Common Edible Mushrooms

COMMON EDIBLE MUSHROOMS
orange, curved, and tapering to a point at the base, where the
numerous stems of a clump come together.
These mushrooms are probably not deadly poisonous, but they
will cause violent illness. Some years ago in the fall several of them
were brought in to the University of Minnesota by a man who
said he had collected a bushel and wanted to know if they were
Figure 16. Clitocybe illudens (Jack-o'-Lantern).
Unwholesome or poisonous.
edible. When told they were likely to be poisonous he said he had
eaten some a day or two before, with no ill effects, and intended
to can the rest for winter use. One can only recommend so enthusiastic
a mushroom eater to the protection of a kind providence.
Because the specimens were rather tough he had boiled them for
about an hour in water and had then discarded the water. The
poison is apparently soluble in water and can be removed in this
way — for which he should be thankful!
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