denatured. After just a few hours, there is a risk of protein poisoning if consumed.

[@pandasawrus]

I love eating mushrooms but they sure do seem risky sometimes. So many poisonous varieties are out there and they might even taste good while poisoning people.

[@fionapaterson5455]

Loved your video, as always! Fingers crossed for another cake rescue video!

[@HowToCookThat]

I need some to rescue

[@charleslee1373]

I worked in a bookstore throughout the height of the pandemic and it coincided with people looking for new outdoor hobbies to get out of the house and into the woods. The massive number of wild mushroom identification books we sold always made me a bit uneasy.

[@morjiane5752]

Like my mother said: never pick something that you don't know or sure it's the good thing. Or use mushrooms books. Like this, you can identify the mushrooms based on description but also on where it grows. It can make a huge difference.

[@maivaiva1412]

And smell, too!

[@shokoshokoshoko73]

I'm so glad I keep Kosher which requires thorough washing and checking of all leafy things and most fruits and veggies 😅

[@measlyfurball37]

Heh, there's a reason such food laws were written down to begin with! Back in the days before commercial farming and refrigeration, Kosher laws were a relatively reliable way to keep food clean. I speak purely from a historical perspective of course.

[@helenivanic1628]

Friday’s are the best days, cause I come here for Ann’s videos. ❤❤❤❤❤

[@iris4547]

new fear unlocked, im never skipping washing my lettuce again.

[@Ahlnie]

I suppose the advice to avoid eating wild mushrooms is appropriate for the general public that hasn't researched where and when the mushroom you're looking for grows along with its lookalikes, but if you've done that research you should be fine. Also, foraged mushrooms are generally only safe when cooked. Many that are considered safe, such as morels, are toxic when undercooked.

[@CellarDoorPoet]

Very interesting. In Germany it’s considered mainly safe to pick wild mushrooms with a few exceptions. It’s quite the seasonal sport here.

[@strangelic4234]

The Death Cap she talks about is one of the exceptions. It's Knollenblätterpilze, somebody brought them from Europe to Australia.

[@ultrawow65]

And there I was, thinking I could eat jello while watching this video...

[@HowToCookThat]

Sorry

[@hritviknijhawan1737]

I sure could eat my food while watching this lol. (Science and Information is always great-especially when in such a good format!)

[@PureLovable]

I did! ​@@hritviknijhawan1737

[@hritviknijhawan1737]

This was super informative, you never know when such information might just save the life of yours or someone you care for! ❤

[@graphite2786]

There is a common mushroom in Victoria called The Yellow Stainer. It looks like a field mushroom except when you pick it, it SOMETIMES has a yellow stain on the stem. It also has a funny smell. For some people nothing happens when you eat it, for others, they get very sick. Even experienced foragers have made mistakes! Even worse, when they are just popping up they are literally identical to the button mushroom. So take Annes advice, especially if you live in Victoria. Don't forage for mushrooms! Buy them or get a mushroom kit and grow ur own 🍄

[@Norbrookc]

Here in the US, there's one wild mushroom which is edible called "chicken of the woods, and has the distinction of looking like nothing else. It's easily recognizable, and even after I did find some, I made sure to double check my identification. Yes, it's delicious.

[@youngbounty1394]

My grandpa and I once picked wild mushrooms but he was taught from a young age how to do it. It’s something you have to be trained in how to do before doing it. It’s like any food. Never eat anything you don’t know 100% if it’s good to eat. Yet, people still do it.

[@catherina2611]

Over 30 years ago I was taught a little trick. That by making sure the gills are brown as well as the top doesn't turn yellowish after you run a fingernail across the top then you will eliminate some edible varieties of mushrooms but you will also eliminate ALL poisonous types. I've never had so much as a tummy ache. I've eaten foraged mushrooms 3 times in the last week however, I'm NOT an expert and certainly not encouraging others to try this method.

[@erzsebetkovacs2527]

Which country do you live in, might I ask? Meaning, in which country is this a good rule of thumb?

[@catherina2611]

@@erzsebetkovacs2527 It's been good for me but whether that's been an element of luck for me, I couldn't say. I trust the guy who told me but not asking anyone else to. I live in Victoria, Australia

[@VideoGameBoxReviews]

@@catherina2611 I would recomend learning what the mushrooms looks like, I can't say anything about australian mushrooms but here I very much doubt that is true.

[@catherina2611]

@@VideoGameBoxReviews Yep, I wouldn't try the same rule overseas. As for looks, the ones I pick look just like the field mushrooms you can buy in the supermarkets.

[@ms.annthropic6341]

Thank you, Ann, for continuing to put out informative, well researched, quality content.

[@WaddenSeaSiren]

This is fascinating, I'd love to see more of this series!

[@strachapoud]

here in Europe (or Czechia at least) its quite common for people to go mushroom picking into the woods. The easiest way to not get poisoned is to only pick brown mushrooms of the Boletus family, most of these are edible, worst case scenario inedible (slight stomachache). But yeah, know your stuff, if you don't - buy them from the store.

[@JSKSDCA]

Thank you for this video, Ann! I live in Hawaii and people are often unaware of how dangerous rat lung worm can be. My family will not eat locally grown leafy greens (and other such produce that cannot be peeled) unless it has been thoroughly cooked. This is disease can be extremely debilitating to people suffering from it.

[@smileygirl6457]

Thank you for all you do Ann you truly a life saver.❤

[@jiggyprawn]

Wow...new fears unlocked! At least I have some time before it's a more direct risk in the UK. 😕 Great video, as usual Ann. 🙂

[@HowToCookThat]

Just keep it in mind if you holiday somewhere that is effected, like Hawaii

[@jiggyprawn]

@HowToCookThat Just saw this reply! Haha, we're too poor for anywhere like that right now! Furthest I go at the mo is the Netherlands. 😄 But I will definitely keep it in mind, thank you.

[@Vickie-Bligh]

I heard about the deadly dinner party, thank you for explaining the cause of the deaths. I have never heard about the rat lung parasite thing. Gonna be even more careful of my greens.😟Thanks, Ann. You are the best.

[@FreshSalad645]

I grew up picking mushrooms in the woods with my grandma. I've never picked them on my own. She knew exaclty what we could and couldn't eat. Then she'd have a knowledgable friend (I don't remember why she knew about mushrooms) look over our basket. I was also shown bad mushrooms and told thar they were dangerous, which is why I've never picked on my own. Nowadays, they sell the "wild" mushrooms (like chanterelle) at the grocery store.

[@Jhud69]

In Poland mushroom picking is a huge part of our culture, most of us are trained enough to not pick mushrooms we are not 100% sure about (if you have any doubts - toss it). Mushroom poisoning is rare but does happen sometimes.