HOW TO PRESERVE MUSHROOMS 



kinds of puff-balls will appear. All puff-balls are good while their interior 

 remains white. They are never poisonous, but when the flesh has begun to turn 

 yellow it is very bitter. The oyster mushroom is found from March to December 

 and is always a very acceptable mushroom. The Fairy Rings are easily recog- 

 nized and can be found in any old pasture during wet weather from June to 

 October. In seasonable weather they are usually very plentiful. The common 

 meadow mushroom is found from September to frost. It is known by its pink 

 gills and meaty cap. There is a mushroom with pink gills found in streets, 

 along the pavements and among the cobble stones. The stems are short and the 

 caps are very meaty. It is A. rodmani. These are found in May and 

 June. The horse mushroom has pink gills and may be found from June 

 to September. The Russulas, found from July to October, are generally good. 

 A few should be avoided because of their acrid taste or their strong odor. There 

 is no time from early spring till freezing weather when you can not find mush- 

 rooms, if the weather is at all favorable. I have given the habitat and the time 

 when each species can be found. I should recommend a careful study of these 

 two points. Read the descriptions of plants which grow in certain places and 

 at certain times, and you will generally be rewarded, if you follow out the de- 

 scription and the season is favorable. 



HOW TO PRESERVE MUSHROOMS. Many can be dried for winter 

 use, such as the Morels, Marasmius oreades, Boletus edulis, Boletus edulis, va. 

 clavipes, and a number of others. My wife has very successfully canned a 

 number of species, notably Lycoperdon pyriforme, Pleurotus ostreatus and Tri- 

 choloma personatum. The mushrooms were carefully picked over and washed, 

 let stand in salt water for about five minutes, in order to free them of any insect- 

 life which may be in the gills, then drained, cut into pieces small enough to go 

 into the jars easily. Each jar was packed as full as possible with mushrooms 

 and filled up with water salt enough to flavor the mushroom' properly. Then 

 put into a kettle of cold water on the stove, the lids being loosely placed on the 

 top, and allowed to cook for an hour or more after the water in the kettle begins 

 to boil. The tops were then fastened on securely and after trying the jars to 

 see if there was any leak, they were set away in a cool, dark place. 



In canning puff-balls they should be carefully washed and sliced, being sure 

 that they are perfectly white all through. They do not need to stand in salt 

 water before packing in the jar as do those mushrooms which have gills. Other- 

 wise they were canned as the Tricholoma and oyster mushroom. Any edible 

 mushroom can easily be kept for winter use by canning. Use glass jars with 

 glass tops. 



TERMS USED 



SOME OF THE MOST COMMON TERMS USED. In describing mush- 

 rooms it is necessary to use certain terms, and it will be incumbent upon anyone 

 who wishes to become familiar with this part of botanical work to understand 

 thoroughly the terms used in describing the plants. 



