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PREFACE
PREFACE
A score of years ago (1880–1885) I was living in the mountains of West Virginia. While riding on horseback through the dense forests of that great unfenced state, I saw on every side luxuriant growths of fungi, so inviting in color, cleanliness and flesh that it occurred to me they ought to be eaten. I remembered having read a short time before this inspiration seized me a very interesting article in the Popular Science Monthly for May, 1877, written by Mr. Julius A. Palmer, Jr., entitled “Toads
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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
America is without a text-book of the American species of Fungi, among which the edible and poisonous varieties are found. Many excellent but expensive foreign volumes describe species common to both continents, and several special but widely scattered monographs have been published here. The need of the mycologist, mycophagist and amateur toadstool student is a book giving the genus, names and descriptions of the prominent American toadstools whose edibility has been tested, or whose poisonous
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INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS
INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS
To catch fish one must know more than the fish; to find toadstools one must know their season and habitats. They are propagated by their spores and from their mycelium—that web-like growth which is the result of spore germination. The spores of ground-growing kinds, when shed upon the ground, are washed by rains along the natural drainage; therefore, when a specimen of one of these kinds is found, it is well to look up and down the natural water-shed, and follow it. Good reward will usually come
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NAMES OF THE PRINCIPAL REPORTERS OF AMERICAN SPECIES
NAMES OF THE PRINCIPAL REPORTERS OF AMERICAN SPECIES
Figs. Figs. Figs. Cohort HYMENOMYCETES . Gr. —a membrane, a fruit-bearing surface; Gr. —a mushroom. (So called from the hymenium or fruit-bearing surface.) Fungi composed of membranes, fleshy, woody or gelatinous, growing on wood or on the ground. The hymenium or spore-bearing surface exposed at an early stage. The spores are borne on basidia, spread over the surface. The common mushroom is typical of the family. All the members resemble it, more or less, in organization and reproductive organs.
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FAMILY I.—AGARICACEÆ.
FAMILY I.—AGARICACEÆ.
In the Agaricaceæ the hymenium is spread over lamellæ or gills which radiate from a center or stem. The gills are composed of a double membrane, and are simple or branched. The parts of an Agaric may all be present as in Amanitæ, or severally absent in other genera. When the young fungus is entirely enclosed in a wrapper or case, this case is called the universal veil . When this veil is ruptured by the growth of the stem, that part which remains attached to the base is called the volva . The me
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FAMILY II.—POLYPORACEÆ.
FAMILY II.—POLYPORACEÆ.
Hymenophore inferior, facing the ground. Hymenium consisting of tubes with poriform mouths which are round or angular, sometimes sinuous or torn, lined with 4-spored sporophores and cystidia. Fleshy, coriaceous or woody fungi, most abundant and luxuriant in warm countries. Intermediate between the Agaricaceæ and the Hydnaceæ, connected with the former by Dædalea and Lenzites, and with the latter by Fistulina and Irpex. Fries. Within this large family are famed edible species, notably in Boletinu
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FAMILY III.—HYDNA´CEÆ.
FAMILY III.—HYDNA´CEÆ.
Hymenium inferior or amphigenous (not confined to one surface), from the first definitely protuberant, spread over persistent spines, bristles, teeth, tubercles or papilla. Fries. While the highest members of this family possess the general form of the mushroom, others, lacking a stem, recline on the back (resupinate); the lowest, without even the appearance of a distinct pileus, seem to be simply spread over the supporting body (effused). In the highest class the spines or other spore-bearing s
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FAMILY IV.—THELEPHORA´CEÆ Fr.
FAMILY IV.—THELEPHORA´CEÆ Fr.
Sporophore erect and stipitate, with a central stem, effused, with the upper portion free and bent backward, or entirely resupinate. Hymenium perfectly even or radiately wrinkled, glabrous or minutely bristled with projecting cystidia; basidia normally 4-spored. Spores without a division, colorless or colored. Massee. In Thelephoraceæ are shapes closely resembling those found in Hydnaceæ, Polyporaceæ and Agaricaceæ. The genus Craterellus is closely allied to Cantharellus, and, though the spore s
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FAMILY V.—CLAVARIA´CEÆ.
FAMILY V.—CLAVARIA´CEÆ.
Hymenium not distinct from the hymenophore, covering entire outer surface. Somewhat fleshy, not coriaceous, vertical, simple or branched. Fries. For the most part growing upon the ground. In this family there is no separation into stem and pileus, with the spore-bearing surface restricted to gills or tubes, but the substance of the plant is continuous, and the spores are produced on the clubs or branches. But three genera—Clavaria, Sparassis and Pistillaria—include species of food value. They ar
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FAMILY VI.—TREMELLA´CEÆ Fr.
FAMILY VI.—TREMELLA´CEÆ Fr.
Whole fungus homogeneous, gelatinous, shrivelling when dry, reviving when moistened, pervaded internally with branched filaments, terminating toward the surface all round in sporophores. Spores transparent, from globose to sausage-shape and curved, sometimes septate. Fries. The Tremellaceæ, as their name signifies, tremble, because jelly-like when moist. They are hard, tough, horny when dry, but swell and become gelatinous when wet. In the typical genus, Tremella, there is often but little consi
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FAMILY.—HELVELLA´CEÆ.
FAMILY.—HELVELLA´CEÆ.
Fleshy, waxy or gelatinous; hymenium or sac-bearing surface exposed at first, or at length more or less exposed. Where a distinct stem is present it is surmounted by a more or less definite pileus or the stem is expanded into a club-like head. In Peziza the definite stem is absent and the plant is seated on the supporting surface. Many more genera than are noted below are included in Helvellaceæ, but are not known to contain edible species. Pileus drooping, irregularly waved and lobed. Pileus dr
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FAMILY.—PEZIZÆ.
FAMILY.—PEZIZÆ.
Pezizæ , a sort of mushroom without root or stalk, mentioned by Pliny. Ascophore sessile, but sometimes narrowed to a short, stem-like base, fleshy and brittle, closed at first, then expanding until cup-shaped, saucer-shaped, or in some species quite plane or even convex; disk even, nodulose or veined; externally warted, scurfy, or rarely almost glabrous; cortical cells irregularly polygonal; asci cylindrical, 8-spored. Spores obliquely 1-seriate, continuous, hyaline (rarely tinged brown), ellip
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FAMILY.—HYPOCREACEÆ.
FAMILY.—HYPOCREACEÆ.
Perithecia (the hollow narrow-mouthed cases which contain the spores) gregarious, with a cottony stroma in which they are more or less immersed. Mostly parasitic on various Hymenomycetes or Discomycetes; bright colored, with papilliform (nipple-shaped) or slightly elongated ostiola (apertures). Asci mostly cylindrical, 8-spored, without paraphyses. Sporidia oblong or fusoid, uniseptate, hyaline. Conidial stage represented by Asterophora, etc. This parasite attacks several species of fungi, and s
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FAMILY.—TUBERA´CEÆ.
FAMILY.—TUBERA´CEÆ.
(Plate CLIII.) Tuber niveum or Terfezia leonis . By courtesy Rev. A.B. Langlois. A. Plant. B. Interior (section). C. Asci. D. Spore. Subterranean; ascophore irregularly globose, usually large, not rupturing. To this family belongs the Truffle of commerce renowned for its flavoring qualities. It has not yet been found in America, though several fungi are ignorantly bought in our markets under that name; notably Coprinus comatus or maned mushroom. The writer has frequently been informed with all t
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Sub-Class BASIDIOMYCETES.
Sub-Class BASIDIOMYCETES.
(Plate CLVI.) A. Exterior skin, bark, rind, cortex, scurf, warts, spines, bristles—peridium. Plants with long spines—echinate. B. Inner rind or true peridium. [ A.B. —peridia (plural of peridium).] C. Columella—those filaments springing from the base and rising, which do not unite freely with those issuing from the inner peridium. This mass of threads is usually conical, but sometimes globose. D. Capillitium—a soft mass of cottony threads interspersed with minute dust-like spores; the space occu
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FAMILY I.—PHALLOIDEÆ.
FAMILY I.—PHALLOIDEÆ.
Receptacle and gleba at first enclosed in a universal volva composed of three distinct layers, the central one being gelatinous at maturity. Spores minute, elliptic-oblong, smooth, when mature involved in mucus. Massee. Spores 3–5µ in length. Morgan. There are but few edible species within the family, and those edible only when very young. The family embraces the very offensive fungi known as stink-horns. Receptacle consisting of an elongated stipe bearing the gleba on a conical pileus at its ap
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FAMILY II.—LYCOPERDA´CEÆ.
FAMILY II.—LYCOPERDA´CEÆ.
Peridium sessile, usually with a more or less thickened base or sometimes stipitate, at maturity filled with a dusty mass of mingled threads and spores. This order contains many of our most delicious and important food species. The characteristics of all genera are given. In several of them no species are reported edible, but it is more than probable that all are. The genera are therefore given in this table, but are omitted in place to save room. The omitted genera are Nos. 1, Polyplocium; 2, B
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FAMILY III.—SCLERODERMA´CEÆ.
FAMILY III.—SCLERODERMA´CEÆ.
Peridium discrete from the gleba, often with a columella; cells of the gleba subpersistent. Morgan. Skin firm with an innate bark, bursting irregularly; woolly threads adhering on all sides to the bark and forming distinct veins in the central mass. Base sterile, usually becoming elongated into a stem-like structure. Spores large, granulated. Scleroderma vulgare and verrucosum are general and very common over the United States. S. bovista and S. geaster have the same range but are not so common.
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POISONING BY AMANITA MUSCARIA.
POISONING BY AMANITA MUSCARIA.
The symptoms of poisoning by this fungus usually appear from eight to twelve hours after it has been eaten, unless it has been taken in enormous quantities, as in the cases reported by Prentiss (Phila. Med. Jour., September 24, 1898), where they came on in half an hour. These begin with cramp-like pains in the extremities, colicky pains in the abdomen, burning thirst, vomiting and purging. The pulse may be very slow and strong at first, but later becomes rapid, small and feeble. The blood pressu
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ANTIDOTAL VALUE OF ATROPINE.
ANTIDOTAL VALUE OF ATROPINE.
In arriving at any conclusion we must bear in mind the variation of different animals in their susceptibility to poisons. Thus, to give the greatest difference observed, .085 gram. dried Amanita muscaria per kilo of body weight killed one dog in an hour, while in another dog .223 grams. of the same preparation per kilo only killed after 24 hours, the cardiac inhibition having disappeared one-half hour after the poison was injected. However, an average of six (6) experiments on cats and dogs with
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POISONING BY AMANITA VERNA OR A. BULBOSUS VERNA BULL.
POISONING BY AMANITA VERNA OR A. BULBOSUS VERNA BULL.
The symptoms appear from six to fifteen hours after the ingestion of the poison and may be largely choleraic in nature, i. e. , vomiting and purging, the discharges from the bowel being watery with small flakes suspended and sometimes containing blood. The disturbance of the circulation is somewhat similar to that caused by A. muscaria, viz., slow, strong pulse early, but rapid and weak later. Dizziness and faintness may be early symptoms. Sometimes the skin is pale and covered with cold, clammy
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POISONING BY AMANITA PHALLOIDES.
POISONING BY AMANITA PHALLOIDES.
The symptoms described in man are very similar to those caused by the A. verna, except that the convulsions are less constant and cyanosis is not mentioned. In some cases vomiting and purging are prominent symptoms. There is dizziness and fainting, extreme ashy pallor, cold skin covered with sweat, subnormal temperature, muscular twitchings and occasional convulsions and somnolence which deepens into coma and lasts until death, which usually occurs two or three days after eating the poison. Some
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TO COOK MUSHROOMS.
