Urban Foraging For Fairy Ring and Horse Mushrooms

A quick Saturday forage on roadside verges for Fairy Ring Mushrooms and Horse Mushrooms

[@teun1592]

I love your videos! They calm me when I feel anxious, its nice to see someone without the extreme KZbin excitement. I can't wait for autumn to do this myself! Thank you!

[@jonfox1919]

I guess it's ok to occasionally pick from roadsides and in small quantities but bare in mind that mushrooms are very efficient at leaching heavy metals out of the soil and concentrating them into the fruiting bodies so it's a really bad idea to eat large quantities of shrooms from potentially contaminated land. OK, petrol is lead free now, but it wasn't for a long time and lead from decades of emissions is still there in the soil. Equally, be cautious of areas that are landfill, spoil from mining or old industrial sites.

[@belindablunderbus1365]

I've been following your channel for a while and just found this while researching fairy ring marasmius. May I say this is a far more informative video than some of the mushroom and wild food foraging channels I watch. Thank you!

[@andersbendsen5931]

Mushroom flavor is water-soluble, so washing them in water is a really bad idea. A brush is number one.

[@spetsnazjd]

Anders Bendsen well, they were picked from alongside a busy road...

[@Careful3890]

Wrong

[@zchen27]

@@spetsnazjd Between losing a bit of mushroom flavor and adding a bit of diesel exhaust and dog poop flavor, I certainly know what I'm picking.

[@debb3249]

Um that looked delish thanks for this video very interesting. ☺

[@ELTETONGOPO]

Your mushroom videos are amazing, I love watching all of them and I’m learning so much. A big hug all the way from Venezuela!

[@jezebelslove9038]

I am delighted by your videos! Thank you so very much for making them.

[@wiseguy9202]

Surprised you're allowed to carry a fixed blade knife. The mushrooms though, look quite select for the roadside. Nice find!

[@AtomicShrimp]

I'd be breaking the law if I took this knife to a pub or a football match, or just carried it around in public for no good reason, but the UK laws for fixed blade knives make exception for reasonable use (for example, it would be OK for a chef to carry a set of kitchen knives to a party. That said, I do tend to switch to my folding pocket knife for this kind of urban foraging now - the fixed blade foraging knife gets an outing if we go off the beaten track into the woods for a day.

[@wiseguy9202]

We have laws regarding the general use of fixed vs folding blades here in the US but I rarely see them being enforced. Probably because we have bigger issues? Either way, I remember foraging down in the Gulf Coast a few years back and the local law enforcement was sent to investigate our actions. I told them what we were doing and they acted towards us as if it was odd and a peculiar thing to do(they even mentioned we could just purchase mushrooms at the local grocer). My guess is because the amount of people that go there to collect Psilocybe Cubensis which is pretty popular in the area.

[@AngelBeeps]

I'd be more concerned with the police pulling up and assuming that I was picking Liberty Caps. Mind you I doubt police have much knowledge on fungi so there wouldn't be any way for them to prove such a claim.

[@AtomicShrimp]

@Sir Scofferoff Concur. These knife laws exist primarily so that people doing antisocial and murdery things with knives can be securely prosecuted; not so policeman can 'gotcha' beardy spoon-whittlers in the woods

[@TheCotzi]

I totally love the fact you let some muschrooms in the ring to let them spore

[@megasocky]

I feel like different mushrooms are capable of forming fairy rings so be careful. Here I tend to see false parasols (poisonous) form rings occasionally

[@mr.giggles4995]

Idk if most mycorhhizal fungi form fairy rings but a good number of them do at least. Everything from chanterelles and morels to destroying angels. So yes, be careful.

[@simonhopkins3867]

Thousands of them. Literally.

[@paeonia-horse]

Great video!

[@DOGTAGx50Cal]

Nice info video matey thank you.

[@Pompomissstirefangirl]

Oh I found a fairy ring The mushrooms where orange I stepped in the circle

[@dragonboi1821]

You are the missing one. You were not meant to escape come back?

[@carlmeanwell9180]

Thanks for this, great stuff!

[@sayso3819]

It looks so fun to harvest mushroom+,+

[@tronche2cake]

Fun fact: certain mushroom species grow in "fairy rings" because the mycelium expands after using all of the nutrients in the area. The soil in the middle of a fairy ring will often be more fertile than before, due to the mycelium also excreting molecules that plants can use as nutrients.

[@AtomicShrimp]

Yeah, you can spot them on google maps just by looking for rings of darker grass

[@garyhyndman1105]

My son heard your voice when I was watching one of your videos and thought Richard Ayoade was opening a can of weird stuff.

