Gypsy mushrooms

I forgot my camera tonight though I will show you a few Gypsy mushroom I’ve gathered and have now selected for the table as these mushrooms are at their best when the caps are round and young, the stems need to be discarded as they are hard to digest. The caps should also be well cooked.

Some of the slightly older mushrooms I will dry to use for tea especially during the flu season. Here is some interesting info concerning this mushroom now known as Cortinarius caperatus. botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/nov99.html

Closer look at the caps with their white cap frosting and lovely wrinkles, click on to really notice these  characteristics, the stem ring and upper stem pattern with a rounded stem bottom are also important to know. There are some reasonably good photos of these in my edible mushroom page. ciao

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It’s mine 1left

Preparing some things for the N.S Mycological Society foray which starts tomorrow night and I though I should take a break to show you a couple more fall wild mushrooms I noticed today.  Above we see a large Cortinarius caperatus (Gypsy mushroom) and what I thought at first was an earthworm until I seen its eyes. I sent the photo to Nelson Poirier in Moncton and he ID’ed the little one as a Red back salamander.

Here is another choice fall edible mushroom just starting to make an appearance for this year, (Bear’s head tooth) Hericium americanum. I won’t be posting anything for a while, have a pleasant weekend. ciao

Gypsy mushrooms

I collected a lot of choice edible mushrooms today and here is the last one I found on the way back home. Most years Gypsy mushrooms are around in August and early September, but this year is different as they are fruiting heavily right now under eastern white pine trees, as long as poplar, birch or beech trees are also close by.

Tom Volk of I believe the state of Oregon in the USA made the Gypsy mushroom his fungus of the month on his website back in Nov 1999 with interesting info on possible antiviral properties in this mushroom. It is a well liked edible in europe and though I personally find the stem hard to digest and only use the caps as food which I find are very good eating.  I do use all parts of the mushroom in teas, especially during flu season.

Which photo has the most number of Gypsy mushrooms in it. Photo 4 will need to be clicked on or you will definitely miss a few. ciao