A M339 (3: MUSHROOMS

. ——— those wild feasts. Below is . a list of delicious mushrooms frequently found on the Island, which you should have no trouble identifying.

Chanterelles (Cantherellus cibarius), an orange funnel- shaped mushroom found under softwood and in spruce hedges.

Field mushrooms (Agaricus caripestris , a white mushroom with pink gills found in pastures.

Small spiny puffballs (Lycoperdon perlature), eat these only when they are young I and white inside.

1. Buy a good field guide, there Shaggy manes (Cogrinus are several available but for comatus), here is an exception my money Orson K. Miller's to rule number 4. This mush;

Mushrooms of North America is . romm has white gills but they the best. The soft cover edition - , turn grey then black and inky

is sturdy enough for field use. .th W.th .t . 1

Take time to read the introduct- w; ageé hl l s cofiéla

ory sections on identification S ape an s.aggy cap t ls One cannot be mistaken for a

before you become mesmerised . _. destroying angel. Tney are

by the superb colour plates.

2. Collect mushrooms in an found on lawns and manure heaps.

open basket or fruit box rather EEEEEEEE.92$$$£2£E§' §S.the

than a plastic bag where they name suggests' 15 a dellCl9uS

will quickly deteriorate and carrot coloured mushroom With

get crushed. Don't mix edible green Staining latex’ found

and poisonous species. under young spruc? trees'

3. Collect only young clean Happy foraglng'

specimens and eat them as soon

as possible after picking. Old Katherine S. Clough

worm-eaten mushrooms of even Charlottetown, P.E.I.

the most delicious types are

not good to eat.

4. Don't eat any mushroom I

that has pure white gills,

it could be the destroying ‘

angel, Amanita virosa. The

first bite will kill you!

5. Don't eat anything if you

are not sure of its identifica-

tion.

6. Ignore all the folk tales

on how to tell whether a

mushroom is poisonous or not. With these guidelines in mind

and your field guide in hand

go out this fall and search for ' ‘

It is mushroom time again. After a few cool nights and moist days these magical shapes and colours sprout from the.ground in woods and fields. But which ones are good to eat you ask and which ones are poisonous? Of the many thousands of kinds only a few are deadly poisonous, some will make you sick, most are not poisonous but don't taste particularly good and a few are quite delectable. To help you through the haze of the mushroom world..

In...