[@therezaloftus]

i love mushrooms but they do give very bad wind lol but i dont care i love them and i love watching your videos before i try and sleep they are very calming to me

[@boi2153]

Um if there is a cow mushroom i will call it Moooshroom

[@TheCotzi]

In germany we say: "Dreck reinigt den Magen" means something like the stomac gets cleand with dirt

[@aloiseaux767]

Holland "zand schuurt de maag" sand sands the stomach haha

[@JehanineMelmoth]

In Britain the saying is, “You have to eat a peck of diet before you die.”

[@sadietimetravel278]

Im too scared to go in the fairy ring 0-0

[@AtomicShrimp]

Join us. JOOOOOIIIIN US!

[@nghtwng1572]

SpiderWick Chronicles!

[@chrissyliberty8117]

@@AtomicShrimp 😂😂😂

[@rayskitten78]

Don't be scared pick from the outside and pick 1 leave 1

[@NatureAndOther]

Such good identifications !

[@leonardhd4964]

please be safe... I like your videos...

[@CannibalChxrry]

I just got a chance to munch on some mushrooms I foraged back in my home state earlier in the year. Fried some chicken of the woods in potato starch and had a few other species sauteed in soy sauce, sake and garlic with a tad bit of butter. There is nothing better than mushrooms and other fungi when it comes to flavors and versatility. 😊

[@ZestyLimeStudios]

Great video as always, you must get some proper weird looks from all these people in the cars, good on you for not caring what they think, tbh im a truck driver & see some right odd things people are doing on the streets, if i saw you id be like what the hell is this crackhead doing picking magic mushrooms to get high by the road, but watching this video you can learn something. Ive learnt a lot about mushrooms from watching all your videos, i just assume that all wild mushrooms are poisonous, i mean thats what were brought up like is to avoid wild ones, but with your knowledge you know what your doing & when ever i see wild mushrooms now i take a look & see if i can spot what it is from your videos, also what about the supermarket mushrooms, like Portobello & white button mushrooms, can you ever find them wild?

[@NatureAndOther]

lol

[@priceyx123]

Just a note about 7:25, before you do your cleanup cut to remove the soil you should slice the bottom ~1cm from the base first to make sure you dont have a yellow stainer, which would go bright yellow and have a sort of iodine smell. It's actually pictured on the right in your book at 9 mins. Anyway great content on this channel, i especially like your nature based vids, i've learned alot watching these.

[@AtomicShrimp]

Yeah. I have yellow strainers in my garden. Such a shame as they always look so nice

[@manumerino]

bonito video

[@Martinpacker]

I have a fairy ring on my back lawn but I am not sure about eating the mushrooms that grow there. Over the years, the ring has gradually got bigger.

[@AtomicShrimp]

There are other species that grow in rings, so your caution is commendable - but Marasmius oreades is pretty easy to conclusively identify, so you could be missing a treat - a good reference guide will help. The rings start from a single clump and spread outwards as they seek new food resources (usually decaying plant matter). in very large, undisturbed grassy areas such as playing fields, the rings sometimes turn into a ring-of-rings

[@helenfay9465]

Those fairy ring mushrooms or scotch bonnets are just fab for dehydrating. I try to get a giant jar full of them to throw into risottos etc. throughout the year.

[@AtomicShrimp]

Yeah, they practically dehydrate themselves and the flavour after drying is superb

[@violettracey]

Thanks!

[@keciamartin8510]

I've stepped in one 3 weeks ago and I'm fine..

[@sagivn.s2237]

Bruh

[@dragonboi1821]

That's what we- i mean they... want you to think. but they have already gotten you

[@ccshrimp]

We all gotta eat

[@philipfish50]

Hi the photo in the book looks like it has a bit of bug damage unlike yours lol thanks for the interesting video cheers

[@jackiem437]

just bought this book for £4.19 on world books. great value

[@queermilkshake9990]

Oh brilliant! Since this is a recent comment, I trust it is still in stock? I'm a budding fungi enthusiast and have been eyeing up this book since I fell upon Mike's wonderful content a year ago

[@jackiem437]

@@queermilkshake9990 probably is. I haven't even received it yet. Due on 15th June. No p&p either. Just looked it up and still available. Let me know if you got it?

[@queermilkshake9990]

@@jackiem437 oh brilliant! I'll have to wait until I get paid in order to buy it, I'm afraid 💕

[@134StormShadow]

Like the mushrooms you're used to but on steroids 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👍👍👍👍

[@tronche2cake]

Mushroom fried rice, huh? And how exactly would you force a mushroom to fry rice?

