Mushrooms, Toadstools, Fungi, Funghi, whatever you know them as, many varieties are poisonous and in Italy it is advisable to take them to your local Health authority for identification before even considering eating them. In fact local authorities often run courses on identifying them, so surely it is better to be safe than sorry.
I read a newspaper article on line recently which had the following to say:
'On October 22 an entire family (father, mother and daughter) died after eating poisonous mushrooms. In Italy there are between 600 and 1,300 cases every year of poisoning.
For this reason Health Minister Renato Balduzzi warned recently that to avoid unnecessary risks, people should always bring picked mushrooms to experts for examination before eating them'.
The full article can be read by following the link.
Poisonous mushrooms destroy liver and kill!
This is why we do not risk eating mushrooms from our garden! Apart from these which we are 200% sure about but even then we will only consume if they are freshly picked.
According to Wikipedia A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source.
I hope you find them as fascinating as I did when I was photographing them. The photos should enlarge if you click on them individually, for a closer look!
The next three photos are of the same fungus taken over a three day period, firstly day one emerging.
Three days later it was looking like this and appeared to be very attractive to flies!
The same variety collapsed and decaying a few days later.
Finally I want to try and give you an idea of the size of some of these specimens.
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All photos are my own taken in October and November 2012.
All rights reserved by LindyLouMac Photo Collection
The full set of photos may also be viewed individually in my album entitled
Funghi in Our Garden - Autumn 2012 at My Flickr account.
You have captured some fascinating mushrooms Linda! Love the photos :)
ReplyDeleteI often see them in the woods, but as I haven't got a clue what is edible, I leave them behind. How very tragic an entire family dying after eating mushrooms.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting pictures.
beautiful photos and such good advice, I now a local family who all ended up in hospital from wild mushroom picking, not good!
ReplyDeleteOh Lindy these are so beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteAlla prossima ♥
I'd like to have the expertise to know which are good and which are dangerous. I remember that when we visited Latvia there were entire families foraging for mushrooms in the forests. I enjoyed your photos!
ReplyDeleteI do not eat wild mushrooms at all. The only mushrooms that I have eaten from the fields were in South Africa.. the Zulu's know exactly which ones to eat.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise i buy my mushrooms.
You have taken some interesting photos.. I have a lot growing around here too.
val
The pics are beautiful! I remember my grandfather saying all brightly colored mushrooms are poisonous, and if you're not sure which ones are good, break the top part - if it changes color it's poisonous. Still I wouldn't go picking mushrooms by myself.
ReplyDeleteSuch variety! Lovely captures.
ReplyDeletewhoa, never knew there were so many different
ReplyDeletevarieties of mushroom! lord peter wimsey
has a mushroom poisoning case in one of his
mysteries.
Beautiful post, many details.
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely shrooms!
ReplyDeleteThe one you recorded over 3 days, seemingly growing from an egg shape, is a stinkhorn. It is sticky at the end when it matures and smelly thus attracting the flies.
ReplyDeleteNós aqui em casa adoramos comer os funghi!! beijos,chica
ReplyDeleteThat's quite a variety you have!!
ReplyDeleteOh, my, you have such a variety of fungi! We had one sprout up in our garden just the other day and it was so obscene-looking I've debated whether to post it to my family friendly blog. Know what I'm sayin? LOL
ReplyDeleteI went to collect mushrooms a couple of times when I was a child and each time I brought a basket of the poison ones...
ReplyDeleteIn Portugal one family (mum, dad and son) died too, after eating mushroom, last October... I never ate mushroom and I never will, even taste it...
ReplyDeleteYour photos are great!
Ciao Lindy mia...
ReplyDeleteI am not expert in mushroom by the way.. your photos so beautiful. Theyare growing in my garden too, but we scared to eat them ;) paura morire :)
have a good day
There's only one mushroom worth the picking here--morels. And I only go picking with the old fart who knows what he's doing. Still, he inspects every one. Can't say that I blame him. I go for the company, he goes for the mushrooms. LOL
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos of some very bizarre things. And you're right--there's a couple that are a bit.....rude appearing! LOL
Thanks for letting me visit!
I love pictures of mushrooms, I love finding them in the woods, I love the idea of mushrooms, but I just don't like eating them. :-) Maybe one day I will love the flavor and texture, but not yet. :-)
ReplyDeleteWow those mushroom pictures are truly fascinating I don't like the taste of them but did like these pictures
ReplyDeleteIt's exciting to find fungi - so many kinds and all interesting.
ReplyDeletethey are fascinating creatures,
ReplyDeletearen't they....no wonder the stuff
of fairy tales and rhymes:)
it's a wonder, the first brave soul
who ever thought "maybe we can eat it!"
An amazing variety you share
...thanks for the stroll through
the woods with you,
Jennifer
Some of them are very pretty. Indeed one needs to be careful. I buy them in grocery store and still feel a bit scared.
