Our Edible Toadstools And Mushrooms And How To Distinguish Them - free ebook by W. Hamilton (William Hamilton) Gibson

Read as playlist

Our Edible Toadstools And Mushrooms And How To Distinguish Them

W. Hamilton (William Hamilton) Gibson

81 chapters

4 hour read

Read as playlist

Selected Chapters

81 chapters

Our Edible Toadstools and Mushroomsand How to Distinguish Them

Our Edible Toadstools and Mushroomsand How to Distinguish Them

A Selection of Thirty Native Food Varieties Easily Recognisable by their Marked Individualities, with Simple Rules for the Identification of Poisonous Species By W. HAMILTON GIBSON WITH THIRTY COLORED PLATES AND FIFTY-SEVEN OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR NEW YORK HARPER &amp; BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 1895 THE WORKS OF W. HAMILTON GIBSON. ILLUSTRATED BY THE AUTHOR. SHARP EYES . A Rambler's Calendar among Birds, Insects, and Flowers. 8vo, $5.00. HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS ; or, Saunterings in New E

24 minute read

Read Chapter

POPULAR TESTS REFUTED

POPULAR TESTS REFUTED

Pleasant taste and odor (1) is a conspicuous feature in the regular "mushroom" ( Agaricus campestris ), and most other edible fungi, but as a criterion for safety it is a mockery. The deadly Agaricus amanita , already mentioned, has an inviting odor and to most people a pleasant taste when raw, and being cooked and eaten gives no token of its fatal resources until from six to twelve hours after, when its unfortunate victim is past hope. ( See p. 68 .) The ready peeling of the skin (2) is one of

7 minute read

Read Chapter

"A POISONOUS MUSHROOM"

"A POISONOUS MUSHROOM"

A fungus may be poisonous in various ways: 1. A distinct and certain deadly poison. 2. The cause of violent digestive or other functional disturbance, but not necessarily fatal. 3. The occasion of more or less serious physical derangement through mere indigestibility. 4. Productive of similar disorders through the employment of decayed or wormy specimens of perfectly esculent species. 5. These same esculent species, even in their fresh condition, may become highly noxious by contact or conf

4 minute read

Read Chapter

RULES FOR THE VENTURESOME

RULES FOR THE VENTURESOME

1. Avoid every mushroom having a cup , or suggestion of such, at base (see Frontispiece , and Plates 3 and 4 ); the distinctly fatal poisons are thus excluded. 2. Exclude those having an unpleasant odor, a peppery, bitter, or other unpalatable flavor, or tough consistency. 3. Exclude those infested with worms, or in advanced age or decay. 4. In testing others which will pass the above probation let the specimen be kept by itself , not in contact with or enclosed in the same basket with other

5 minute read

Read Chapter

MUSHROOM POISONING

MUSHROOM POISONING

In conclusion, lest these pages, in spite of the impress of caution with which they are weighted, should lead to discomfiture, distress, or more serious results among their more careless readers, it is well to devote a few lines to directions for medical treatment where such should seem to be required. To this end I quote a passage from an article in the Therapeutic Gazette of May, 1893, from the pen of Mr. McIlvaine, whose many years' experience with gastronomic fungi entitles his words to care

7 minute read

Read Chapter

THE POISONOUS FLY-MUSHROOM

THE POISONOUS FLY-MUSHROOM

Agaricus (Amanita) muscarius This, one of the most strikingly beautiful of our toadstools, is figured in Plate 4 . Its brilliant cap of yellow, orange, or even scarlet, studded with white or grayish raised spots, can hardly be unfamiliar to even the least observant country walker. Its favorite habitat is the woods, and, in the writer's experience especially, beneath hemlocks and poplars, where he has seen this species year after year in whole companies, and in all stages shown in the plate at th

5 minute read

Read Chapter

THE POISONOUS ALKALOID

THE POISONOUS ALKALOID

The toxic and deadly effects of certain mushroom poisons, as already described, have been known since ancient times; and the prolonged intoxicating debauches to-day prevalent among the Amanita dipsomaniacs of Northern Russia and Kamchatka, consequent upon the allurements of the decoction of the fly-agaric, are well-known matters of history. The true chemical character of this poison, however, was not discovered until 1868, when it was successfully isolated by chemical analyses of Drs. Vigier, Sc

18 minute read

Read Chapter

CLASSIFICATION OF FUNGI

CLASSIFICATION OF FUNGI

A fungus is a cellular cryptogamous (flowerless) plant, nourished through its spawn or mycelium in place of roots, living in air, and propagated by spores. Fungi— mycetes —are naturally subdivided into two great divisions: 1. Sporifera —those in which the spores or reproductive bodies are naked or soon exposed, as shown in illustration on page 79 . 2. Sporidiifera —in which the spores are enveloped in sacs or asci . These resemble in shape the cystidium of illustration on page 79 . The first of

1 minute read

Read Chapter

AGARICINI

AGARICINI

In this order the hymenium, or spore-bearing surface, is inferior, i.e. , on the under side of the pileus, and is spread over lamellæ or gills, which radiate from the stem of the fungus, and each of which may be separated into two filmy flat divisions. On the opposite page is shown an Agaric in vertical section, disclosing a full side view of the gills. A highly magnified view of this gill-surface is indicated herewith, duly indexed, the sporophore being shown in the act of shedding its spores f