TO COOK MUSHROOMS.
Gather mushrooms whenever they can be found. That is the best time of the day to collect them. The gills grow darker and the flavor improves as the spores ripen. They are in good condition up to the time the gills begin to grow moist and to soften. Cut off the extreme butt of the stem, holding the gills downward. Rub off the cap and stem with a rough towel or flannel. Do not peel. Wash in cold water. Drain well, gills downward. The English method is to scald them, but there is more of custom tha
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BAKED MUSHROOMS ON TOAST.
BAKED MUSHROOMS ON TOAST.
Bake under a glass or basin, on toast along with scalded or clotted cream or a little melted butter, and salt and pepper to taste. They take about a quarter of an hour in a gentle oven or before a fire; when they are taken up, do not remove glass for a few minutes; by that time the vapor will have condensed and gone into the toast....
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CRUSTS OF MUSHROOMS.
CRUSTS OF MUSHROOMS.
Cut into small, even-sized squares a pint of the selected toadstool; stew in a little water until done; add two ounces butter and one teaspoonful of salt, one-half teaspoonful of pepper. Wet a teaspoonful of flour with two gills of cream and mix with the beaten yolks of two eggs. Add, and mix well with the toadstool. Cut the upper crust from some small French rolls. Scoop out the inside of both upper and lower part, brush them with melted butter and brown in the oven; fill them, put on the top.
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TO DRY MUSHROOMS. (English method.)
TO DRY MUSHROOMS. (English method.)
Take those neither very young nor very old. Remove the butts only. Then slice, string or skewer the slices lightly, and expose to a current of warm dry air. A warm oven, with the door open, is a good place. When quite dry and shrivelled, pack in tins, with spice at top and bottom. When wanted for use, soak the slices in tepid water for some hours. Then cook....
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STEWED MUSHROOMS ON TOAST.
STEWED MUSHROOMS ON TOAST.
Cut the mushrooms—caps and stems—into pieces of equal size. Place in a covered saucepan. To each pint add one ounce (two level tablespoonfuls) of butter. Enough water will have been retained by the gills after washing to make sufficient liquor. Stew slowly twenty minutes; season to taste with pepper and salt. Place upon toast....
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TO FRY MUSHROOMS.
TO FRY MUSHROOMS.
Lay them in a frying pan in which butter has been heated boiling hot. After frying five minutes serve on a hot dish—pouring over them the sauce made by thickening the butter with a little flour. This is as delicious as more elaborate ways of cooking and retains the mushroom’s distinctive flavor in full perfection....
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FRICASSE OF MUSHROOMS.
FRICASSE OF MUSHROOMS.
Wash, put them into a chafing dish, sprinkle over a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter of a teaspoonful of black pepper, cover and cook slowly for five minutes. Moisten a tablespoonful of flour in a gill of milk, strain this into the mushrooms, bring to boiling point, add the yolks of two eggs slightly beaten, a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, and serve at once....
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MUSHROOM PICKLES.
MUSHROOM PICKLES.
One-half peck of either Agaricus campester, Lepiota procera, Hypholoma fascicularis, Hypholoma perplexum, Clitocybe multiceps, Russula virescens. Select sound specimens, cut off ends of stems (entire stem of fascicularis or procerus), rub the tops with flannel dipped in salt. Throw them into milk and water (one-fourth milk). Drain and put them into a stew pan. Sprinkle the layers with salt—one-half gill to one-half peck mushrooms. Cover them close and put them over a gentle fire for five minutes
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TO PICKLE MUSHROOMS. (English style.)
TO PICKLE MUSHROOMS. (English style.)
Take buttons and remove butts only. Put into jars and cover with cold, spiced pickling vinegar. Add a few peppercorns and mustard seeds and seal hermetically....
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MUSHROOM CATCHUP.
MUSHROOM CATCHUP.
Take the opened toadstools, clean carefully, bruise them. Put a layer on the bottom of an earthen pan, strew salt over them (two tablespoonfuls to one-fourth peck), another layer, more salt and so on. One-half ounce cloves, one-half ounce mace, one-half ounce allspice, one-half ounce whole pepper. Let stand six days. Stir every day. Then put in gentle oven, cover pan with wet cloth, keep wet, and heat for four hours. Strain through a fine cloth or sieve. To every gallon of liquor add one quart r
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MUSHROOM CATCHUP.
MUSHROOM CATCHUP.
A catchup superior to that sold in the stores may be made at home. Break the toadstools into bits and place in a stone jar, with an ounce and a half of salt for every quart of plants. Let stand in a cool place for three days, stirring several times a day. On the third day put over the fire, in a porcelain kettle, and heat slowly. In about half an hour the juice will flow freely, when strain through a hair sieve, return to the fire and boil twenty minutes. Measure the liquid and to each quart all
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MUSHROOM CATCHUP. (English style.)
MUSHROOM CATCHUP. (English style.)
Remove the butts. Sprinkle all with salt. Pile in a bowl. Let them remain so for three days, stirring occasionally. Then squeeze out all the liquor. To each gallon of it add cloves and mustard seed, crushed, of each half an ounce; allspice, peppercorns and ginger, crushed, of each one ounce. Heat slowly up to boiling point in a covered vessel. Set aside in a warm place for a fortnight. Then strain and bottle. If the catchup shows signs of not keeping, add more salt and spice, heat and proceed as
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CANNED MUSHROOM SAUCE.
CANNED MUSHROOM SAUCE.
Cook together, until a light brown color, two tablespoonfuls each of butter and flour, add a can of button mushrooms, with the water it contains, and a cupful of water or broth. Simmer five minutes, stirring meanwhile, season and serve. The flavor of the mushroom is more distinct and pronounced if the sauce is seasoned only with salt and mixed pepper. If broth is used in the preparation of mushroom sauce instead of water, it should be the broth of such meat as the sauce is to be served with—for
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FRESH MUSHROOM SAUCE.
FRESH MUSHROOM SAUCE.
Put in a graniteware or porcelain-lined saucepan two tablespoonfuls of butter. When hot add two cups of fresh, prepared mushrooms, cover closely, and cook briskly two or three minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with broiled beefsteak, birds, or sweetbreads....
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TO COOK BOLETI.
TO COOK BOLETI.
Remove the stems, and the tubes unless they are compact and young, or the dish will be slimy from the tubes. Wipe the caps clean. To Broil. —Put on wire broiler or in a hot buttered pan. Cook well. Add butter, pepper and salt. To Stew. —After cutting the caps in pieces of similar size, stew in a covered saucepan for twenty minutes. Do not use much water. When done, add butter, or cream, pepper and salt. Some persons may prefer to add a little lemon juice or sherry. To Bake. —Bake for half an hou
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TO COOK CANTHARELLUS CIBARIUS.
TO COOK CANTHARELLUS CIBARIUS.
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. Wash, cut into pieces and put into boiling water; then stew with fresh butter, a little olive oil, chopped tarragon, pepper, salt and a little lemon peel; when cooked simmer over a slow fire for twenty minutes, moistening from time to time with beef gravy or cream. When ready t
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TO COOK CLAVARIA.
TO COOK CLAVARIA.
Fry in hot butter, oil or fat until well done; or stew, covered with a little water, over a slow fire for half an hour. When done add cream or milk, a little flour, plenty of butter and season with pepper and salt. Salt last, always, or it will harden the plants. To Pickle (English recipe).—Put the tender parts into jars with peppercorns, mustard seeds and nasturtium seeds. Pour on them cold white wine vinegar. Fill up and cork hermetically....
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TO COOK CLITOCYBE MULTICEPS.
