My first experience with eating foraged mushrooms! After all this rain, I found a group of enormous mushrooms growing in the under the raspberries.
The mushrooms are around 8 to 10 inches wide and are are growing in wood-chip mulch that is a mix of elm and maple (I think) from trees we cut down. Under the wood chips is fairly rich soil (formerly wooded land along a swale).
I had no clue what kind of mushrooms these were but I was curious so I joined a mushroom identification group on Facebook. This group has expert members that help both beginner enthusiasts as well as providing expertise when people need a fast identification in case of possible toxic exposure (as for example when someone’s dog or toddler might have eaten a poisonous mushroom).
Identification from the Facebook group: These are Stropharia rugosoannulata forma lutea. Common name is Wine cap mushrooms in their yellow capped form. They are a cultivated edible that grows in wood chips.
Edible!!! Confirmed a safer choice for a found mushroom (they are distinctive). I sauteed them up in some extra-virgin olive oil with Himalayan salt and fresh ground black pepper. Delicious!
Warning: Do not eat mushrooms you have found in the wild unless you have an absolutely positive identification from an authoritative source. Toxic mushrooms can look exactly like a “safe to eat” mushroom, and even experienced mushroom foragers have died from mistakenly eating a misidentified mushroom.
Resources: