FIELD BOOK OF COMMON GILLED MUSHROOMS 



have not been numerous nor long continued. Species too 

 tough to be eaten with pleasure or digested with comfort have 

 sometimes been utilized by making of them a kind of soup or 

 broth which could be eaten with relish and comfort. Some- 

 times mushrooms are used in small quantity to give flavor to 

 meats and other dishes. Those of inferior flavor are some- 

 times made more agreeable by cooking with them a few speci- 

 mens of some more highly flavored species. The same species 

 may vary in flavor according to the method of cooking and 

 the kind of seasoning used as well as by reason of the circum- 

 stances previously mentioned. 



Mushrooms may be dried and kept for future use. The 

 best method of drying them is to place them in a current of 

 warm air. Dry them as quickly as possible without burning 

 them, and keep the drying process in operation till completed. 

 A common fruit evaporator would doubtless be a good instru- 

 ment for drying them. The drying of thick and moist ones 

 would be facilitated by cutting them in slices. Like other 

 vegetables, they are largely composed of water, which is from 

 eighty to ninety per cent of the whole. In consequence of 

 this they shrink greatly in drying and lose much weight. The 

 presence of so much nitrogenous material induces rapid decay 

 and loathsome decomposition in them. It should also teach 

 moderation in their use as food. A hearty meal on mush- 

 rooms alone would be about as reasonable as a dinner on 

 nothing but beefsteak, and might be expected to be followed 

 by similar ill consequences. Gormandizing is not commend- 

 able under any circumstances nor with any kind of food. But 

 especially should it be avoided in mushroom eating, for the 

 human system demands but small quantities of the nitro- 

 genous elements which enter into its composition. An exces- 

 sive amount is sure to be hurtful, but eaten in moderate 

 quantity it is easily digestible, acceptable and beneficial. The 

 digestive organs of the writer are not strong by nature and 

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