TO COOK CLITOCYBE MULTICEPS.
To Bake. —Wash caps, remove stems, let drain for a few minutes; place gills upward in a pan; place on gills a small-sized lump of butter; season with pepper and salt; grate cheese over each layer, cover pan, and place in hot oven to bake for one-half hour. An exceptionally fine dish. They are excellent fried. Other species of similar consistency may be cooked in the same way. See Toadstools with Cheese....
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TO COOK COPRINUS.
TO COOK COPRINUS.
“In regard to the C. micaceus I find that they are better cooked after the following recipe: “Trim the stems, wash the toadstools carefully through several waters, then drain them in a colander. Spread them out in a long baking pan, dust lightly with salt, pepper, put over a few bits of butter, cover with another pan and bake in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes. Add four tablespoonfuls of cream, bring to boiling point; dish on toast. “The C. atramentarius may be cooked in precisely the sa
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CROQUETTES.
CROQUETTES.
To one pint of any well-cooked toadstool of meaty species, add two hard-boiled eggs, a sprig of parsley; pepper and salt to taste; chop all very fine, then take two level tablespoonfuls of butter and one of flour, put over the fire with the toadstools and eggs; mix thoroughly together, set aside to cool. When cold, shape, dip in egg and bread crumbs, and fry in hot oil, butter or fat....
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DEVILED TOADSTOOLS.
DEVILED TOADSTOOLS.
For deviled toadstools prepare the meat as for patties, adding the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs to each pint of meat, a pinch of red pepper and a little chopped parsley. Serve hot or cold in halves of egg shells, nested among green....
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TO COOK FISTULINA HEPATICA.
TO COOK FISTULINA HEPATICA.
Mrs. Hussey says of it: “If it is not beef itself, it is sauce for it.” It can be sliced thin and dressed as a salad with mayonnaise dressing or otherwise. The simplest and best way is to cut the fungus into slices as one would egg-plant. If it is small, slice it into two parts, fry in hot butter, season with pepper and salt. Another favorite way is to slice the plant across the grain, cut into squares of one-half inch and cook very slowly in a covered pan for twenty minutes. Add a little water,
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TO BROIL ANY CAPPED FUNGUS.
TO BROIL ANY CAPPED FUNGUS.
Select those that are spread open and keep the unopened for other styles of serving. Cut off the stems close to the tops. Baste well with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with pepper and salt. Heat the broiler very hot, lay the caps upon it with the gills up and broil over a clear fire, turning the broiler first on one side and then on the other. As soon as tender, which will be in about five minutes, open the broiler, remove the caps with care, and place on well-buttered slices of the toast w
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FRIED TOADSTOOLS.
FRIED TOADSTOOLS.
Take the caps only—one pint—well drained and carefully seasoned with one teaspoonful of salt, one-half teaspoonful black pepper. Place in a pan with one ounce of butter (a lump the size of a small egg). Fry slowly for ten minutes. Add a little milk or cream thickened with flour. Serve on hot toast....
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TO COOK HYDNUM.
TO COOK HYDNUM.
In cooking Hydnei care must be taken to cook slowly and well. Use the tender parts only of stems and caps of the capped species, and soft, fresh parts of the maned species; cut into small pieces of similar size, stew slowly in covered saucepan for from thirty to forty minutes, season with butter, pepper and salt. Serve. Or, after stewing for forty minutes as above, drain off the water, chop fine, make into croquettes or into pâtés....
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A HUNTER'S TOAST.
A HUNTER'S TOAST.
Carry a vial of olive oil or a small can of butter, some pepper and salt mixed. An edible toadstool found, collect a few dry twigs, fire them. Split a green stick (sassafras, birch or spice-wood best) at one end; put the toadstool in the cleft, hold it over the fire; oil or butter, season. Eat from the stick....
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TO COOK HYPHOLOMAS.
TO COOK HYPHOLOMAS.
