Originally Posted by
1Nanoo
Sewbizgirl, I am from AR, and have always been cautioned not to eat wild mushrooms because some of the varieties that grow here are so similar in appearance, but some of them are deadly. I just buy canned or fresh mushrooms from the stores.
I agree with you. You can get very sick off of some wild mushrooms and it's always a good idea to positively identify what you are picking. We have all kinds of mushrooms that grow in our area and there are a couple around here that are downright deadly. I've tried some of the Boletes, which are safe, but other than that, I steer clear of anything that I don't know and stick with the Chanterelles. I don't eat anything with true gills.
That being said, Chanterelles are very easy to identify and there aren't any dangerous look-alikes to Chanterelles that grow in our area. Plus, I go to the same patches every year, so I feel pretty safe eating the ones that I find. I haven't gotten sick yet. Chanterelles are also very special because they can't be commercially grown...you can only find them in the wild.
Yesterday, I made "Chantie steaks," by seasoning them like you would beef steaks, pressing them between 2 cast iron pans and cooking them over a high heat. Soooooo good!
~ C