52 minute read

Read Chapter

MEADOW MUSHROOM

MEADOW MUSHROOM

Agaricus campestris Perhaps the one species which enjoys the widest range of popular confidence as the "mushroom" in the lay mind, as distinguished from "toadstool," is the Agaricus campestris , known as the "meadow mushroom" (Plate 5). It is the species commonly exposed in our markets. Its cultivation is an important industry, but it often yields an enormous spontaneous harvest in its native haunts. The plate shows a cluster of the mushrooms in their various stages of development, the detached

9 minute read

Read Chapter

HORSE-MUSHROOM

HORSE-MUSHROOM

Agaricus arvensis This other and larger variety, so readily confounded with the Campestris, demands further and more detailed description. It may frequently be found growing in company with the former, and so closely do the two kinds merge in specimens of equal size that it is often a puzzle to separate the species. Indeed, as already mentioned by some mycologists, the larger form is considered merely as a variety of the Campestris. The accompanying plate (5) may well serve as a portrait of this

2 minute read

Read Chapter

ST. GEORGE'S MUSHROOM

ST. GEORGE'S MUSHROOM

Agaricus gambosus Another very common example of mushroom in its season of early spring is the Agaricus gambosus , or St. George's mushroom, as it is popularly styled in Great Britain, from its usual appearance about the time of St. George's Day, April 23d. In addition to its unusually early season, which is the same with us, and which at this date would be a valuable hint in its identification, it has also the singular habit of growing in rings or clustered in crescents, after the manner of the

2 minute read

Read Chapter

TRUE FAIRY-RING CHAMPIGNON

TRUE FAIRY-RING CHAMPIGNON

Marasmius oreades I remember, as a boy, summer after summer observing upon a certain spot upon our lawn this dense, and at length scattering, ring of tiny yellowish mushrooms, and the aroma, as they simmered on the kitchen stove, is an appetizing memory. This species is very common, and inasmuch as it is likely to be confounded with two noxious varieties, it is advisable to bring in prominent contrast the characters of the true and the false. The true Fairy-ring Champignon is pictured in Plate 8

4 minute read

Read Chapter

FALSE OR POISON CHAMPIGNON

FALSE OR POISON CHAMPIGNON

Marasmius urens There are two other species of mushroom which might possibly be mistaken for the above by the casual eye, but which are easily distinguishable on careful examination. The first of these is the false Champignon (Plate 9, fig. 1). The most important distinguishing features are italicized. They will be seen to afford a striking contrast to the true edible species in these especial characters. The pileus is pale buff, convex, central mound absent; the cap varies from one-half to one

2 minute read

Read Chapter

THE PASTURE MUSHROOM

THE PASTURE MUSHROOM

Agaricus (Lepiota) procerus One of the most readily recognized of our wild mushrooms is the pasture or parasol Agaric ( Agaricus procerus ), a cluster of which in various stages of development is shown in Plate 10. It is frequently abundant in pasture-lands, and is occasionally found in woods. Its conspicuous cap sometimes measures six inches or more in diameter, the centre being abruptly raised in a mound. The pileus is at first egg-shaped. The color of the full specimen is pale-brown or buff,

2 minute read

Read Chapter

THE RUSSULA GROUP

THE RUSSULA GROUP

Among the wild species of mushrooms which the novice might possibly mistake for the common "mushroom" of the markets—which is popularly supposed to be the only edible variety, as distinguished from "toadstools"—is the Russula group. They are extremely frequent in our woods from spring to late autumn, and have many features in common. Their caps vary in color from a gray-green, suggesting cheese-mould, to olive-red, scarlet-red, and purplish. The gills are generally of the same length, or practic

1 minute read

Read Chapter

THE GREEN RUSSULA

THE GREEN RUSSULA

Agaricus (Russula) virescens Our first species, the green Russula, is to be found throughout the summer in hard-wood groves, and is apt to frequent the same immediate locality from year to year. I know one such veritable mushroom bed in the woods near by, where I am almost certain of my mess of Russulæ almost any day in their season. This species is shown in its various stages of development and also in section in Plate 11. Its substance is firm and solid creamy white . The pileus, at first almo

3 minute read

Read Chapter

PURPLE RUSSULA

PURPLE RUSSULA

Russula lepida RUSSULA LEPIDA—CONTORTED AND CRACKED PILEUS This, perhaps the most common species, is figured in Plate 12, fig. 3. It corresponds with the foregoing in size as well as in general shape, firm texture, and friable nature of the gills. The pileus of this species frequently assumes eccentric shapes, or is often cracked, as seen in the accompanying cut. Its name of "purple" is probably local in its application, as it is known also as the red Russula, neither of which titles is at all d

2 minute read

Read Chapter

YELLOW-GILLED RUSSULA

YELLOW-GILLED RUSSULA

Russula alutacea Our third example of the Russula is one which is also quite common in our woods, and which might in the extreme variation of its color be confounded with the last by a careless observer, as indeed both might be still further confounded with the poisonous member bearing the red tint, and which will be hereafter considered. The Russula alutacea (Pl. 12, figs. 2, 4, 6) is a delicious species. In general size and contour it resembles the foregoing. The color of the cap varies from b

