furtech: (Default)
furtech ([personal profile] furtech) wrote2005-12-20 12:16 pm

L.A. Mushroom Club

(They have a fancier name, but I'm a Noob...)

ericmush

I was checking on a mushroom for [livejournal.com profile] iisaw when I noticed the local mushroom club was actually having a meeting the next day. "Local" in Los Angeles can cover a -lot- of area. While I assumed there was a club, L.A. is such a dry country that it never occurred to me that they would be very active (maybe look at pics of mushrooms or hear speakers from Seattle, etc.). They actually have a very active club, and forage locally, mostly in the Santa Ana mountains where (given the right type of rains) they do have a robust crop of local chanterelles.

It's funny: the club members were very similar in personality (and specific personality types) to the Puget Sound club. You could almost transpose the two groups and not notice the difference (except the Puget Sound group is HUGE compared to the L.A. group). All very nice people and were of the nerdy-friendly types that I feel comfortable around.

I brought with me what was left of the samples Eric and Carol gave me and Steve, the resident expert, could definitively identify them as from "the genus agaricus", but (considering their condition) not the exact species. This genus is relatively safe, eating-wise, as the worst you'll get from them is an upset stomach (which with this group is pretty rare, and more often an allergic reaction). More than likely this is both edible and reasonably tasty. Considering where they are growing (around the chicken coop), he recommended against eating them raw and washing them before cooking.

PS: thanks for the help [livejournal.com profile] calicougar and [livejournal.com profile] kvogel, but I think we have the information now.

*laugh*

[identity profile] loriana.livejournal.com 2005-12-21 03:48 am (UTC)(link)
This was definately one of those pics that would have been good for a "What is this"
Scanning down my friends list this picture JUMPED out at me and was like "What in the world???.. what IS that?" It looked initially, for reasons my adhesive-stoned mind cant explain, like something roadkilled, or some in-trails of some poor animal.... *shakes head*

Sorry.. I just found it too amusing.
Not surprised they grew around the chicken coup.. they generally like very rich soil and moisture.

[identity profile] iisaw.livejournal.com 2005-12-21 10:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Very cool! I think a mushroom omelet is called for... all the ingredients are in one place!

[identity profile] furtech.livejournal.com 2005-12-22 01:41 am (UTC)(link)
Cool-- let me know how they taste!