Abundance: Uncommon
What: fruiting body (above ground parts)
How: Cooked
Where: Yards, leaf litter
When: spring, summer, fall
Nutritional Value: selenium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin B6
Dangers: All wild mushrooms must be cooked before eating
COLLECTING MUSHROOM REQUIRES 100% CERTAINTY. WWW.FORAGINGTEXAS.COM ACCEPTS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR IDENTIFICATION ERRORS BY ANY READERS.
Shaggy mane aka ink cap beginning to "deliquesce" or convert into ink goo.
A cluster of shaggy manes at different stages, from perfect eating to almost completely deliquesced.
One can try taking a spore print by setting the cap bottom-down on a piece a microscope slide or other piece of clear, colorless glass and then wait overnight. However, ink caps mainly spread their spores in the ink that they turn into, rather than dropping them from the gills, so most likely you'll just get a gooey, black puddle.
Harvesting triggers this melting, so be ready to cook them soon after picking. They can be used in all the traditional mushroom recipes but as with all wild mushrooms, they must be cooked to help break down their chitin, making it more digestible. Uncooked chitin causes stomach issues in many people. My personal favorite way to use them is in red sauces over pasta.
Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.
What: fruiting body (above ground parts)
How: Cooked
Where: Yards, leaf litter
When: spring, summer, fall
Nutritional Value: selenium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin B6
Dangers: All wild mushrooms must be cooked before eating
COLLECTING MUSHROOM REQUIRES 100% CERTAINTY. WWW.FORAGINGTEXAS.COM ACCEPTS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR IDENTIFICATION ERRORS BY ANY READERS.
Growth Form: Coprinus comatus typically grows in groups, but can also be found as solitary specimens.
Cap Shape and Size: The cap is cylindrical when young, becoming an elongated bell-shaped with age, measuring 2 to 6 inches tall and 1 to 2 inches in diameter. It is white with shaggy scales.
Gills or Pores: The gills are closely spaced, free from the stem, and initially white, turning pink and then black as they mature.
Stipe Characteristics: The stem is 2 to 6 inches long and 0.4 to 0.8 inches thick, white, and hollow. It lacks a ring.
Odor: This mushroom has a mild, pleasant odor.
Bruising: The cap and gills liquefy and turn black with age or when bruised.
Spore Color: The spore print is black.
Substrate and Habitat: It is found on lawns, gardens, and occasionally in woods, particularly on disturbed grounds rich in organic material.
Other Characteristics: Notable for its rapid maturation and deliquescence (self-digestion), with the cap liquefying from the bottom up soon after being picked or when mature.
Shaggy manes at the perfect time to harvest.
Shaggy mane aka ink cap mushrooms are considered to be an excellent "beginner" fungi for those who are just learning to hunt mushrooms. No other mushroom has a similar elongated, scaly cap so identification is very easy. If still unsure, pick it and watch it turn into a black, inky goo over the next 4-8 hours. Once it starts "melting" you can no longer eat it, but at least you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you were right. Also, they tend to reappear in the same locations time and again, so check the spot after heavy spring, summer, and fall thunderstorms.
These mushrooms grow out of the ground rather than on dead wood or cow poop. They like both traditional lawns that haven't been sprayed with poisons, as well as among the fallen leaves of hardwood forests. They have a short window of growth, with three days being the outer limit. As mentioned above, seeking them the day after heavy thunderstorms is your best bet.
Harvesting triggers this melting, so be ready to cook them soon after picking. They can be used in all the traditional mushroom recipes but as with all wild mushrooms, they must be cooked to help break down their chitin, making it more digestible. Uncooked chitin causes stomach issues in many people. My personal favorite way to use them is in red sauces over pasta.
Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.