1 minute read

Read Chapter

VARIOUS-GILLED RUSSULA

VARIOUS-GILLED RUSSULA

Russula heterophylla Growing in company with both of the above is frequently to be seen another species, which is somewhat protean in its accomplishments of color, but which in the character of its gills, as implied in its scientific name, gives us a ready means of identification— heterophylla —various-leaved (Pl. 12, figs. 1 and 5). In the previous examples of Russulæ the gills have been commonly straight, continuous from stem to edge of cap, or more rarely forked and continuous in the bifurcat

2 minute read

Read Chapter

POISONOUS OR EMETIC MUSHROOM

POISONOUS OR EMETIC MUSHROOM

Russula emetica The variability in the coloring of the three edible species already described brings them occasionally into such close similarity with the gamut of color of the one common poisonous species of the group that this enemy must also be familiarized ere we venture too confidently upon our Russula diet. The Russula emetica (Plate 13), as its name implies, is at war with luxurious gastronomy, but its distinction from the harmless varieties is, after all, quite simple. Its frequent gener

2 minute read

Read Chapter

THE OYSTER MUSHROOM

THE OYSTER MUSHROOM

Agaricus ostreatus What a mass of nutritious food do we occasionally pass in innocence or spurn with our foot upon the old stump or fallen log in the woods!—a neglected feast, indeed, if the specialists on edible fungi are to be believed; a feast, in truth, for a big family, if we chance upon even an average cluster of the "vegetable oyster," which is pictured in Plate 14 . I have commonly observed this species, the Agaricus ostreatus , in the autumn, and this is the season given for its appeara

2 minute read

Read Chapter

THE ELM MUSHROOM

THE ELM MUSHROOM

Agaricus ulmarius This edible species of mushroom, allied to the foregoing, and which grows in similar clusters on the elm-tree, is the Agaricus ulmarius (Plate 15). While much difference of opinion prevails regarding the appetizing qualities of this mushroom or its right to a place among the esculents, this varying individual judgment has doubtless often had direct reference to the character of the particular specimen chosen for trial. Dr. M. C. Cooke is not disposed to place a high appreciatio

2 minute read

Read Chapter

SHAGGY-MANE MUSHROOM

SHAGGY-MANE MUSHROOM

Coprinus comatus Upon a certain spot on the lawn of one of my neighbors, year after year, without fail, there springs up a most singular crop. For the first two seasons of its appearance it was looked upon with curious awe by the proprietors of the premises, and usually ignominiously spurned with the foot by the undiscriminating and destructive small boy. One day I observed about five pounds of this fungus delicacy thus scattered piecemeal about the grass, and my protest has since spared the ann

3 minute read

Read Chapter

INKY MUSHROOM

INKY MUSHROOM

Coprinus atramentarius In frequent company with the foregoing will be found another allied species, Coprinus atramentarius (Plate 17), with the same inky propensities, which is scarcely less delicious as an article of food. In this species the shaggy feature is absent, there being merely a few obscure slightly raised stains at the summit, of a brownish color. The stem is white and hollow. The surface of the pileus is smooth and of a Quaker-drab color, occasionally dirty-white, or with a slight s

1 minute read

Read Chapter

MILKY MUSHROOM

MILKY MUSHROOM

Lactarius deliciosus Prominent among the fungi which give unmistakable characters for their identification is the genus Lactarius, or milky mushrooms, another group of the agarics or gilled fungi, from which we will select for our first example the Lactarius deliciosus , or orange-milk Agaric (Plate 18). The figure will itself almost serve to identify it in its advanced open stage. Having found a specimen resembling our illustration, and anywhere from three to five inches in expanse, its general

2 minute read

Read Chapter

THE CHANTARELLE

THE CHANTARELLE

Cantharellus cibarius Bearing somewhat the shape of the Lactarius, but having its own distinguishing features, is the Chantarelle (Plate 19). The "Agarics," as already described on page 79 , are distinguished by the feature of the gills, or thin laminated curtains—the hymenium —upon which the spores are produced, and from which they are shed beneath the mushroom. These gills vary in thickness and number in the various species, and in one genus are so short, thick, swollen, and branched as to giv

4 minute read

Read Chapter

THE BOLETI

THE BOLETI

Tube mushrooms The structure of these mushrooms is clearly shown in Plate 38 , in my chapter on "Spore-prints," the hymenium being here spread upon the honey-combed pore surfaces, and shedding its spores from the tubes. Each of these tubes is distinct and may be separated from the mass. The ideal form as shown in Plate 20 is perfectly symmetrical, in which condition the pores would naturally be perpendicular. But this perfection seldom prevails, and we continually find the specimens more or less

3 minute read

Read Chapter

EDIBLE TUBE MUSHROOM

EDIBLE TUBE MUSHROOM

Boletus edulis The most prominent member of the Boleti is the typical species whose portrait I have given on Plate 20, "in vain calling himself ' edulis ,' where there were none to believe him." But in spite of this remark of Dr. Badham, which had reference especially to his native country, England, this fungus had long been a favorite article of food among a large class of the more lowly Europeans, to say nothing of the luxurious epicures of the continent. Boletus edulis is to be found singly o

3 minute read

Read Chapter

ROUGH-STEMMED BOLETUS

ROUGH-STEMMED BOLETUS

Boletus scaber This is a very common mushroom in our woods all through the summer and autumn, in reasonably moist weather. It is figured in Plate 21. The cap of an average specimen expands four inches or more, is of a brown or brownish buff color, and viscid when moist. The pore-surface is dingy white , the tube orifices being quite minute and round —not so conspicuously angular or honey-combed as in other species—and with occasional reddish stains, presumably a deposit from the floating spores

40 minute read

Read Chapter

THE YELLOW-CRACKED BOLETUS

THE YELLOW-CRACKED BOLETUS

Boletus subtomentosus The general contour of the present species— B. subtomentosus (Plate 22, fig. 1)—resembles the foregoing, but it is easily distinguished by the color of its cap and tube surface, the pileus being usually olive, olive-brown, or red of various shades; the color, however, does not extend to the flesh beneath the peeled cuticle, as in B. chrysenteron , Fig. 2. The surface is soft and dry—subtomentous—to the touch. Cracks in the cap become yellow, on which account this species is

3 minute read

Read Chapter

YELLOW-FLESHED BOLETUS

YELLOW-FLESHED BOLETUS

Boletus chrysenteron Among the toadstools which tradition would surely brand as poisonous on account of "bright color" is the common species whose name heads this paragraph, and which is illustrated in Plate 22, fig. 2. In its various shapes it suggests the preceding varieties. Its cap, however, is brownish red, often bright brick red . Flesh almost lemon-yellow , stained red just beneath the cuticle, and not noticeably changeable on fracture. Tube surface yellowish green , turning blue or bluis

51 minute read

Read Chapter

CONE-LIKE BOLETUS

CONE-LIKE BOLETUS

Strobilomyces strobilaceus Another allied species, not especially famous for its esculent qualities, but which is, nevertheless, not to be despised, is here introduced on account of its especially pronounced character (Plate 23)—the cone-like Boletus, or, more properly, Strobilomyces. It is of a brownish gray color, its shaggy surface more or less studded with deep brown or black woolly points, each at the centre of a scale-like segment. The tubes beneath are covered by the veil in the younger s

1 minute read

Read Chapter

SUSPICIOUS BOLETI

SUSPICIOUS BOLETI

Boletus felleus—B. alveolatus In Plate 24 are shown two examples of the Boleti which have commonly been accounted poisonous— B. felleus and B. alveolatus —and, in the absence of absolutely satisfactory assurance to the contrary, it is safer from our present point of view to consider them still as suspicious and to give them a wide berth. There can be no doubt but that the popular condemnation of the Boleti has been altogether too sweeping. The gradual accession of many questionable species to th

3 minute read

Read Chapter

THE VEGETABLE BEEFSTEAK

THE VEGETABLE BEEFSTEAK

Fistulina hepatica Our next member of the Polyporus order, or tube-bearing fungi, is a unique member of the fungus tribe, and cannot be mistaken for any other species. An example of this species is shown in Plate 25 , the beefsteak mushroom— Fistulina hepatica . The specimen from which my drawing was made was found growing at the foot of a chestnut-tree, and was about nine inches across by about two in greatest thickness. Its upper surface was dark meaty red or liver colored, somewhat wet, or vi

2 minute read

Read Chapter

THE SULPHUROUS POLYPORUS

THE SULPHUROUS POLYPORUS

Polyporus sulphureus Probably the most conspicuous member of our native polyporei remains to be considered among the esculents, though until recently it was included in the black list, Dr. Curtis, of North Carolina, I believe, having first demonstrated its edibility, though pronouncing it merely "tolerable." The brilliancy of its sulphur-yellow and orange-salmon colors, in association with its large size, renders it a most conspicuous object, especially from its habit of growing in dense cluster

8 minute read

Read Chapter

THE HEDGEHOG MUSHROOM

THE HEDGEHOG MUSHROOM

Hydnum repandum In this species, figured on Plate 27, bearing somewhat the contour of an Agaric, the spines are all confined to the lower surface of the expanded cap. The general color of the upper surface is buff, generally very pale, occasionally almost white. The spines being of similar hue, this color and the smoothness of texture have suggested the common popular English name of "doeskin mushroom." The flesh is firm and white or creamy, turning brownish when bruised. Its sweet but slightly

1 minute read

Read Chapter

THE MEDUSA HYDNUM

THE MEDUSA HYDNUM

H. caput-medusæ While driving through the White Mountain Notch, many years ago, I chanced upon a mass of cream-colored, fringy fungus growing upon a fallen beech-log by the side of the road. The fungus was then entirely new to me, and I lost no time in making a sketch of it, with notes. The growth covered a space possibly eighteen inches wide by eight in height, and I estimated it would weigh fully five pounds, its most marked feature being the dense growth of drooping spines. In my limited know

3 minute read

Read Chapter

THE CORAL OR CLUB FUNGUS

THE CORAL OR CLUB FUNGUS

Clavaria What frequenter of the summer and autumn woods has failed to observe that occasional dense cluster of creamy-colored, coral-like growth such as I have indicated at Plate 30 , and who has thought to gather up its fragile, succulent mass with designs on the cook? I have seen clusters of this fungus so dense and ample as to strikingly suggest a huge cauliflower, and representing many pounds in weight. But in the absence of popular appreciation it must needs decay by "whole hundred-weights"

