great finds, Tracy    

I usually find puffballs past their prime;  the only others I'm confident about are the morels in the spring.....

I used to work for the University of Michigan; in the mollusk division. Right down the hall was the mycology department.
I met a half dozen new heads of the lab there- and I would say 'what happened to Larry?' or 'what happened to Carl?' ( past heads of the department).
Time and time again I would get the answer that 'it turns out if you eat mushroom x and mushroom c- it kills you'.
Morels can knock you into another dimension if they are not cooked; oyster mushrooms eaten dried but not cooked can help acquaint you with your bathroom.
As mentioned - get a book; and learn about mushrooms. In doubt- don't eat it. And when you do eat a new mushroom to you-- try a small bite first to see if its the chamber with a bullet in it for your physiology.

I love mushrooms- but I only eat what I know for certain I can eat.

Keep in mind too; that its like drinking tequila - you know; one mushroom two mushrooms three mushrooms ....floor.
 In other words some mushrooms are toxic to some people at a lower level than others might encounter.

I have a neighbor that used to own an ambulance company. He worked race tracks; and concerts. When he worked Greatful dead concerts he always took cans of sauerkraut with him; as with many people a couple fork fulls of it would bring people down off magic mushroom overdoses in a quick second.
I don't know if that works for any other mushroom; but in a pinch; I would try it rather than drop dead or risk running out of toilet paper.

Some mushrooms can be used for dyes for leather and cloth; and its worth getting a book to inform you of whats what out there.

.....this is the new head of the mycology department.....  

Good to see you up and in the woods Tracy...
Those are some nice mushrooms.

That's good info Brian. There are many Mushrooms that are edible at different stages of their growth. I have some large Toadstools that grow in My yard every fall. They get about a foot talland are claimed to be one of the most delicious Mushrooms in the world. But 1 ounce will kill a human in less than 1 hour with total organ shutdown.

I have a friend who can't eat even 1 Morel. He has a extremly low tolerance for them. Luckily I don't suffer from that cause I love Morels.

Good find...Chantrelles are the only shroom I know to pick,but while I have been on the lookout,I haven't found any YET!!!  

Another good fall shroom is the Sheepshead.
Sorry I don't have a pic, but they get as big as Hen of the Woods but are colored more like Chanterelles

Check out morelmushroomhunting.com, or mushroomexpert.com. Good info on all kinds of mushrooms. Morels and chanterelles are easily identified, and probably the safest for the amateur.

Several years ago my place had chanterelles by the basket-full, but there have been practically none since. Last spring I found over 100 morels here. Still some in the freezer. Venison chops with a morel cream sauce... nothing better on the planet! The last package of chops will be thawing shortly. The halved morels can go in the pan still frozen.

Cool find, Tracy. Thanks for the info.

For what it's worth, I believe the sheepshead and the hen of the woods are one in the same.  They come in several different colors like many mushrooms do.  

I found a bunch of horse mushrooms this morning.  Half of them are frying in butter and onion as I type this and the other half will go into beef stew tomorrow.

Edit for an update.  Oh my gosh, I just had the horse mushrooms sauteed in butter and onion with a splash of seasoned salt.  Whoa brother, they're delicious, truly some of the best I've ever eaten.

Alright Gangreen, You can't say it's the best You've ever eaten and not show a pic. I've never heard of a horse mushroom and am curious what it looks like.
Thanks

OK, ask and ye shall receive.  Here you go bretto, horse mushrooms.  The "collar" around the stem, the pinkish-brown gills and a chocolate brown spore print are the identifiers.  They're typically in and around people's yards and can often be found under or near spruce trees.  I've had them before and thought they were good but not unlike the button mushrooms you buy at the store but these ones were knock your socks off delicious.

 

Know your stuff- deadly amanitas have a passing resemblance to the "horse mushrooms" in the picture.

Old saying: "There are old mushroom hunters, and bold mushroom hunters, but there are no old bold mushroom hunters".

I only go for the morels in the spring and the beefsteaks and black velvets in the fall. they are the only ones that are non mistakeable to me.they say that there are tons of edible mushrooms that are edible if you know what your looking for. but i dont so ill stick with my select few.

Yes, There are alot of mushrooms you can eat just be careful and know 100%    

Tracy

Don, you're correct about the amanitas.  The horse mushroom will give a brown spore print and the amanitas a white print.  Be careful.

Hows this for a puffball? It was starting to get soft and I won't eat them in that stage to risky.

nurayb, Your right I live close to Lawrence good catch and that should answer you question Lucas as to were I'm at.

It's good to see we have some fellow mushroom hunters out there.

Tracy

Dang Tress looks like you in that pic bud!

I kinda thought so too when I posted it.    

He just bought his first house and moves in a couple of weeks, Dang I'm getting old
   

Tracy

Your not old Tracy, your just "experienced"    :D

yeah, Tracy....weddings, grandkids, houses....

Where's my cane, I think I left it layin' on my rockin' chair.....