Popping up at the base trees, along roadsides and in people’s backyards are rare and edible
mushrooms. On this episode we take a look at the Top 10 edible mushrooms you’ve never
heard of.
Number ten, Orange Milkcap.
A rare find in the woods, the Saffron orange milkcap as it’s also called is a spotty
orange mushroom that tastes of pine nuts. Grown under mediterranean pines and through
the mediterranean basin this mushroom is found in Portugal, Cyprus, Italy, France, Greece
and most notably Ireland and Britain. They prefer to grow under trees with acidic soil
like birch, spruce and pine. There are at least 5 species of milkcap mushrooms that
produce natural rubber, with that said among the milkcap some are edible like the orange
milkcap where others are poisonous. When cut, or processed the gills under the cap will
release a milky orange latex which is where it gets its name. Measuring 2 inches or 5
cm in diameter the orange milkcap while edible has a slightly unpleasant odor. The milky
latex offers a bitter experience with a faint yet pleasant taste that is reminiscent of
pine nuts. Known for having a crisp texture, some describe notes of radish detected among
it’s flavour. Best eaten when they are younger as they’ll get firmer with age, they are
sauteed up with garlic, salt and pepper, salted and pickled or fried with onions and red wine.
A more traditional method of preparation has them marinated with olive oil and lemon and
cooked on charcoal.
Number nine, Inky Cap. First described by this old timer French naturalist
Pierre Bulliard in 1786, the inky cap or common ink cap grows in tufts. Found in the northern
hemisphere, North America, Europe, Asia but also found in South Africa and Australia at
the Royal Botanic gardens in Sydney and around Lake Torrens.These mushrooms will grow after
rainfall from spring to autumn in meadows, open terrain, disturbed ground, grasslands
usually associated with buried wood. in urban environments they are found on lawns, parks
and vacant lots. This mushroom’s desire to grow is often stronger than asphalt and
tennis court floors, bursting through these man made surfaces to reach sunlight.
Fruiting several times per year, they develop with a bell shaped mushroom cap that will
eventually flatten out completely before disintegrating. Reaching 1-3 inches or 3-7 cm in diameter
and sporting a grey or brownish cap, the inky cap is never to be mixed with alcohol. When
consumed even a few hours after drinking alcohol one will experience disulfiram syndrome, a
condition that will cause nausea, vomiting, tingling limbs, palpitations and even heart
attack. Tippler’s bane is a term used to describe its heightened sensitivity to alcohol.
These mushroom doesn’t taste very good and have a bit of a metallic taste to them. The
younger inky caps taste better, the blackened areas tend to have a more bitter taste to
them. Mixing these into a meal well tend to turn it black from the ink released. Boiling
them first will remove most of the black color if that’s a problem for you.
These mushrooms have been shown to absorb heavy metals like cadmium, arsenic and mercury
from the soil making them an ideal thing to grow on contaminated pieces of land. Offering
anti-tumor and anti-viral effects and the ability to modulate immune system activity
this mushroom offers some unique benefits.
Number eight, Pine Mushroom. Originating from the northern Yunnan and Tibetan
Region or more specifically the Ura Valley in central Bhutan, the matsutake or Chinese
and Japanese pine mushroom is found in other regions of the world today. Europe and North
America such as the Washington and British Columbian Coastlines are home to this sought
after mushroom. Prized in Japanese, Chinese and Korean cuisine, the highest grade Japanese
Matsutake at the beginning of the season sells for $2200 / lbs or $1000 / kg. Eventually
dropping down to the normal market value of $200 / lbs or $90 / kg this mushroom commands
a high price due to their rarity. Having specific requirements to grow, foragers and wild animals
like rabbits, deer and squirrels all compete for them.
Having a spicy-aromatic odor, with an acquired taste that will overpower any other mushrooms
in a dish the matsutake are typically cooked in soy sauce, dry sherry or sugar than roasted
until golden brown. Pickled, added to rice or cabbage, they don’t mix well with heavy
cream sauces but are a welcome addition to savory dishes.