3 minute read

Read Chapter

THE MOREL

THE MOREL

Morchella esculenta In decided contrast to any of the foregoing fungi, and of unmistakable aspect, is the famous Morel, Morchella esculenta (Plate 32). The Morel belongs to a cohort of fungi known as the Sporidiifera, in which the spores are enclosed in bag-like envelopes , in distinction to the Sporifera, in which the spores are naked and exposed , as shown in Plates 35 and 36 . These cysts, or bags, or asci , which resemble the cystidium in Plate 35, and in the family of Ascomycetes, to which

1 minute read

Read Chapter

HELVELLA

HELVELLA

Helvella crispa One of the most strikingly individual of all the mushrooms, and one which could not possibly be confounded with any other kind, is the example pictured in Plate 33 . With this mere portrait as our guide, we might safely classify our specimen—at least, as to its genus; and inasmuch as no one of the group is poisonous, and all are edible with varying degrees of esculence, we can make no mistake even in our ventures as amateur mycophagists. When, therefore, we find a fungus with suc

2 minute read

Read Chapter

PUFF-BALLS

PUFF-BALLS

Lycoperdaceæ SECTION OF PUFF-BALL— Earlier and Later Stages A detailed discrimination of the Puff-balls is hardly necessary here, and I will therefore omit it. While I am not inclined to go so far as to contend, as was the quaint habit of old Dr. Culpeper, in his Herbal , in which he was wont similarly to elude description of an herb, affirming that "he were a fool indeed who does not know this plant"—or words of similar import—it is perfectly safe to say that if there is one fungus more than an

4 minute read

Read Chapter

Mushroom Spore-prints

Mushroom Spore-prints

Puff-ball spore-clouds Our common dusty Puff-ball, floating its faint trail of smoke in the breeze from the ragged flue at its dome-shaped roof as from an elfin tepee, or perhaps enveloping our feet in its dense purple cloud as we chance to step upon it in the path, is familiar to every one. To the mycophagist connoisseur, on the alert for every delectable fungus morsel for his fastidious appetite, the Puff-ball is indeed pleasantly familiar, though a specimen in such a powdery stage as theits d

20 minute read

Read Chapter

1 Mushroom Soup

1 Mushroom Soup

"Take a good quantity of mushrooms, cut off the earthy ends and wash them; stew them, with some butter, pepper, and salt, in a little good stock until tender; take them out and chop them up until quite small; prepare a good stock as for any other soup, and add it to the mushrooms and the liquor they have been stewed in. Boil all together and serve. If white soup be desired, use the white button-mushrooms and a good veal stock, adding a spoonful of cream or a little milk, as the color may require

35 minute read

Read Chapter

2 Purée of Mushrooms

2 Purée of Mushrooms

"To make a purée of mushrooms, select such as are of a globular shape, called 'button-mushrooms;' wash them in cold water and wipe them dry; chop them as fine as possible and press them in a cloth; put them in a stewpan with a little butter and pepper; let them stand over a brisk fire, and when the butter is melted squeeze in lemon-juice and add jelly broth, according to the quantity of the mushrooms. Stew until reduced to the consistency of pea-soup, and serve with meat, fish, or poached egg."—

26 minute read

Read Chapter

3 Mushroom Stew

3 Mushroom Stew

Put about two ounces of butter into a stewpan; when thoroughly melted add a teaspoonful of salt, and from a quarter to half the quantity of black pepper, according to taste, and a small bit of mace or a pinch of powdered nutmeg. Having a pint of the mushrooms in readiness, put them in the pan, cover closely, and stew them till they are tender, which will probably require from twenty minutes to half an hour. The addition of flour stirred in cream or milk, by which the stew is thickened, is by som

33 minute read

Read Chapter

4 Broiled Mushrooms on Toast

4 Broiled Mushrooms on Toast

Remove the stems, and place the mushrooms in a double wire broiler over the coals, with the gill sides down, for about two minutes, or even less if the specimens are small. The broiler should then be turned, and the cooking should proceed for two minutes more; towards the end of that time the juicy gills should be sprinkled with salt and pepper, a small piece of butter being finally melted in each as they are served on the hot toast. By this simple method all the natural juices of the mushroom a

32 minute read

Read Chapter

5 Mushrooms à la Provençal

5 Mushrooms à la Provençal

Take mushrooms of good size, remove the stems and cut their tops in halves or quarters, which, with the chopped stems, should then be immersed in olive oil, spiced with salt, pepper, and a piece of garlic, for about two hours. They should then be put into a stewpan with oil and cooked over a brisk fire. A variation of this method includes the addition of chopped meat and the yolks of two eggs, the whole being slightly browned in the oven before serving....

24 minute read

Read Chapter

6 Mushrooms à la Crème

6 Mushrooms à la Crème

"Trim and rub half a pint of button-mushrooms; dissolve two ounces of butter rolled in flour in a stewpan; then put in the mushrooms, a bunch of parsley, a teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful each of white pepper and powdered sugar; shake the pan around for ten minutes, then beat up the yolks of two eggs with two tablespoonfuls of cream, and add by degrees to the mushrooms. In two or three minutes you can serve them in the sauce."— Worthington Smith ....