To Stew. —Wash the caps, stew slowly in the water which the gills retain, for half an hour, keeping dish covered. Add plenty of butter, pepper and salt to taste, add cream or milk with a little thickening. The Hypholomas have a slightly bitter taste, of which most persons become very fond; if it is objectionable, add a small amount of lemon juice or sherry. H. Perplexum. —Put one dessertspoonful of vinegar in a quart of water. Soak the caps in this mixture twenty minutes. Then take them out and
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TO COOK LACTARII.
TO COOK LACTARII.
The rich juices of the Lactarii are best retained by baking. The species grow hard and granular if cooked rapidly. Baked they are excellent. This method is preferable to stewing, but no one will despise a properly made stew of them....
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TO COOK MARASMIUS OREADES.
TO COOK MARASMIUS OREADES.
Remove the stems, wash the caps, place in a covered saucepan and simmer for thirty minutes, adding sufficient water to prevent scorching; add a little milk or cream, butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Or, simply fry in butter, make a gravy and season to taste. To Dry. —String the caps on threads and loop up in a dry place, and when thoroughly dry place in tight glass jars or tin cases....
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TO COOK THE MORELL—MORCHELLA (from Persoon).
TO COOK THE MORELL—MORCHELLA (from Persoon).
1. Having washed and cleansed them from the earth which is apt to collect between the plaits or hollows of the plant, dry thoroughly in a napkin and put them into a saucepan with pepper, salt and parsley, adding or not a piece of ham. Stew for an hour, pouring in occasionally a little broth to prevent burning. When sufficiently done, bind with the yolks of two or three eggs and serve on buttered toast. 2. Morelles a l'Italienne. —Having washed and dried, divide them across, put them on the fire
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PÂTÉS.
PÂTÉS.
The toadstools good for croquettes and pâtés are such as the Puff-balls, Lactarii, Gomphidius rhodoxanthus, Fistulina hepatica, Tricholoma personatum and many others of the meaty kinds. Cut the toadstools into small pieces, cook slowly until tender, adding butter, pepper and salt. Let them cook almost dry, then add cream or milk and thickening. Fill pastry shells and serve. A pretty effect is produced by dipping the rims of the shells in partially beaten white of egg, then in finely-chopped pars
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TO COOK PLEUROTUS OSTREATUS.
TO COOK PLEUROTUS OSTREATUS.
Remove tough stem-part, if any, and use only such parts of the plants as seem fresh and tender. To Stew. —Cut in small pieces across the grain. Stew twenty minutes over slow fire with a little water. Add cream or milk with a little thickening; season with butter, pepper, salt. To Fry. —Cut into pieces about the size of a medium-sized oyster, dip in egg and bread crumbs, and fry in hot butter or oil, as oysters are fried. With Cheese — au gratin. —Cut into medium-sized pieces. Stew slowly, rather
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TO COOK PUFF-BALLS.
TO COOK PUFF-BALLS.
To Fry. —Remove the thin outer rind, slice, dip in egg and bread crumbs, and fry as egg-plant; serve without tomato sauce. To Stew. —Cut in dice-shaped pieces, stew for fifteen minutes in a little water, pour off the water, dust with a little flour, add a small quantity of milk or cream, butter, pepper and salt and a little parsley. Stew slowly for five minutes. Serve. These also may be served in pâtés. When these are broken open they should be perfectly white inside; any stains or yellow part s
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TO COOK TRICHOLOMA PERSONATUM.
TO COOK TRICHOLOMA PERSONATUM.
To Stew. —Wash and cut into small pieces. Stew for thirty minutes. Pour off the water, add milk slightly thickened, butter, pepper, salt and a little chopped parsley....
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TO STEW THE TOUGHER TOADSTOOLS.
TO STEW THE TOUGHER TOADSTOOLS.