[@athelenboy9414]

I found two rings in my Garden today 😊😂

[@rainkatt]

Me: 'What kind of mushrooms did you find today?' Hubby: 'LBMs' Me: 'Oh? What are those?' Hubby: 'Little brown mushrooms' Me: 'Are they edible?' Hubby: 'All mushrooms are edible...some, only once'

[@FlipChipSerg]

Me usually: :| Me after watching mushroom foraging videos: :)

[@twodacted]

ok furry

[@Dorian-lq3up]

@@twodacted Lol are people still bothered about this in 2020.. What am I saying everyone hates everyone...

[@debragail4513]

What kind of oil did you use?

[@AtomicShrimp]

Just sunflower oil, but sesame would have been good

[@user-vd1gk1zf8p]

Did u eat it all,??

[@AtomicShrimp]

Yes - I dried the mushrooms and used them in soups throughout the winter

[@catonthehowlingmoonrecords9529]

Hey there. Have you ever come across lion's mane on your travels? They are quite fascinating and recent studies are quite astounding as to their health benefits.

[@AtomicShrimp]

Apparently it is found here, but it's rare and I think it has a protected/conservation status

[@tubsymcghee7169]

Cool video, and nice to see you cooking a vegan meal.

[@wildwoman8494]

Hi, can you leave the stalks in the ground and only cut off the top that way they can re-grow? Or are they grown by spores that would of blown away or dropped to the ground? Thanks. Blessed be.

[@zchen27]

The mushrooms are just the portions of the mycelium that extend above ground. Mycelial roots should be buried beneath the entire fairy ring and unless you disturb the soil too much it should still survive.

[@liamboyd555]

For the stalks of the fairy ring mushrooms, could you have dried them and then whizzed them to a powder like you do for the porccinni mushrooms? Or is there really no use for them? Or use them to make stock?

[@rayskitten78]

That's the mushroom I used to pick with my dad

[@charlesr.wallace5597]

Are there any specific species of the "fairy ring" mushroom(s) that are not for the table? I'm a beginner forger in both urban and forrest environments.

[@AtomicShrimp]

Yes, there are some species of fungi that grow in rings and are toxic

[@HopePaintsStuff]

Q: When I go mushroom hunting, i cut close to the ground, leave the root and then tap the cap so spores can populate... Does this really work to keep future mushrooms growing?

[@AtomicShrimp]

as I understand it, there is no evidence that it makes any difference

[@valeriavagapova]

Hi! I got a serious question. I noticed that not only you pick mushrooms in urban areas, but you even do it right next to busy roads. Is it safe? As a kid I had always been told by my parents that mushrooms should only be picked in remote forests, because supposedly mushrooms are like sponges and soak up all the toxic shit from the air. I'm not sure how much I believe that claim, I am very open to the idea that it's just a myth. Do you maybe know if there's any research on it? Would love to know your thoughts!

[@AtomicShrimp]

I think the risks are overplayed. It would be most preferable to gather everything from remote forests, but ultimately, these things are growing in the same environment I already live in. If the mushrooms are in a terrible place, so is my house, my garden and the air I am breathing.

[@valeriavagapova]

@@AtomicShrimp Thank you for the reply:) Much appreciated!

[@Onio_Saiyan]

Prominent umbo sounds like a gamertag on Xbox.

[@adnamafett7862]

I’m working off like no sleep and I’m finally back in bed. The moment these ads finish, it’s over. Overtaken by nap

[@fizixx]

If I've asked this before, then my apologies for doubling-up, but I've heard that puffballs are edible. Have you ever tried them?

[@AtomicShrimp]

I've eaten giant puffball - they are OK. Texture a bit like tofu - probably usable in similar ways

[@fizixx]

@@AtomicShrimp Wouldn't mind including them in a foraging video. :)

[@wout6661]

They're like the mushrooms that you're used to, but on steroids.

[@mrsillywalk]

I picked near a road, but they tasted of diesel. A fungus is like a sponge and readily picks up air pollution.

[@MysteriumArcanum]

The mushrooms you picked about 8 minutes in are rather deceptive, because there's a similar species that grows in a ring and has brown gills but it has a scaly cap. And while those won't kill you they will send you to the hospital with nausea and diarrhea as well as other issues.

[@777anarchist]

Is it safe to pick mushrooms at the roadside? I've hard mushrooms would absorb heavy metals and stuff.

[@AtomicShrimp]

Could be a risk, I suppose. These were about as far from the road as my vegetable garden is, at home, so I think I'm probably already too far down that rabbit-hole.