24 minute read

Read Chapter

7 Mushroom Ragoût

7 Mushroom Ragoût

"Put into a stewpan a little stock, a small quantity of vinegar, parsley and green onions chopped up, salt, and spices. When this is about to boil, the mushrooms being cleaned, put them in. When done remove them from the fire and thicken with yolks of eggs."— Worthington Smith . Another recommends that the stew should be poured upon toast, or upon crusts of bread previously fried in butter....

19 minute read

Read Chapter

8 Stewed Mushrooms on Toast

8 Stewed Mushrooms on Toast

Put a pint of mushrooms into a stewpan, with two ounces of butter rolled in flour, add a teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of white pepper, a blade of powdered mace, and half a teaspoonful of grated lemon; stew until the butter is all absorbed, then serve on hot toast as soon as the mushrooms are tender....

17 minute read

Read Chapter

9 Champignon

9 Champignon

"Cut in small pieces and seasoned it makes an excellent addition to stews, hashes, or fried meats; but it should be added only a few minutes before serving, as the aroma is dissipated by over-cooking. It is the mushroom used in the French à la mode beef-shops in London."— Badham . They may be cooked in any of the methods employed for the ordinary mushroom already noted....

19 minute read

Read Chapter

10 Chantarelle Stew

10 Chantarelle Stew

This mushroom, being of rather tough consistency, requires long and slow cooking. "Cut the mushrooms across and remove the stems; put them into a closely covered saucepan with a little fresh butter, and sweat them until tender at the lowest possible temperature. A great heat always destroys the flavor."— Mrs. Hussey ....

14 minute read

Read Chapter

11 Hydnum Stew

11 Hydnum Stew

Roques, the French mycologist, says of the Hydnum repandum : "The general use of this fungus throughout France, Italy, and Germany leaves no room for doubt as to its good qualities." But very little has been said of its companion species, the H. caput-medusæ , described in the foregoing pages, and which is certainly greatly its superior in texture and flavor. Dr. Harkness considers it one of the most delicious morsels among the whole fungus tribe. Both species, containing naturally less moisture

1 minute read

Read Chapter

12 Roast Mushrooms

12 Roast Mushrooms

Mr. Palmer recommends the following: "Cut the larger specimens into fine pieces and place them in a small dish, with salt, butter, and pepper to taste; put in about two tablespoonfuls of water, then fill the dish with the half-open specimens and the buttons; cover tightly and place in the oven, which must not be overheated, for about ten minutes. The juice of the larger mushrooms will keep them moist, and, if fresh, yield a most abundant gravy."...

21 minute read

Read Chapter

13 Baked Russula

13 Baked Russula

See that the mushrooms are free from dirt and grit on tops and stems, or rinse in cold water, afterwards wiping them dry and shaking off the water from the gills; make a mince of the stems, bread-crumbs, sweet herbs, pepper, salt, and a little butter or oil; pile this upon the gills; place the mushrooms in a shallow dish in a hot oven and baste them frequently with the melted butter or oil. In about fifteen minutes they will be ready to serve. The Oyster Mushroom or its congener, the Agaricus ul

38 minute read

Read Chapter

14 Baked Procerus

14 Baked Procerus

Remove the stems; do not rinse the mushrooms unless they are soiled, and this species is usually conspicuously clean; put some slices of toast in a well-buttered pie-dish, and, with a little melted butter or cream poured over them, lay in the mushrooms; sprinkle with pepper, salt, and a small quantity of minced parsley which has previously been rubbed with onion or garlic; cover the dish with a plate and bake in a hot oven for fifteen minutes and serve in the dish. The aroma is thus conserved, a

27 minute read

Read Chapter

15 Cottagers' Procerus Pie

15 Cottagers' Procerus Pie

The following appetizing recipe is recommended by Robinson: "Cut fresh Agarics in small pieces, cover the bottom of a pie-dish with small, thin slices of bacon, and place the mushroom fragments upon them, with the addition of salt and pepper; upon this place a layer of mashed potatoes, following again with other similar layers of bacon, mushrooms, and potatoes, until the dish is filled, the last layer of potato answering for a crust; bake in the oven for half an hour, and brown before a brisk fi

28 minute read

Read Chapter

16 Baked Gambosus

16 Baked Gambosus

"Place some fresh-made toast, nicely divided, on a dish, and put the Agarics upon it; pepper, salt, and put a small piece of butter on each; then pour on each one a tablespoonful of milk or cream, and add a single clove to the whole dish; place a bell-glass or inverted basin over the whole; bake twenty minutes, and serve up without removing the glass until it comes to the table, so as to preserve the heat and aroma, which, on lifting the cover, will be diffused through the room."— Cooke . "A gre

36 minute read

Read Chapter

17 Fried Mushrooms on Toast

17 Fried Mushrooms on Toast

Place a pint of mushrooms in a pan, with a piece of butter about the size of an egg; sprinkle in a teaspoonful of salt, and half a teaspoonful of pepper; when the butter is nearly absorbed, thicken with fresh butter and flour and pour upon hot toast, which should be served hot....

