CHAPTER XV : FUNGI FOR THE TABLE 



BEFORE you attempt to use fungi for the table be sure that 

 they are edible ; the consequences which follow a mistake are 

 too serious to warrant any risks. Unless you are experienced in 

 making careful observations and comparisons, eat only those 

 fungi which have been shown to you by some one who has tried 

 them and knows them to be wholesome. If you are experienced 

 in making careful observations and comparisons, and wish to 

 make experiments, make them cautiously, using a small quantity 

 of the fungus for the first trial, and, if no ill effects are felt, in- 

 crease the amount until you are satisfied as to its edibility. 



There is no general rule by which one may know an edible 

 species from a poisonous species. One must learn to know each 

 kind by its appearance, and the edibility of each kind by experi- 

 ment. 



Some edible mushrooms change colour when bruised, some 

 edible ones do not. 



Some poisonous mushrooms change colour when bruised, 

 and some poisonous ones do not. 



Some mushrooms with bright colours, or viscid caps, or 

 pleasant taste, or agreeable odour are edible, and some are 

 poisonous. 



Some edible mushrooms will turn a silver spoon black, and 

 so will some poisonous ones. 



Cautions for the Inexperienced 



Never use specimens which are decomposed in the slightest 

 degree. 



Never use those which are at all burrowed by insects. 



Never collect, for food, mushrooms in the button stage, as 

 it is difficult for a novice to distinguish the buttons of poisonous 

 species from the buttons of harmless species. 



Never use fungi with swollen bases surrounded by sac-like 

 or scaly envelopes. 



