December has been the month of mushrooms.I cannot remember seeing so many mushrooms sprouting up as I've seen in the past month. All conditions must have been perfect for these interesting fungi. Our neighborhood has several grassy areas and some lawns. The grassy areas have hordes of tiny pale tan mushrooms on one to two-inch stems. They look quite fragile but have stayed around for weeks. One neighbor has about 10 rather large mushrooms in the typical toadstool form. These mushrooms are on white stems with red caps spotted with white dots. I'm pretty sure neither of these types of mushrooms in our neighborhood are edible. I'll be happy when they disappear for the season.
If you'd like to learn more about mushrooms in our area the Kitsap Peninsula Mycological Society has a website, a Facebook page and the Society meets regularly on the third Thursday of the month at the I.O.O.F. Hall at 100 South Dora in Bremerton. Doors open at 6 p.m. for mushroom identification, socializing and perusing of the mushroom resource library. Memberships are only $20 per year payable at the beginning of each year. The next two upcoming meetings are on January 19 and February 16. Most meetings have a speaker on varying mushroom topics. Visit www.kitsapmushrooms.org to view the very thorough website with myriad links to information about mushrooms.
The very best way to learn about mushrooms is to study them with a knowledgeable expert. The Kitsap Peninsula Mycological Society is an excellent first step on this journey. I recently purchased "Mushrooming with Confidence" by Alexander Schwab. The book is subtitled "A Guide to Collecting Edible and Tasty Mushrooms." Every page shows beautiful photographs with detailed information. I've always been fascinated by mushrooms and the images in the book with the details on each section of the mushroom intrigued me. However, I would never, ever attempt to harvest mushrooms without one of my mushroom hunting expert friends as a guide.
If you have pets and children it's best to avoid touching mushrooms. If you suspect that your pet has eaten a harmful mushroom immediately take your pet to the vet and bring along a sample of the mushroom. If your child eats a mushroom bring the mushroom along with you and your child to the emergency room or urgent care center. If you have pets or children it's best to remove mushrooms from areas where pets and children would be tempted to sample them. Wear gloves, deposit the mushrooms in plastic or paper bags and dispose of them in the trash. Then be sure to wash your own hands thoroughly when the task is completed.
Visit americanmushrooms.com/toxicms.htm created and maintained by David Fischer which is a very complete website with the heading "A detailed look at America's poisonous mushrooms." The site says, "Of the thousands and thousands of mushrooms in the United States only about 250 are significantly poisonous." That's indeed a bit comforting. Click on the captions at the top of the page to see photos and explanations of the myriad types of mushrooms found in our yards, lawns, gardens and in nature. It's a fascinating website.
Did you know you can actually grow your own tasty mushrooms. A local northwest entrepreneur Paul Stamets founded Fungi Perfecti. He's appeared locally teaching classes on growing mushrooms and is known nationally. Visit www.fungi.com/ for a list of upcoming speaking engagements and classes. Supplies can be ordered from Fungi Perfecti, along with instructive books on how to grow your own tasty and healthy mushrooms.
Mushrooms are one of nature's decomposers. They have also been used in phytoremediation to clean up polluted sites. To learn more about this topic you may wish to visit one of our many local libraries and check out "Mycelium Running" subtitled "How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World" by Stamets. The website is also packed with information about this topic.
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