These mushrooms become waterlogged and heavy when washed directly under the tap. It’s
best to wipe them with a damp cloth instead. The pine mushroom is loaded with vitamins
and minerals, anticancer properties with no adverse side effects that many drugs have.
Number seven, Blewits.
The blewit or wood blewit is a violet colored mushroom from europe and north america. Found
in coniferous and deciduous woodlands, it was first described by Pierre Bulliard, this
guy with the flowing locks, in 1790. Cultivated in France, Britain and the Netherlands it
was also introduced into Australia. This mushroom’s mycelium tends to grown among organic matter
like decaying leaves. Younger blewits will have a purplish | violet coloring to it, as
they age they’ll turn a brownish tan color. Most notably the gills on the underside of
the cap will be purple in color which is the indicator they are a blewit. When one is spotted
multiple will be found often paired with chanterelles. Their saede like cap measures 1.5 to 8 inches
or 4 - 20 cm in diameter that features a unique pinkish spore print. They do a have a poisonous
look a like called the Cortinarius which has a rusty redish color to them.
Being available late summer through to the beginner of winter across North America, it’s
a fairly safe mushroom to identify successfully. Offering a mild but pleasant aroma, they are
often cooked in a cream sauce, eaten in a stew, and sauteed and eaten for breakfast.
A more normal tasting mushroom with a slippery texture they have a nice chewyness to them
that would act as a good meat replacement. When it comes to flavour wild blewits are
said to taste much better than cultivated ones. Some people will have an allergic reaction
to eating this mushroom which happens most often when consumed raw.
Number six, Coral Tooth Fungus. This mushroom is commonly known as comb tooth
or coral tooth fungus for it’s close appearance to marine coral. Found in the woods from august
to october, the comb tooth mushroom is 13 inches or 35 cm wide by 6 inches or 15 cm
tall with the teeth being less than ½ an inch or 1 cm long.
Originating from a single point this fungus spreads across decaying wood and grows in
these coral clusters. They are found growing on dead hardwood trees like maple beech and
birch, white specimens are the ones to look for. As they age the teeth or combs will turn
yellow, this discoloration will change the taste of the coral tooth fungus to be sour
and unpleasant. For this reason it is recommended they be eaten when they are young and soft,
as they age they become brittle and tough with hanging spines. Best harvesting practices
suggest cutting the comb tooth off in one piece near the base.
Number five, Horse mushroom.
Described in 1762 by this crusty old aristocrat, Jacob Christian Schaffer, the horse mushroom
is found in Britain, Iran, and North America. In New Zealand they are called snowball mushrooms
where as in Australia it’s called Almond mushroom. They are frequently found near stables
as they grow well in horse manure but also in meadows. They may form fairy rings or a
naturally occurring ring of mushrooms that can span across a couple dozen feet. When
searching for these mushrooms in the wild, nettles are often found growing in the space
space as they both enjoy nutrient rich soil. Roadsides and spruce trees also provide a
home for the horse mushroom which appears in summer until the end of autumn.
To identify them the gills change in color from white to a chocolate brown color, when
white these mushrooms are often confused with the deadly genus Amanita or yellow stainer.
Having the scent of anise these mushrooms are prized as one of the most delicious edible
mushrooms yet they often have build up of heavy metals like copper and cadmium. Being
a good substitute for a portobello in a recipe, they are also good in risotto, soups and savory
dishes.
Number four, Caesar’s Mushroom . Hailing from southern europe, north africa
and mexico the caesar’s mushroom is also found in La Esperanza, Honduras where an annual
festival celebrates this mushroom. A favorite mushroom of early Roman Empire rulers hence
the name Caesar’s mushroom, Roman’s called it Boletus, which is a name used today for
a completely different mushroom. A personal favorite of Roman emperor Claudius, this red
capped fungus is found growing in oak woodlands and along old roman roads. Having an orange
cap and yellow gills this mushroom can span up to half a foot in diameter and height.
Another indicator of the caesar’s mushroom is the thick stipe that tapers upwards.
