Looks like it belongs on some uni sushi. I wonder what it tastes like.
blfsays
The mildly deranged penguin points out this edible MUSHROOM! is rather tasteless, albeit nowheres near as awfully taste- & texture-less as a pea — and considerably less genocidal than a pea. It’s actually, she says, so pacifist it doesn’t even bother to scream when harpooned or sautéed in butter. And is, apparently, fond of reciting Shakespeare (even here in France), so if you like yer Hamlet, cook some up and listen as it simmers. Then throw it away and eat some cheese, she recommends.
Although not known to cause poisoning, the Yellow Stagshorn fungus is generally regarded as inedible because of its gelatinous texture, lack of flavour and insubstantial proportions -- although some sources do list it as edible but of very little culinary value except to add colour to other mushroom dishes.
Wonderful! I thought it was a coral fungus but it turns out it’s a jelly fungus instead. My key lists its edibility as “inconsequential”. Its name (Calocera viscosa) means “beautiful waxy viscous mushroom”, sort of…
blfsays
This amusing mini-debate over “edible” is whether or not “inedible” implies (or means) “toxic”. In practice, not always, as “inedible” is sometimes used to imply “unpalatable”.
The fungus in question is unpalatable but not toxic.
kestrelsays
@blf #5: Yes, that is true. In my key (it’s the big one by David Arora) he is quite definite about this. If he says “inconsequential” that’s what he means… he really will point out if they truly are toxic. And of course. MOST mushrooms are not toxic. On the other hand many are simply not worth the bother to prepare.
kestrelsays
For those interested, here is a list of mushrooms that have a serious risk of death if consumed, and others where deaths have been reported. There are only 32 species in the first list, and 8 in the second. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deadly_fungus_species
So, out of thousands and thousands of species of mushroom worldwide, only 40 species are actually toxic as far as poisonous and cause death. There are others that will make you simply sick… and you must also remember, just as some people are allergic to strawberries, or wheat, or chocolate, you could personally be allergic to a species of mushroom that most find entirely benign. So one should still be careful, and I certainly don’t advise anyone to go out and indiscriminately gather wild mushrooms and then eat them, I advise very careful and slow and thorough learning to understand and appreciate them. They are really pretty awesome.
I have been collecting mushrooms ever since I can remember. This time around I had a camera with me and I made pictures of about 10 different species, some edible, some poisonous, some big, some tiny, some known to me, some not.
I do not remember ever tasting this one, not even during mycology course at the uni, where we collected virtually everything to be identified by professional mycologists for the course, and where subsequently was cooked a huge pot of shrooms-and-eggs out of everything that was remotely edible.
Even if it is edible, it would not be worth the bother. They are tiny.
But I like them, they look like tiny flames and lighten up the forest.
rqsays
As they say around here, all mushrooms are edible at least once.
These ones are too pretty to eat, let them light up the forest instead!
Looks like it belongs on some uni sushi. I wonder what it tastes like.
The mildly deranged penguin points out this edible MUSHROOM! is rather tasteless, albeit nowheres near as awfully taste- & texture-less as a pea — and considerably less genocidal than a pea. It’s actually, she says, so pacifist it doesn’t even bother to scream when harpooned or sautéed in butter. And is, apparently, fond of reciting Shakespeare (even here in France), so if you like yer Hamlet, cook some up and listen as it simmers. Then throw it away and eat some cheese, she recommends.
It’s not considered to be edible:
http://www.first-nature.com/fungi/calocera-viscosa.php
Wonderful! I thought it was a coral fungus but it turns out it’s a jelly fungus instead. My key lists its edibility as “inconsequential”. Its name (Calocera viscosa) means “beautiful waxy viscous mushroom”, sort of…
This amusing mini-debate over “edible” is whether or not “inedible” implies (or means) “toxic”. In practice, not always, as “inedible” is sometimes used to imply “unpalatable”.
The fungus in question is unpalatable but not toxic.
@blf #5: Yes, that is true. In my key (it’s the big one by David Arora) he is quite definite about this. If he says “inconsequential” that’s what he means… he really will point out if they truly are toxic. And of course. MOST mushrooms are not toxic. On the other hand many are simply not worth the bother to prepare.
For those interested, here is a list of mushrooms that have a serious risk of death if consumed, and others where deaths have been reported. There are only 32 species in the first list, and 8 in the second.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deadly_fungus_species
So, out of thousands and thousands of species of mushroom worldwide, only 40 species are actually toxic as far as poisonous and cause death. There are others that will make you simply sick… and you must also remember, just as some people are allergic to strawberries, or wheat, or chocolate, you could personally be allergic to a species of mushroom that most find entirely benign. So one should still be careful, and I certainly don’t advise anyone to go out and indiscriminately gather wild mushrooms and then eat them, I advise very careful and slow and thorough learning to understand and appreciate them. They are really pretty awesome.
I have been collecting mushrooms ever since I can remember. This time around I had a camera with me and I made pictures of about 10 different species, some edible, some poisonous, some big, some tiny, some known to me, some not.
I do not remember ever tasting this one, not even during mycology course at the uni, where we collected virtually everything to be identified by professional mycologists for the course, and where subsequently was cooked a huge pot of shrooms-and-eggs out of everything that was remotely edible.
Even if it is edible, it would not be worth the bother. They are tiny.
But I like them, they look like tiny flames and lighten up the forest.
As they say around here, all mushrooms are edible at least once.
These ones are too pretty to eat, let them light up the forest instead!
@rq, funny thing, we have that same joke here too.
T’is pretty, yes.