ReplyDeleteAmazing assortment you have there! There's one kind that grows in the woods in Oregon (chantrelles) that are worth big $$ -- people make a living looking for them (and fight over them sometimes). All of them always make me think of stories about elves living under toadstools (did you see any ;>)!)
ReplyDeleteAwesome variety---I love photographs of mushrooms.
ReplyDeleteBack when I in college, it was common to see students out crawling around on all the public groomed properties(especially after a rain) collecting mushrooms. The "Magic Mushrooms" or "Shrooms" were used to make brownies--which I never tried. They were known hallucinogens and I am, and always was, quite nervous about that stuff.
Hi there - mushrooms do come in all shapes and sizes - but the only ones I eat are from the shops!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments and visits to my blog.
Cheers - Stewart M - Australia
Hello Lindy Lou, I love mushrooms in the woods near my house I grow many. But I do not collect them because they do not know them and I'm afraid of eating poisoned mushrooms. However, they are delicious! See you soon, francesca
ReplyDeleteYummy but I have to choose safe one. :)
ReplyDeleteWONDERFUL blog...To honor the fungi kingdom is a wise way...nice work...
ReplyDeleteThankyou for your visit I was unable to return a visit as your profile just leads to an unknown Facebook page, which is why I have responded here.
DeleteMy mom use to pick a certain mushroom..I went with her, but kind of forgot what it looked like..I remember the chicken one on the oak tree..but wouldn't dare pick any..Have to admit they were tasty..Great pictures and fun to read about them..wonderful blog, as usual.
ReplyDeleteWe are getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving Day..Thursday..I know you don't celebrate..but sending you love and blessings from our house to yours..
Carolyn.
I should have become a mycologist - I LOVE mushrooms!
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos ... I love mushrooms. Greetings.
ReplyDeleteSome unusual varieties there. My in-laws grow fungi that they cultivate on a tree trunk, but I guess they know what they are doing. Personally, I'm nervous of eating mushrooms other than those sold in a regular supermarket. Thank you for this interesting post and for the reminder re. the dangers of eating unidentified fungi.
ReplyDeleteWe have quite a few different kinds in our garden. None I might add of which we would consider eating, they all have a suspicious look about them! Keep well (literally mushroom speaking)Diane
ReplyDeleteMy grandpa was a specialist in mushrooms ! he knew them all ! A real Wikipedia ! Mr. G's father too, they went into the mountains above the Garda Lake to collect mushrooms. We have a lot of them in our garden for the first time ever since we live in this house 37 years !! Very big and ugly once, I have never seen such monsters before !
ReplyDeleteThey look fascinating.
ReplyDeleteYou have so many different varieties, and they are all interesting looking. When I see them in my yard, I take pictures, but wouldn't touch either.
ReplyDeleteWow, really so many sizes, shapes and colors. We are all getting our feasts prepared for Thanksgiving. I know you are in Italy but I'm sure you will celebrate Thanksgiving where ever you are. Blessings.........
ReplyDelete~Emily
The French Hutch
These are LOVELY photos of fungi.
ReplyDeleteI am fascinated by them and have taken many foraging classes-have also tasted many and never to a bad end, BUT the people leading the classes are very cautious and learned.
Sending holiday blessings, oh, and don't eat any mysterious fungi!
Joys,
Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island
You've had fun collecting this group of photos.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving.
Those are fabulous photos, Lindy. There's something quite mystical about mushrooms... and I don't mean the 'magic' kind! :)
ReplyDeleteChe belli! E quante varietà differenti! Adoro i funghi ma non li conosco e non li raccolgo. Li fotografo soltanto, e quando voglio mangiarli, li compro.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder. I was never able to identify mushrooms as well as my mother does (I guess the fact that she is a biologists helps a little). I learned a couple of mushrooms that I am 200% sure are edible and stick to picking those. Although I haven't done it in decade, so I need refreshing even for those.
ReplyDeleteOh wow Linda, what a fantastic selection. The third one looks like a cappuccino! Not sure I like that sticky one with all the flies on it..yuk! Many thanks for your recent visit and kind remarks, so sorry for the late reply. Have a wonderful week, with love, Linda x
ReplyDeleteOlá amiga,os cogumelos são lindos e a sua forma e cor atraem-nos. Alguns deles são mortíferos como diz e em Portugal todos os anos falecem pessoas por ingeri-los. Em criança a minha avó sabia localizá-los, no pinhal, mas na Primavera (em Março ou Abril)! Eu adoro o seu sabor, mas actualmente só utilizo os enlatados. Beijinhos e uma linda semana. Ailime
ReplyDeleteWow, lots of mushrooms, toadstools and fungi! Your photos look great, but I guess you wouldn't want to touch them - the mushrooms that is. Wonderful series of pics.
ReplyDeleteI love mushrooms, but I would never trust myself to pick them in the wild. No way.
ReplyDeleteI love photographing mushrooms on trees especially...nice!
ReplyDelete