[@Eueueyw]

Heavy metals and other pollutants are only really a problem if you’re right next to the road, the concentration of them drops off very sharply after about a metre.

[@bowlhaircut1824]

Those are the fairy ring mushrooms used for macaroons aren't they?

[@AtomicShrimp]

Erm.... never heard of that...

[@bowlhaircut1824]

AtomicShrimp I have a bush in my front yard I've constantly found those underneath after rains ,maybe a wrong ID but the small passage about them suggested fairy rings for macaroons lol I'm not a fan of eating any wild mushrooms(for culinary purposes) besides fried morels! But that tice you made looks pretty good to me!

[@vanivor]

???

[@FatBlockOfHash]

@@bowlhaircut1824 macaroons like the dessert??

[@JehanineMelmoth]

Did you make the basket yourself?

[@AtomicShrimp]

Not this one. I bought it at a country fair. Its been a superb basket and has so far lasted nearly 30 years

[@JehanineMelmoth]

@@AtomicShrimp Wonderful!

[@TheOldFartGamer]

excuse my ignorance how come you don't wash your mushrooms?

[@AtomicShrimp]

If they are dirty enough to need a wash, I don't pick them

[@truefiasco2637]

Did you not enter the code DLQ?

[@mcbenis]

True Fiasco 😆

[@billymccrea9674]

Not mushroom for dessert 😋

[@denisebourgoyne528]

Did I miss the seasonings? I didn't see any soy sauce which is what I usually do with fried rice. Do you think that would have ruined the taste of the wild mushrooms?

[@AtomicShrimp]

I just used a little salt (not sure if I caught that bit on camera or edited it out) - I wanted to keep the dish subtle to allow these tasty mushrooms to be the top note. I'd use more seasonings for other mushrooms like jelly ear or oyster, which don't have such a rich flavour of their own

[@jayamd3579]

never wash mushrooms, it says it in the great book, Practical cookery!

[@AtomicShrimp]

jay dogg apparently Alton Brown disagrees (and people keep telling me this), but I think he must be talking about closed-cup button mushrooms, because anything else goes soggy when.washed

[@AtomicShrimp]

@ryan miller Never been lucky enough to find those

[@AtomicShrimp]

@ryan miller They exist here, but they are pretty elusive I think

[@JehanineMelmoth]

I wash them but then cook them at a high heat for a long time do that the water evaporates and they are amazing. I like them slightly browned!

[@hektik2074]

12:52 the way he said “i don’t mind if you do” sounds very seductive

[@chrissyliberty8117]

I've watched several of these mushroom videos and one prevailing theme is that they are commonly infested with maggots. Why is that?

[@AtomicShrimp]

Fungus gnats love mushrooms. Their life cycle depends on the larval stage living inside mushrooms to feed and develop. Some years are better than others for this, and some species of fungi are less affected than others

[@chrissyliberty8117]

@@AtomicShrimp thanks for that. I'm amazed these little nutrition power houses were ever deemed edible for this among many reasons

[@AtomicShrimp]

I think in a lot of places, the insect larvae are just ignored and they form part of the food. It's not a completely terrible idea

[@illuminaughty933]

I wash my mushrooms regularly.

[@stevie7702]

Being close to the road, are worried that the mushrooms would take in the pollution from the cars?

[@AtomicShrimp]

It's something to think about. I wouldn't pick them from right on the kerbside, but the further they are away, the better. I imagine more pollution entered my body walking there along the road side, than from the mushrooms.

[@boots_9139]

2:51 dude please be more careful with knives.

[@AtomicShrimp]

Please stop fretting

[@boots_9139]

@@AtomicShrimp we care about your health and we don't want you losing a thumb

[@AtomicShrimp]

@@boots_9139 It's OK - I got this

[@TheCotzi]

when you do this over years your thumb/Finger gets a bit of a tolerance for the knife by building a cornea like thingy

[@dragonboi1821]

i've done this before, and i've seen people do it, that's not particularly dangerous if you know your strength

[@bittehiereinfugen7723]

Where I live, champions grow in a few meadows, even right in front of our house. At least I'm 99.999% sure I identified them correctly. BUT the 0.001% residual doubt (more like self-doubt) keeps me from eating these mushrooms or serving them to my family. Because to err would be fatal. But I would love to get to know the aroma of wild mushrooms. But what I actually wanted to ask: if I collect mushrooms to identify at home, are there actually poisonous mushrooms here in northern Europe whose toxins can be absorbed through the skin? Would it be safer to wear gloves or is that not necessary?