15 minute read

Read Chapter

18 Mushrooms with Bacon

18 Mushrooms with Bacon

Fry a few rashers of nice streaky bacon in the pan in the usual manner; when nearly done add a dozen or so of mushrooms, and fry them slowly until they are cooked. In this process they will absorb all the fat of the bacon, and, with the addition of a little salt and pepper, will form a most appetizing breakfast relish....

18 minute read

Read Chapter

19 Mushrooms en Caisse

19 Mushrooms en Caisse

The following is recommended as a dainty by Worthington Smith: "Peel the mushrooms lightly and cut them into pieces; put them into cases of buttered paper, with a bit of butter, parsley, green onions, and shallots chopped up; salt and pepper; dress them on a gridiron over a gentle fire and serve in the cases." The cases might be made of pastry....

17 minute read

Read Chapter

20 Hungarian Soup of Boleti

20 Hungarian Soup of Boleti

"Dry the Boleti in the oven; soak the mushrooms in tepid water, thickening with toasted bread till the whole be of the consistency of a purée; then rub through a sieve, throw in some stewed boleti, boil together, and serve with the usual condiments."— Paulet ....

13 minute read

Read Chapter

21 Boletus Fritters

21 Boletus Fritters

Persoon recommends this method of treatment of the Boletus as very appetizing: The fritters may be prepared in the method ordinarily adopted, the slices of the mushroom being dipped in batter and browned either in the frying-pan or in the hot fat, after the manner of the doughnut....

13 minute read

Read Chapter

22 Beefsteak Mushroom

22 Beefsteak Mushroom

This species is claimed to resemble meat in flavor more than any other fungus. The gravy, in quality and color, would certainly deceive a most discriminating palate. Like many of the Polyporei, it is comparatively slow in maturing, occasionally, it is said, requiring two weeks ere it reaches its prime, when it may acquire a large size. It should be gathered before its maturity to insure tenderness, though the older, tougher individuals, cut in pieces and cooked separately, will yield a quantity

57 minute read

Read Chapter

23 The Oyster Mushroom

23 The Oyster Mushroom

"It may be cooked in any way that an oyster is, and is equally good in all," says a distinguished connoisseur—in soups, stewed, broiled, curried, baked, in the form of an escalop, patties, or vol-au-vent , or fried with butter in the form of fritters. In all cases where the fungus itself is to be eaten, the specimens should be young and tender, the older individuals, if free from insects, might be used for soups. See Recipe 13 ....

23 minute read

Read Chapter

24 Polyporus Stew

24 Polyporus Stew

The beautiful sulphur-colored Polyporus described in my previous pages when stewed closely suggests the tender white meat of chicken or veal, and might lend itself to various deceptive dishes, as, for instance, soups, croquettes, fricassees, or patties. Only the tender young plant should be employed, and a little experience will suggest various appetizing methods of treatment....

15 minute read

Read Chapter

25 Ragoût of Morels or Helvella

25 Ragoût of Morels or Helvella

The following is an old-time recipe of Persoon: "Pick and clean your fungi and cut them in two; wash and dry them well by wiping; then put them in a stewpan with butter, or a piece of ham or bacon; place them over a brisk fire, and when the butter is melted squeeze in a little lemon-juice, give a few turns, and then add salt, pepper, and a little grated nutmeg; cook slowly for an hour, pouring on at intervals small quantities of beef gravy or jelly broth to prevent burning; when done, thicken wi

32 minute read

Read Chapter

26 Stuffed Morels

26 Stuffed Morels

Dr. Badham's work contains the following recipes from Persoon, which, from the peculiar construction of the fungus, affords a contrast to ordinary methods: "Choose the freshest and whitest Morels; open the stalk at the bottom; wash and wipe them well; fill with veal stuffing, anchovy, or any rich farce you choose, securing the ends and dressing between slices of bacon. Serve with a sauce."...

18 minute read

Read Chapter

27 Morelles à la Italienne

27 Morelles à la Italienne

Here is another skilful compound from the same source: "Having washed and dried the mushrooms, divide them across; put them on the fire with some parsley, scallion, chervil, burnet, tarragon, chives, a little salt, and two spoonfuls of fine oil; stew until the juice runs out, then thicken with a little flour. Serve with bread-crumbs and a squeeze of lemon."...

17 minute read

Read Chapter

28 Clavaria Stew

28 Clavaria Stew

Badham gives the following recipe for the Clavaria, or coral fungus: "After sousing in tepid water and wiping perfectly clean, the fungus should be 'sweated' over a slow fire, afterwards to be strained and the liquor thrown away; stew for an hour; add salt, pepper, cloves, and parsley to taste, masking with plain stock and dredging occasionally with flour. Thicken with yolks of eggs and cream."...

18 minute read

Read Chapter

29 Fried Clavaria

29 Fried Clavaria

The simple process of browning in butter or oil in the frying-pan, with the addition of pepper and salt, and serving hot on buttered toast or with fried eggs, will be found a most palatable method of treating this fungus. For those who are willing to sacrifice the characteristic fungus flavor to a savor more pronounced, the Clavaria is also said to be delicious when fried with onions or with curry in the usual method....

