dumb guy question

The subject of edible mushrooms in America is vast. Americans have historically been very wary of "toadstools" for good reason, they can kill you. Some mushrooms in America look exactly like mushrooms in Asia that are a common food source. The problem is that these American mushrooms are called "death caps" . Once you eat them you feel sick, you go to the hospital, they send you home and you die. So.. there is a legitimate fear that Americans have always fostered regarding eating mushrooms. That being said, we do indeed have a large supply of gourmet edible mushrooms available. My Safeway store sells Lobster, Chanterelle, Hedgehog, etc.. All of these mushrooms have resisted all efforts to cultivate them and thus are considered "wild". IMHO, it's kind of a cool thing to learn about.
 
Not a king bolete. Though it is a bolete of some sort.
My wife and I call them DTs short for deer treats because deer seem to eat them
The books say that boletes are edible unless they stain blue, that
Is you cut them and the flesh turns blue however we only harvest kings and queens.
 
Rob Allen said:
Not a king bolete. Though it is a bolete of some sort.
My wife and I call them DTs short for deer treats because deer seem to eat them
The books say that boletes are edible unless they stain blue, that
Is you cut them and the flesh turns blue however we only harvest kings and queens.
Click to expand...
Elk will eat them too… discovered this a couple of years ago. They literally pawed through the snow to get to them.
 
It’s a Suillus of some kind, not sure exactly which variety. Boletus edulis (porcini) have a distinct netting pattern on the stem (reticulation). The pores are also much smaller and tighter than most Suillus. As mentioned above, boletus edulis will not stain (change color) when bruised or cut. Here are some pictures for reference, the first being the NW costal variety which tend to be taller and more slender, the second is high elevation Cascades. Hope this helps.

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Dave
 
ya it's a suillus of some type. maybe Slippery Jack, or a tamarack jack. the pores are too big to be a true bolete. many of the suillus species are edible, but are not incredible.

Fin
 
Matsutake mushrooms can be one of the most expensive (by weight) foods on the planet. Especially if the the veil is perfectly intact. They say the "soul" of the mushroom is still there if that is the case.
 
Jim in Anacortes said:
Matsutake mushrooms can be one of the most expensive (by weight) foods on the planet. Especially if the the veil is perfectly intact. They say the "soul" of the mushroom is still there if that is the case.
Click to expand...
Those days are long gone. I used to be in the commercial wild foods game. NW matsi prices rarely exceed $25/lb wholesale, even for #1 grade. Places like Uwajimaya like to jack the price up to $75 or more, but it’s totally unnecessary. I think they do it just to retain the “rare and exotic” appeal.
 
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