Cut into small pieces of even size. Soak for half an hour in tepid water. Remove from water, do not drain; place in covered pan and simmer for forty minutes. Add proper proportion of thickened milk or cream, butter, pepper, salt. Those who like may add parsley or nutmeg, or beef gravy; in fact, any flavoring. Many species of fungi make good salads. The best of these are, Russulæ when young, fresh and firm; either sliced raw or stewed and drained; Clitocybe multiceps stewed and drained; Tricholom
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SOUP.
SOUP.
Dame Nature never made a soup. Soup is a human invention of more or less distinctiveness. Usually it is a successful disguise or covering of invisibility for something which furnishes the name. To make two quarts of a distinctly fungoid soup take one quart of any edible toadstools, carefully cleaned. Put in a well-covered boiler with three pints of water, and boil slowly for one hour. Rub the whole through a colander. Reject that which does not rub through readily. Add one-half pint of milk thic
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TOADSTOOLS WITH CHEESE.
TOADSTOOLS WITH CHEESE.
Several varieties of fungi are delicious when baked with a small quantity of cheese grated upon them; notably Clitocybe multiceps, the Hypholomas, Armillarias, Pleurotus ulmarius and ostreatus, Lentinus lepideus and many Boleti. See recipe for baking. When several layers of plants compose the dish, cheese should be grated on each layer....
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BAKED TOADSTOOLS OF ANY GILLED KIND.
BAKED TOADSTOOLS OF ANY GILLED KIND.
Wash, place the caps in a tightly covered dish or pan after dipping them in bread crumbs. Lay them in layers, with a small piece of butter on each toadstool, as well as the proper amount of pepper and salt. Bake from twenty to forty minutes as suits the consistency of the species. Serve on toast. Or, the caps prepared as above, may be laid upon pieces of toast and placed in the pan. If this plan is adopted the lower pieces of toast become saturated with the liquor; therefore, in serving, cut fro
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A CAMP BAKE.
A CAMP BAKE.
Cover the bottom of a tin plate with caps, spore surface up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, place a bit of butter on each. Put another tin plate on top. Set on coals or a heated stone for fifteen minutes. Eat. No better baking will result in the best oven....
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GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY
A- , prefixed signifies absence; as aseptate , without septa. Aber´rant ( aberran(t-)s , ppr. of aberrare , stray from, < ab , from, + errare , to stray), differing in some of its characters from the group in which it is placed, said of a plant, species, genus. Abjec´tion ( abjectio(n-) , act of casting away, abicere , abjicere , < ab , away, + jacere , throw), throwing off with force, as spores or seeds; expulsion. Abjoint´ ( ab , from, + junctus , adjoining), to joint off or deli
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PREFATORY
PREFATORY
The first edition of “One Thousand American Fungi” so fully embodied the species known to be edible, that the field for fresh investigation has been confined principally to newly discovered species. In the eighteen months elapsing since the publication of the first edition, Professor Charles H. Peck—the American authority upon fungi—has reported several. These, with his descriptions, are named in the supplement. The many requests made of the author for information upon the raising of mushrooms s
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PUBLICATIONS
PUBLICATIONS
Report of the State Botanist, New York State Museum. 1900. Charles H. Peck. Albany, N.Y. With many colored plates. Price, 50 cents. Purchasable from Melvil Dewey, M.A., State Librarian, Albany, N.Y. The Genera of Gastromycetes. Illustrated with 49 figures. By C.G. Lloyd, 224 West Court street, Cincinnati, Ohio. January, 1902. A valuable monograph, privately printed. To be obtained by mycological workers from the author only, in exchange for specimens of puff balls....
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GATHERING THE CROP.
GATHERING THE CROP.
The mushrooms will now show in various sizes, from pin-head to large, full-grown specimens, singly and in dense clusters. As fast as they reach the desired size twist them from their sockets. Do not cut or pull them. Keep the gills downward, to prevent dirt getting in them. Take care not to disturb those left in the beds more than is necessary. It is unnecessary to add, cook them, but it is very necessary to tell how, because many excellent cooks commit the outrageous sacrilege of peeling mushro
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