[@AtomicShrimp]

There are no fungi that are so toxic that you'd be in trouble touching them. Sensible to wash your hands after handing unknown fungi though. Identification in situ is often better than carrying them home - just because the details of the habitat can sometimes be relevant (for example in the case of fairy ring mushrooms, there is nearly always a ring of darker green, lush grass where the fungal bodies appear).

[@bittehiereinfugen7723]

@@AtomicShrimp Thank you very much, I will take that into account!

[@AtomicShrimp]

Is it fairy ring mushrooms you think that you have? Features to look for (your reference guide probably already mentions these): 'Umbo' on the cap - a sort of raised bump in the middle of the cap - often a little darker in colour than the rest of the cap Stalk is tough and fibrous - can be snapped by pulling in the hands, but surprisingly difficult

[@bittehiereinfugen7723]

@@AtomicShrimp Oops, there was a typo on my part, sry. No, we have Agaricaceae growing on the meadows (A. campestris). One of my patients who lives in an old cottage and has an old garden has at times impressively large A. arvensis there. Their scent is really amazing. As for the other mushrooms you introduced (the fairy rings), I'm not at all sure if I've seen them here before. When the weather is right I have to see if I can find any that go in this direction optically and then check the characteristics. The last mushroom that I found particularly interesting and took home with me turned out to be a panther mushroom (Amanita pantherina) on closer inspection 😬

[@AtomicShrimp]

OK, if you think you have agaricus, then the gills will never be pure white - always at least pink, usually darkening to chocolate brown. Horse mushrooms have a faint aniseed smell, field mushrooms just have a sort of mushroomy smell. There are toxic members of Agaricus, but they are typically quite easy to recognise either by their unpleasant chemical/soap/ink smell, and/or bright yellow staining when bruised (in the case of A. xanthodermus). Useful resources: kzbin.infosearch?query=agaricus

[@soulstarwolfpack2596]

If u still have these don't step in the circle its bad luck and don't PICK THEM DIG THEM UP Thats Why They Keep Coming Back

[@Eueueyw]

Why wouldn’t you want them to come back?

[@GirishManjunathMusic]

It isn't any kind of luck. Well, if they're edible fungi, it's more good luck than bad.

[@criss2842]

Do you ever eat road kill?

[@mablebeel1619]

Very disappointed to see you using your 'pancake pan' for frying other things!

[@jkunderwood3291]

I think this was after he got a new pancake pan

[@omikronweapon]

in no way am I trying to put the responsibility back on you, but perhaps It'd be practical and interesting to note if and when some of the species of plants and fungi you forage can be easily mistaken for others?

[@AtomicShrimp]

I think that's fair enough, and a good idea. I plan to do another video about fairy ring mushrooms soon (because I just spotted some today)

[@yourstruly3493]

Mr. Shrimp... Skipping an ad (as opposed too playing the whole ad)... Does it effect your income?

[@AtomicShrimp]

If you skip at the earliest point, that ad impression doesn't pay anything, but don't worry about it. Skip ads if they annoy you.

[@yourstruly3493]

@@AtomicShrimp ok ;)

[@sagivn.s2237]

Why no sauce ? Looked so dry.. Some soy&tryaki wouldeve been perfect

[@claudio1634]

Polluted mushroom

[@JehanineMelmoth]

Unlike most roadside plants, mushrooms are usually ok because they pop up overnight rather than slowly growing in the fumes. They don’t have time to get dirty!

[@benyere]

Please tell me you didn't pick all the mushrooms, it really inferiates me when people pick them all, I had a local couple take nearly all the edible mushrooms in my local area unfortunately nothing can be done about it.

[@AtomicShrimp]

As a rule, I never take more than I will use (which for me is, max:: 1 portion for me, 1 portion for friends and some to preserve) and never more than half of what I find growing. Sometimes I have to really wrestle with my conscience on that - you can see an example of that internal conflict here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5a5dGOIqcp_jZo

[@christaylor2959]

May I ask why it infuriates you? I really don't know.

[@blacktiger171]

chris taylor I think it’s cause if you don’t do it in a sustainable way they’ll struggle to grow back

[@Eueueyw]

BlackTiger Only If you yank the mycelium up along with the mushroom, otherwise it’s just like picking fruit from a tree.

[@thane7745]

Oi mate do you have a license for that knife?

[@ExtinctionFeverr]

Legend believes that fairy rings are curse I will not go in if I find one and I will take the dirt and mushroom out and burn it

[@kodiolivier8710]

Jesus is our lord and saviour it’s not worth it to sin