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Ask Dr. Gourmet
Are these mushrooms safe to eat?
I recently picked several large white mushrooms (brown underside) in my backyard after a few days of heavy rain. How can I tell that these mushrooms are safe to eat, without being a guinea pig?
Dr. Gourmet Says...
There is a saying amongst wild mushroom fanciers: "There are old wild mushroom hunters and bold mushroom eaters, but no old, bold wild mushroom hunters."
I think that one of the best websites is MykoWeb, although it is focused more on California hunting. There are a lot of books that you should take as a guide if you are going mushroom hunting, and that website reviews them.
The Ohio State University has a quick Fact Sheet on Wild Mushrooms that is a great place to start. Again, this is localized to Ohio but there are many mushrooms that might grow where you live. There are very helpful pictures to help with identification.
Be careful,
Timothy S. Harlan, MD, FACP, CCMS
Dr. Gourmet