The Amanita muscaria or fly agaric is the poisonous look a like of the caesar’s mushroom.
The white gills of the fly agaric fall off as they age where the caesar’s mushroom’s
will fade to an orange color
Another mushroom on this list containing heavy metals, cadmium levels were found to be 4
times higher within samples than the allowed limit of cultivated mushrooms. Lead was also
present that exceeded safety levels. A delicious tasting mushroom but not always sought after
due to the deadly look a like. An enjoyed fungus of Mexico, they prepare it by roasting
this mushroom with epazote.
Number three, Fly Agaric. Since we are already talking about the fly
agaric we might as well dive a little deeper. This poisonous yet edible mushroom, you heard
that right, has only had a handful of deaths from it’s consumption. This mushroom’s
poision delivers a hallucinogenic effect which has resulted in an entire culture built around
getting a trip off of these mushrooms.
Enjoyed in Russian, Italy, Scandinavia, and Central Europe this mario mushroom is one
of the easiest mushrooms in the world to identify. The bright white spots will yellow with age
or be possibly washed away by rain. The name fly agaric comes from medieval times when
they would use it to kill flies by breaking it into pieces in milk or sprinkling with
sugar.
Found from August to November in Europe and June to October in North America, this mushroom
is eaten by reindeer and associated with christmas in Europe.
To safely prepare it for consumption, boil them in large volumes of water until all the
red color is gone and all that’s left is a yellowish tint. At this point the water
will have absorbed all the toxins and needs to be discarded. You are free to cook them
up as you will after this with the prefered method being fried or pickled. The taste isn’t
exceptionally good or bad more or less tasting like a normal mushroom.
Number two, brown slime cap. A tasty name indeed, the brown slime cap or
copper spike was first described by once again Jacob Christian Shaffer in 1774, this guy
was like the mushroom king of his era. An edible mushroom but one that isn’t highly
regarded the copper spike is 6 inches or 15 cm wide with an iconic metallic sheen that
can be seen when it’s sunny. Having a red wine pale tinted cap with thick gills that
change from greyish white to a dirty purple hue as it ages, this mushroom’s flesh will
change color from orange to violet when chewed.
Being virtually odorless and tasteless, the brown slime cap is best enjoyed dried then
added to savory dishes. Another good chewy mushroom that operates as a meat substitute,
the lack of taste will ensure added texture only. Thai curry is a choice dish for the
brown slime cap offering a more dense tofu like experience to the dish.
Number one, Red Cage. Originating in mediterranean climates and
grown in northern europe the red cage is also found in the english channel among wood chips.
In the united states they can be spotted in San Francisco. Other names include latticed
stinkhorn and basket stinkhorn which are derived from their magnificent latticed matrix. Light
red on the outside with a glowing amber on the inside the red cage fungus is one we know
dates back to 1597. John Gerard this dude with the sweet ruffle collared shirt produced
a woodcut art piece called Great Herball in 1597 among others he later created.
Grown in an egg like structure this mushroom will eventually hatch and open up into the
world which may only take a few hours. Before hatching the mushroom is edible but not great
eating. After it breaks free of its shell this red lattice shaped fungus will start
to fester and decay. This process draws in flies who will eat the slime on the inside
of the mushroom that smells of rotting meat and in turn will spread the spores of the
mushroom to grow elsewhere. The flies are needed to carry the spores around as they
can’t be carried by the wind. This all happens within 1 or 2 days as the life cycle of this
mushroom fruit body is very short.
Taking photos or video of this mushroom out of it’s egg shell is a difficult task. Not
only do they only live for a day or 2 but the smell makes it unbearable to be around
them. Grown in mulch sometimes found in people’s backyard this is one of the rarest edible
mushrooms on the planet.
Which one of these mushrooms would you like to try the most? Be sure to employ the help
of a mushroom expert if you want to try any of these. l I hope you enjoyed this episode,
if you are feeling like subscribing to a channel today, consider ours and until the next one,
have a good one.