21 minute read

Read Chapter

30 Puff-ball Fritters, Omelettes, Sweetbreads, and Soufflé

30 Puff-ball Fritters, Omelettes, Sweetbreads, and Soufflé

As already described, the Puff-balls in their white-pulp condition are esculent and afford a delicate relish. The species Giganteus sometimes attains a diameter of nearly two feet, and where such a specimen or even much smaller ones are situated at an easily available distance, we may profit by the hint of Vitadini, the Italian mycologist: "Cut off a slice at a time, cutting it horizontally, and using great care not to disturb its growth, to prevent decay, and thus one may have a fritter every d

1 minute read

Read Chapter

31 Mushroom Salad

31 Mushroom Salad

According to Cooke, the Beefsteak mushroom before mentioned is employed as an entremet in Vienna, the fresh fungus being cut in thin slices and eaten as a salad. The fresh, crisp young Russula mushrooms thus served also furnish a very appetizing relish, with the usual varieties of dressing as in the various sauces, mayonnaise, French dressing, etc. The Polyporus sulphureus having been boiled and allowed to cool might furnish a deceptive "chicken" salad. Doubtless other species of mushrooms—Clava

27 minute read

Read Chapter

32 Pickled Mushrooms

32 Pickled Mushrooms

Select the mushrooms in the round-button condition and before expansion; immerse them in cold water for a few moments, then drain them; cut off the stalks, and gently rub off the outer skin with a moist flannel dipped in salt; boil the vinegar, adding to each quart two ounces of salt, half a nutmeg grated, a dram of mace, and an ounce of white pepper-corns; put the mushrooms into the vinegar for ten minutes over the fire; then pour the whole into small jars, taking care that the spices are equal

27 minute read

Read Chapter

33 Mushroom Catsup

33 Mushroom Catsup

Large quantities of mushrooms of various species are annually consumed in Europe in the manufacture of catsup. Following is one of the many favorite foreign recipes: Place the Agarics, of as large a size as you can procure, layer by layer in a deep pan; sprinkle each layer with a little salt; the next day stir them well several times, so as to mash and extract their juice; on the third day strain off the liquor, measure and boil for ten minutes, and then to every pint of liquor add half an ounce

54 minute read

Read Chapter

34 Dried Mushrooms

34 Dried Mushrooms

It will often happen in a normal fungus season that the production will exceed the possibility of consumption, and thousands of pounds of delicious mushrooms will thus be left to decay in their haunts. The process of drying mushrooms for winter use is in most extensive practice by the peasantry of Europe and Britain, who thus find an all-the-year-round dependence upon mushroom diet. With most species this process of desiccation is so simple that it is recommended, in the confident belief that, o

2 minute read

Read Chapter

Menu

Menu

Potages Consommé de bœuf clair, 22 Potage à la purée d'huîtres, 1, 11, 13 Potage à la purée de bœuf, 22 Potage à la purée de volaille, 24 Poissons Côtelettes de poisson—Sauce aux champignons, 13 Escalope de poisson, 13 Hors-d'oeuvres Croquettes de ris de veau, 24 Bouchées au poulet, 24 Relevée Filet de bœuf aux champignons, 22, 23 Entrées Omelette aux jambon, 30 Rognons d'agneau, 11 Pâté de biftecks, 22 Beignettes d'huîtres, 13, 23 Huîtres en curry, 23 Petits vols-au-vent d'huîtres ou bouchées d

1 minute read

Read Chapter

AMERICAN

AMERICAN

1. Geological and Natural History Survey of North Carolina. Part III. Botany. Containing a catalogue of the indigenous and naturalized plants of the State. By Rev. M. A. Curtis, D.D., etc. Raleigh, 1867. (Out of print.) 2. Mushrooms of America. Edible and Poisonous. Edited by Julius A. Palmer, Jr. Numerous colored plates. Published by L. Prang &amp; Co., Boston, 1885. 3. About Mushrooms. A Guide to the Study of Esculent and Poisonous Fungi. A collection of various articles upon the subject.

1 minute read

Read Chapter

ENGLISH

ENGLISH

10. Illustrations of British Mycology. (Hand-painted.) By Mrs. T. J. Hussey. Reeve Brothers, London, 1847. An admirable work, the pioneer treatise in Great Britain; rare; reference copies only in prominent libraries. 11. Esculent Funguses of England. By Rev. Dr. C. D. Badham. With twenty colored plates. 8vo. L. Reeve &amp; Co., London. 1870. 12. A Plain and Easy Account of the British Fungi ; with Descriptions of the Esculent and Poisonous Species, Details of the Principles of Scientific Cla

2 minute read

Read Chapter

FRENCH

FRENCH

24. Plantes Usuelles. Par Joseph Roches. Vol. IV., containing the Edible and Poisonous Fungi: also his Histoire des Champignons Comestibles et Téné-neux. Elegantly illustrated. Paris, 1838. 25. Les Champignons : Histoire, Description, Culture, Usages des Espèces Comestibles, Vénéneuses, Suspectes, etc. Par F. S. Cordier. With sixty chromo-lithographs. 4th edition. Paris, 1876. 26. Histoire Naturelle des Champignons. By G. Sicard. C. H. Delagrave, Paris, 1883. Numerous colored plates. Rare. Copy

1 minute read

Read Chapter